By Lindsey Coblentz
Students on the University of Louisville campus are offered an array of different food choices. While many of these foods may be tasty and appealing, they can also be high in fat, calories and cholesterol.
With little time to eat between classes and other commitments, students can feel they only have time to grab something fast to eat, often sacrificing nutrition. This begs the question: Can students eat healthy on campus?
“No,” said Maggie Johnson, a freshman political science major. “The options are just not healthy.”
Like many students, Johnson feels that U of L needs to offer “something other than fast food.” While Chartwells, the U of L dining service, does offer some alternatives to fast food such as soups, wraps and salads, many students feel that there should be more variety when it comes to healthy food choices.
Christina Hatfield, a junior music performance major with vocal emphasis, agreed.
“One has to go to Outtakes to get anything besides Coke or water, which can be a pain if you just want to go to Subway or Wendy’s and get something there. It’s extra time wasted,” she said.
Karen Newton, a registered and licensed dietician who serves as the Director of Health Promotion and Education at U of L, said that the options are there, students just have to find them.
“I think that students are going to have to be determined to really look carefully for the options that are healthier than others.”
Something that the Chartwells Dining Service has started this year in order to promote healthier food choices is the Balanced Choices initiative. According to the Chartwells Web site, this initiative will feature items such as a menu icon system, which will mark different food items with labels such as “carb-control,” “fit” and “vegetarian” in order to identify healthier food choices.
In addition, Chartwells will also advocate Meatless Mondays, encouraging students to eliminate meat from their diet one day a week. Newton believes that incorporating some meatless meals into a diet can be good for students’ health. “It’s a really important step,” she said.
Why is eliminating meat from some of students’ meals so helpful? According to Newton, saturated fat is one of the major causes of obesity. Kentucky currently ranks seventh in the nation for obesity, and third in the nation for obesity in young people. Eliminating some of the saturated fat in a diet can significantly help students reduce their risk of becoming obese.
Chartwells will also be offering special events this year to promote healthier food choices, such as a movie and snack night, a student choice night where students can give food suggestions to the dining service and a culinary night where students can learn basic cooking skills.
Being able to do their own cooking is something that Newton thinks is very important for students’ nutrition.
“It’s very, very difficult to get the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that we really need to eat to get the micronutrients by eating in restaurants,” said Newton.
However, cooking takes some commitment. Newton said that simply making grocery shopping a weekly priority can help students eat healthier. “It’s the same as doing your laundry every week and tanking up your car every week. I don’t think it’s as complicated or cumbersome as people think it is,” said Newton.
Additionally, according to Newton, each freshman this year received a free online subscription to Student Health 101, a health magazine which features articles on general health as well as nutrition. The students will receive e-mails once a month with the current issue.
With some planning and a little effort, students will find that they can eat healthy on U of L’s campus. Students just have to realize how important it is to eat healthy and make it a priority.
“It’s really important for students to eat healthy. If you’re marginally nourished, you’re not going to have the energy to do the things you want to do,” said Newton.
