Sylvia Crowder has a recipe for low calorie Mexican Fiesta Bites that consists of 80 calories and 3 grams of fat.

The recipe calls for won ton wraps, turkey sausage, chunky salsa, shredded cheese and Greek yogurt.

A dietetics graduate, Crowder specializes in making healthy meals. The USI graduate makes a living educating others on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle through her blog “Simply Sylvia,” and in her job as the Nutrition Education Coordinator at the Health Education Resource Center at Eastern Illinois University.

Crowder uses her blog and publicity from winning Miss Indiana United States 2014 to help people lead a healthier life.

“I try my best to promote healthy lifestyle awareness through appearances, events,and keeping up with my blog,” Crowder said.

Her blog consists of healthy recipes, various health tips and even exercises people can do from their work desks.

“A fellow employee needs to make a trip to the printer? Offer to do it for them,” she said. “You will get moving and when you sit back down to work, your brain will be alert and able to function better.”

Crowder also offers advice for individuals with guilty TV pleasures.

“Have a favorite TV show or a certain time each day you like to sit on the couch and relax?” she said. “Use this time to stay active by doing some light stretching or short exercises during commercial breaks.”

Crowder feels strongly about living a healthy lifestyle by eating right and exercising, she said.

Her passion started during her freshman year at USI when she had a unique opportunity to become an ambassador with the National Watermelon Association.

“I dedicated a year of my life to traveling across the United States educating groups and communities on the health, economical and nutritional benefits of consuming fresh produce,” Crowder said.

It was her time with the Watermelon Association that made her realize she wanted to go into dietetics, she said, because she loved the connection chemistry and biology had with dietetics.

Crowder said there is little known about the field of dietetics and it is a challenging and rewarding career because of the people she gets to help.

“Everything in dietetics is influenced by the individual you are counseling, as no two people are ever the same,” she said.

The former USI student provided some traits needed to become a successful dietician.

“To be a Registered Dietician, you are required to be innovative, to think outside the box (and) to help induce a behavior change,” she said.

In her blog post, “A Recipe for Motivation,” Crowder comments on the keys to staying motivated on an exercise plan. She wrote that setting small goals with small timelines helps make them more manageable. Also, she wrote, don’t forget to reward yourself for achieving those goals.

Soon, Crowder will begin her 1,280-hour supervised clinical practice in order to prepare for her exam to become a Registered Dietician. It is her ultimate goal to earn a PhD and become a college professor, she said.

Until then, Crowder said she urges anyone interested in changing their eating habits, getting creative workout ideas or learning more about nutrition to visit her blog.

“Find something you will wake up every morning excited and eager to do,” she said. “If you love what you do, you will be successful without having to try.”