Students at Ohio University have the opportunity to participate in a program that evaluates the nutritional value of food at dining halls and helps students learn how to choose nutritious foods.
The nutrition department created the Rate Your Plate program in order to raise students' awareness of healthy choices in the dining halls, said Francie Astrom, nutrition counselor at WellWorks.
We wanted to expose the students to the nutrition programming that we do for the university
she said.
The program began Fall Quarter, but it only reached one dining hall before Winter Break. Rate Your Plate has a goal of visiting each of the dining halls at least one time during lunch and dinner, Astrom said. The next visit will be during lunch at Jefferson Dining Hall on Wednesday.
During visits, nutrition counselors and volunteers evaluate the food choices students make, discuss other meals they have had and make suggestions about healthier choices, Astrom said.
The program workers also ask students about their activity levels in order to make recommendations for improving the quality of the food students are selecting.
The popularity of the Rate Your Plate program varies depending on the host dining hall and the time of day. There is a larger response during dinner, possibly because students must hurry to class during lunch, Astrom said.
I think one of the things that we hear so often is that there is nothing good to eat at the dining halls which isn't true Astrom said. And when students come from home
they aren't always aware of how to make good choices of what to eat.
The workers teach students the difference between every day foods and occasional ones.
This means that you don't have French fries
grilled cheese
chicken nuggets and ice cream for every meal
she said.
Meredith Goodrich, a freshman history major, eats in the dining hall regularly. She said she tries to eat healthy and enjoys the deli, soups and pastas.
I choose what looks good and what I am hungry for
Goodrich said.
Although she has never participated in either the Rate Your Plate program or an individual session, she said she might be interested in such services in the future.
Andrew Linn, a sophomore history major, said he would describe his eating habits in the dining hall as consistent and for the most part healthy.
He said he typically eats pastas and fast foods at the dining halls because they look the best, and that he would probably not be interested in seeing a nutrition counselor in the future.
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