In conjunction with National Nutrition Month, Campus Dining Services Nutrition Committee has hosted several events and will be providing more table tents with nutrition information through the end of March.
Magda Mello, manager of Mark Twain Market and J Cafe, said there will not be any more events this month, but the Nutrition Committee would continue to provide information to raise awareness among students about importance of healthy eating.
“We have four Registered Dietitians on our staff who are very willing to meet with students to discuss their food choices,” Campus Dining Services Director Julaine Kiehn said in an e-mail. “What we do every day, though, is provide nutritious foods — those that look good, taste good and are good for you.”
The Nutrition Committee hosted events March 1 through March 3. Following the American Dietetic Association theme of “Eat Right with Color,” dining halls served a wide variety of fresh fruits throughout those days.
CDS also promoted two specialized contests, “Guess how many grapes are in the jar?” and “Question of the week”. Winners won several prizes, including T-shirts, water bottles, granola bars and a student guide to healthy living.
Josh Hockett, Department of Recreation Services Facility coordinator for Strength and Conditioning, was also invited to talk to students about nutrition and exercise in each dining facility.
“He interacted with our students performing a physical assessment, answered questions about nutrition and exercises, handed out information about calories and food equivalency and gave away prizes,” Mello said in an e-mail.
According to the American Dietetic Association website, the campaign emphasizes the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical habits.
Mello described the response from students as positive.
“It was very positive as we had a high participation in the drawings, and they loved the prizes and the abundance and variety of fresh fruits during that week,” Mello said.
Stating the biggest challenge in raising awareness about healthy eating among students as having to meet the expectations of what students consider as “healthy” food, Mello said that CDS has to revise its menu often.
“We make it a priority to listen to students and revise our menus on a yearly basis,” Mello said. “We review some of our products to make changes with new and healthier products, like trans fat free oils, whole grain pastas and more fresh fruits.”
