The Triangle

Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Dave Hernandez

Franceen Friefeld, the creator of The Balanced Way, spoke to students and staff about healthy eating habits on campus.

Friefeld said more states are facing obesity as the years progress.

The popularity of dieting is growing at the same rate as the levels of obesity in America. Her goal was to teach Americans how to properly eat food, not just how to diet.

"We're going in circles," Friefeld said.

People do not have to consume boring or tasteless food, Friefeld said.

During her presentation, she compared the nutritious value between a PowerBar, which has 225 calories and a Kit Kat bar, which has 200 calories. She pointed out that sometimes there is no nutritional difference between the two.

Friefeld is the author of the book "Fill Up, Not Out" which provides an approach to healthy eating.

The book serves as the basis for her eating concept called The Balanced Way, which is the new dining initiative in the Handschumacher Dining Center.

According to Friefeld, The Balanced Way was introduced to Drexel by student request,and will help with students' energy and peak performance, clear up confusion about how to eat and improve the relationship people have with food.

"Healthy eating does mean increased performance in sports," Friefeld said.

The Balanced Way is not a diet, but a way of teaching people how to eat, according to Friefeld.

She said the current way we portion our food is incorrect. A typical food mix is 50 percent high fat protein, 25 percent whole grains and starches, and 25 percent fruits and vegetables. According to her presentation, we should be consuming 50 percent fruits and vegetables, 25 percent whole grains and starches and 25 percent lean protein.

Friefeld stressed the importance of a diet high in fiber. When choosing between white rice or high fiber rice, she encouraged choosing the rice high in fiber, which is more filling.

Fiber has many benefits of which the average American is unaware: it is calorie free, aids digestion, lowers cholesterol, and controls appetite.

Water is another importance component of maintaining a healthy diet; many foods include natural amounts of water, such as fruits and vegetables.

The Balanced Way is a program that allows the user to realize the highest food volume while still meeting healthy guidelines.

"It's not super-sizing that is the problem; it's what we're super-sizing. We're super-sizing the unhealthy way," Friefeld said.

Eating to control weight does not have to mean deprivation, according to Friefeld.

She told the audience to focus on foods that are high in fiber and water and that are low in sugar and fat, and advised the audience to balance carbohydrates and protein.

The Balanced Way will ease confusion and misconceptions about eating and help maintain a healthy weight beat the freshman fifteen.

The Balanced Way was part of "Magnificent Minds", a lecture and art series provided by the Office of Auxiliary Services and the bookstore.

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