High Protein Football Appretizers

 Written By: Jenna Brus (SLU Dietetic Intern)

Today is the first day of Autumn, which means it is officially football season, and what is a football game without yummy appetizers! To celebrate the beginning of fall, I put together a couple protein-packed versions of football tailgate classics!  

 

Protein is a macromolecule that is made in the body and can also be found in food. This nutrient is vital for the body as it plays a role in nearly every process within the body→ it is the building block of the cells and tissues, is crucial for muscle growth and repair, hormone regulation, immune system health, and overall bodily structure and function.  

 

I hope you enjoy these easy, quick and delicious recipes!  

 

High Protein Buffalo Chicken Dip 

Ingredients: 

• ¼ cup cream cheese (optional) 

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or cottage cheese)  

• ¾ cup buffalo sauce 

• ½ tsp garlic powder 

• ¼ tsp onion powder 

• 
  ¼ tsp black pepper 

• ½ tsp salt  

• 1 tbsp ranch seasoning  

• 2.5 cups shredded chicken breast (about 2 chicken breasts or 1 lb) 

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

• 2 green onions  

Instructions:  

1. Preheat oven to 375F. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl mix together cream cheese, Greek yogurt, buffalo sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, ranch seasoning and salt. 

3. Add shredded chicken and half of the cheese. Mix until fully combined. 

4. Pour mixture into an oven safe dish, spread into an even layer and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to get the cheese nice and golden. 

5. Carefully remove from the oven, top with sliced green onions and serve with chips or veggies! 

 

Nutritional Benefits:  

• This protein-packed dip is full of amazing nutrients that will keep you feeling Greek yogurt/cottage cheese are a great source of protein, vitamin D, and calcium!  

• Calcium→ keeps your bones strong!  

• Vitamin D→  your body needs vitamin D for your muscles to move and nerves to carry messages between the brain and body. 

*Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium 

 

 

 

Fruit Dip  

Ingredients:  

• ½-1 cup plain Greek yogurt 

• 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup 

• 1 tbsp peanut butter or peanut butter powder  

• Cinnamon and vanilla extract to taste  

Instructions: 

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl, add toppings of your choice, and serve with your favorite fruits! I topped mine with a dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup!  

Nutritional Benefits:  

• Fruit is a great source of fiber and antioxidants!  

• Fiber→ helps keep you feeling full and satisfied, stabilizes your blood sugar levels, promotes the growth of prebiotics which feed the good bacteria in your gut, and helps decrease inflammation throughout the body 

• Antioxidants→ help reduce the risk of many diseases, including heart disease and certain cancers, protect your skin from sun damage, reduce inflammation throughout your body   

*Cinnamon and honey are also great sources of antioxidants!  

• Greek yogurt is packed with protein and other important nutrients that help keep your body healthy and your bones strong!  

• Vitamin B12→ important for normal functioning of the brain and nervous system as well as your ability to think clearly and maintain your energy levels  

• Probiotics→ keeps your digestive system healthy so that your body can absorb and utilize all of the different nutrients from the foods you eat 

• Peanut butter is a great source of plant-based protein, as well as being rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats!  

Why Dietitians Are Hospital Food Service Managers

 Written By: Peter Baartman; SLU Dietetic Intern

        Have you heard of a Dietitian? Chances are, if you see someone with the letters “RDN, LD” behind their name, you may wonder what sport they play, or what Greek life they took part in. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, RDs, are vital healthcare professionals, but the role of an RD expands beyond the hospital. RDs work in private practices and public health roles, but they also have a heavy influence on food service operations. Even within the Dietetic profession, however, foodservice is commonly the least popular avenue to take. Clinical, corporate, and any other avenue of nutrition services almost always takes precedence in people's job searches. 

