Healthy Eating

Good nutrition is the cornerstone of wellness. Healthy foods play a vital role in fortifying the body, as well as providing a general sense of well-being.  Well-U will assist employees in making proficient dietary decisions by:

• Highlighting the places on campus and the Rochester community that serve healthy food choices.
• Raising the awareness of uncommon yet healthy foods via the Well-U website through our “Food of the Month Spotlight”
• Updating the Well-U website monthly with healthful recipes
• Offering virtual cooking demonstrations (through Great Harvest and America on the Move)

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Healthy Food of the Month

Eggplant

Long prized for its deeply purple, glossy beauty as well as its unique taste and texture, eggplants are now markets throughout the year, but they are at their very best from August through October when they are in season.

Eggplants belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes. They grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height. While the different varieties do range slightly in taste and texture, one can generally describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture.

Health Benefits

In addition to featuring a host of vitamins and minerals, eggplant also contains important phytonutrients, many which have antioxidant activity. Phytonutrients contained in eggplant include phenolic compounds, such caffeic and chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, such as nasunin.

Brain Food

Research on eggplant has focused on an anthocyanin phytonutrient found in eggplant skin called nasunin. Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. In animal studies, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of lipids and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out, and receiving instructions from messenger molecules that tell the cell which activities it should perform.

Eggplant Parmesan light

Eggplant Parmesan Light is melt-in-your mouth good with about a tenth of the fat of the original. To complete the meal, add a green salad simply dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, plus a piece of crusty Italian bread.

Start to finish: 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings: 6

2 eggplants (about 2 pounds total)
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons water
1 cup plain fine dry bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided (1 ounce)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups prepared marinara sauce
1/3 cup slivered fresh basil leavers or 1 tablespoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil two large baking sheets and a 7-by-11-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Slice the eggplants crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. There is no need to peel them. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites and water until frothy. Set aside.

In a shallow dish, combine the breadcrumbs, ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

One at a time, dip the eggplant slices into the egg-white mixture, then coat both sides with the breadcrumbs. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and very tender when pierced with a knife.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the marinara, basil and red pepper flakes. Spread about ½ cup of the sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

When the eggplant is done, arrange half of the slices over the sauce, overlapping them slightly. Spoon 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the eggplant, then top with ½ cup of the mozzarella.

Arrange the remaining eggplant slices on top, pressing them down into an even layer. Top with the remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake, uncovered, until the sauce bubbles and the top is browned, 25 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition information per serving: 291 calories; 11 g fat (4 g saturated); 14 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 13 g protein; 4 g fiber; 862 mg sodium.