Clean eating enthusiast promotes wellness at USAO
If Caitlin Scheppke has anything to say about it, the next time we all sit down to eat, we’ll take a moment to ask, “What exactly am I putting into my body?”
Scheppke, an English major from Blanchard and wellness advocate, is scheduled to share her experiences with the clean eating lifestyle at noon on Feb. 21 in Station 82, located on the bottom floor of the Student Center on the campus of the University of Science and Arts.
The event is being offered to public as part of the Make Marble Pay weight-loss, health awareness initiative at the university. It is free and open to the public.
Clean eating is a simple, healthy approach to food that many of its advocates think of as very different than dieting.
“The great thing about clean eating is that it doesn’t make any kind of food forbidden as long as it is actually food,” Scheppke said. “A good way to know if something is food is to look at the label. If it has ingredients you can’t pronounce, it’s probably not good for you.”
Most clean eating recipes call for whole grains, fresh produce and lean cuts of meat.
Many practitioners also place an emphasis on eating small portions five or six times a day.
“When I talk to people about clean eating, they almost always think it must expensive to eat like this. In reality, buying actual food is almost always cheaper than its processed substitute,” Scheppke said. “You do spend more time planning meals and cooking, but once you start thinking clean, it’s a really easy lifestyle to maintain.”
Scheppke, 21, got interested in the clean eating lifestyle after developing difficulties regulating blood sugar in her late teens. Her efforts to improve her diet led her to the clean eating movement, an interest which has now expanded into cardio and muscle training as part of her commitment to a healthier lifestyle.
Scheppke is the first speaker in the Make Marble Pay lunch chat series. Chickasha resident and juicing advocate Steve Crider is scheduled to speak at the university in March.
The Make Marble Pay program was launched in 2011 by Dr. Dex Marble, vice president of academic affairs, as a way to raise awareness about healthy lifestyle choices. Marble pledged to donate $10 to the general scholarship fund for every pound lost by USAO students, staff and faculty who enrolled in the program.
The first year of the program resulted in more than 400 pounds lost and $4000 gained for the scholarship fund.
More information about the Make Marble Pay lunch chat program can be obtained by calling 574-1362.