        Isn't food service for Head Chefs and general managers with MBAs to handle though? Despite the commonality of this thought, there are very good reasons Dietitians are involved in foodservice, specifically in the hospital. Dietitians provide valuable insight, training, and leadership for hospital foodservice staff, from the smallest rural operation to a 1500 bed hospital. Dietitians are needed in foodservice in order to effectively serve nutritious and engaging meals to hospital patients, while also taking into account the individuality and needs of every patient. RDs offer effective leadership and training for the foodservice staff, and a more informed understanding of patients' needs and desires.

        First off, it is important to know what a food service manager actually does. This role extends through a lot of different careers, from fast food managing, catering businesses, and the big one, hospital foodservice. The food service manager is the person in charge of the entire operation as a whole. They oversee employees, develop the menu, and direct the process of ordering and receiving deliveries of food and equipment. They organize the schedule, do inspections to make sure the kitchen is working smoothly, conduct customer satisfaction surveys and education initiatives in the hospital; the list goes on and on. This sounds like the kind of job for someone with a management or human resources degree, so again, what does being a Dietitian have to do with all of this? 

        The first and most important reason is that Dietitians are trained to do this job! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics puts it this way: “Often RDNs… who work in the area of food service must juggle management roles with food planning, safety and recipe analysis, which requires a broad skillset”(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics(AND), 2024). Most undergraduate Nutrition degrees include multiple classes and 15 or more credit hours of specific foodservice management courses. Students learn budgeting, employee management, menu development, and more. By the time students come to their Dietetic Internship, the accredited internship hours dietetic students undertake to qualify for their license, they have 9 weeks or more of food service experience, depending on their specific program. A significant portion of the accreditation exam for RDs is foodservice based and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics includes management of any retail food operation or hospital foodservice system in its official position paper(AND, 2024). RDs also, in the course of their education, take culinary specific classes, learning basic cooking techniques, presentation skills, and become certified foodservice managers. Because of this, RDs already understand the minutiae of what their foodservice employees do, which facilitates a better employer/employee relationship. It also makes RDs qualified to train employees on food safety, knife skills, or menu planning, because they understand food safety and kitchen operations through firsthand experience. That firsthand experience opens up avenues of management that would otherwise be overlooked or unknown to traditional managers. All of this comes together to shape professional Dietitians who are capable of managing foodservice operations. 

        RDs are not solely capable because of their foodservice training. An important aspect of hospital foodservice is the ability to understand and adapt to specific patients' needs. When in the hospital, every single patient could be on a completely different diet than the patient in the same room as them! They could have allergies, conditions that require specifications for preparation of their food, or simply are looking for an appetizing meal that fits into their hospital chosen diet order. This is where RDs have an advantage over traditional managers. RDs are experts in nutrition, and go through extensive clinical training in order to prepare for patient feeding scenarios. Thus, when it comes time to update or change the menu at the hospital, Dietitians can create meal options that not only fit into the diet orders specifications, but are foods patients actually want to eat. RDs understand the needs of specific patients, and can order and plan menu items that tailor to a patient who has an allergy, or is a newly diagnosed celiac patient or Type 2 Diabetic. When RDs make the menu, the nutrition information is accurate, the operation makes quality food that fits specific dietary needs, and the food is varied and interesting (not just the same old dishes over and over again). RDs are also trained in sustainability in foodservice operations, and can implement initiatives to make their kitchens more sustainable. 

        Lastly, RDs are able and effective educators, using the kitchen for more than just serving food. RDs as managers can create education programs about nutrition, showcase interesting and delicious dishes using specific inpatient diets, and more. As experts in nutrition, dieticians manage kitchens that are more sustainable, provide quality food to varied patients, and can educate employees and patients alike about healthy eating. The British Dietetic Association summarizes the role of an RD in foodservice, saying “Food service dietitians drive improvement through food and drink services that are good quality, safe, nutritionally adequate, patient-focused and represent good value for money”(British Dietetic Association, 2024). If the goal of hospital foodservice is patient satisfaction, quality food, and well-run operations, Dietitians as foodservice managers are the answer. There is no one better to manage a hospital kitchen, or any kitchen, than your friendly neighborhood nutrition expert, the RD.