Staying healthy, even at a food truck

BY: Natalia Chiarelli

It’s noon in West Philadelphia, and students and medical employees are hungry. For more than a few, that hunger will be quelled by a quick purchase from a local food cart.

But with that speediness comes a tradeoff. Anyone who’s eaten from a food truck can attest that the food overwhelmingly leans toward the unhealthy and fattening variety.   

And despite the variety of healthy food trucks that seem to be pervading the scene in Philadelphia, it can still be challenging to make nutritious choices. 

“We’re conditioned through human history to prefer those sort of really palatable foods,” said Nicole Patience, a clinical dietician at Temple University’s Student Health Services. “The things that are more calorie-dense, in caveman days they were the things that were more highly prized.”

Balancing this genetically driven urge for high calorie food with the limited budget and time many professionals and students have can lead to the dreaded “freshman fifteen,” for example, or a diet lacking in nutrition. 

“Access to very cheap, high calorie food is so easy. It’s just so abundant,” Patience said. “It can be hard for us to moderate what we eat when it’s all around us all the time.”

It’s particularly hard for students, many of whom have become responsible for their diets for the first time in their lives.

“It’s so tempting, alluring to just ‘quick grab-and-go, and my belly is full,’” she said. “Just because the belly is full doesn’t mean that our nutrition needs are met.”

That’s why the Temple Student Health Services offers tips, information and support to those concerned about their nutrition.

There are several useful ways to curb irrational, impulsive food choices at your favorite truck.

“A good way to stick to what you wanted is to pre-order so you’re not standing there smelling all that great food,” said Patience. “A lot of the trucks have healthy options, but when you smell the french fries wafting out, that impulse when we’re hungry.”

The healthy options may not be as limited as some hungry customers may think, either.

“There are some wonderful soups from the Asian or Vietnamese,” said Patience.  “The Korean Truck has the teppanyaki, even a piece of pizza with vegetable toppings.” 

For some, food trucks end up having a positive influence in people’s lives. Look no further than the many fresh fruit and smoothie trucks in front of the Temple Hospital on Broad Street.

“I probably would not eat nearly as much fruit if I didn’t have the habit of coming here,” said Noelle Palmira, 36. “I don’t have the time to cut and wash the fruit, and when I do buy it at home it ends up going bad.”

For Palmira, eating healthy is easier with a strawberry and banana smoothie from Liem Nguyen.

For the last 15 years, Nguyen has operated Liem's Fruit Salad Truck on N. Broad Street and W. Allegheny Avenue. Unlike other truck owners who rely on greasy foods for sales, Nguyen takes pride in his decision to keep his fare nutritious.

“I keep them healthy,” Nguyen said.

Natalia can be reached at natachiarelli@aol.com