How to Eat Healthy—and Enjoy It—in College

How to Eat Healthy-and Enjoy It-in College

A BU registered dietitian on nutrition resources available to students

Starting college can be overwhelming, and with a new schedule and environment, eating a steady, nutritious diet can quickly become tricky. Not knowing when to eat, what to eat, and how to do it affordably are common concerns for college students.

But Boston University has a large team of registered dietitians on staff, ready to assist students who want to learn more about nutrition, need tips for meal prepping, and want one-on-one counseling. And staff members meet with students for free.

Clare Whitney (Sargent'18) is a licensed, registered dietitian/nutritionist with the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center. She spoke with BU Today about campus resources that students might not be aware of and how they can eat healthy.

BU Today: What is the role of the Sargent Choice Nutrition Center?

Whitney: At Boston University's Sargent Choice Nutrition Center, we're a team of nine registered dietitians and we offer a variety of services. We aim to provide nutrition support and education for groups across campus. We want to reach as many people as possible with that education, so that could be through group talks and seminars, nutrition classes for students, and nutrition workshops. We work closely with our colleagues in Dining Services and Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS), and we also offer individual support for students who require a little bit more one-on-one type of support around nutrition.

BU Today: What challenges do college students typically face around food?

Whitney: Coming to college can be overwhelming due to all the changes. Sometimes people's support looks different-maybe they were getting meals at a high school or through family, and now there's a lot more independence with college.

So I'd say that challenges around the timing of meals can be hard-it's tricky with classes-and knowing what students want to choose, what would meet their nutritional needs. Getting familiar with different types of foods is also a challenge. Maybe they're used to certain foods or cuisines, and then they come to BU, where there is such a broad variety of different types of food, and it can look quite different.

BU Today: What programs are available for students to learn more about nutrition?

Whitney: Our nutrition workshops are an excellent resource for students. We offer three nutrition workshops: Nutrition Foundation, Thoughtful Eating, and Advanced Meal Planning. We also provide a couple of specialty workshops around heart health and prediabetes.

PERD workshops in Foundations of Nutrition and Cooking and Nutrition for Exercise are also available and students can register for them. Those classes are education-based and also have a cooking component, so they will learn knife skills and how to create health-promoting meals based on the framework used in our workshops and counseling.

BU Today: How can you work more closely with individual students to tell if they're getting the nutrition they need?

After taking our nutrition workshops, students might say, "I'm not sure if I'm meeting that foundation," or "I have questions," and then that is when they bump into our individual counseling. Students at BU, including grad students, are eligible for up to three free visits per academic year with a registered dietitian.

That first meeting is a detailed assessment of someone's dietary picture-getting to know what brings them in to see us and what their concerns are, and then we have a series of questions. It's an hour-long visit where we gather health information, personal history, typical dietary patterns, and typical intake-just all the details we need to create a nutrition picture of someone.

That nutrition assessment with the registered dietitian then informs our treatment plan. So we can't just make assumptions, or look at someone and say, "Oh, you need x, y, z." Having that chance to connect to the student in the counseling session allows us to tailor and personalize our nutrition intervention for them.

We also have the option for students to continue with nutrition counseling on a longer-term basis, if they would like. That would be paid through their insurance or through a self-pay fee.

I believe we're the largest collegiate team of dietitians, so having nine on staff and the ability to see so many students is super unique. It's just a great resource for students who are curious about how to eat well in college. If they have concerns or if they just want to learn, I would encourage them to take advantage of these opportunities.

BU Today: For students with specific dietary needs, such as allergies, or those following a faith-based diet, is it more challenging to eat well at school? Does BU offer accommodations for those students?

We work closely with Dining Services to support students with food allergies. We have a dietitian on staff, Liz Sauter, who specializes exclusively in food-related medical conditions, such as food allergies and intolerances, as well as conditions like IBD, IBS, GERD, and those types of conditions. She leads our food allergy program, and nutrition counseling is huge for students with food allergies.

For students with peanut and tree nut allergies, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, etc., there are locked pantries in each of the dining halls where they can access foods and condiments that will be safe for them. There are also tools, such as a toaster designated for gluten-free toast, without having to worry about cross-contact with regular toast.

We also offer special meal programming. If a student has multiple allergies or more severe allergies, and cannot successfully dine in the regular dining hall, there is a program available where specially trained chefs will create meals specifically for them. So that's an amazing resource.

At our West Campus dining hall, there is a true balance station-a top-nine allergen-free station. A lot of students who might otherwise have challenges with encountering soy, milk, or sesame in other places in the dining hall are able to dine at the true balance station and have successful experiences.

We also have a strong halal program in all of our residential dining facilities. So students can find halal meats and also just items that don't contain things like alcohol and pork. They're able to find those options daily in the dining hall, and we have an online menu that will designate which items are halal.

For our folks who are following kosher, there's actually an exclusively kosher dining hall, which is super cool. It's called Granby Commons-there's a vegan side, and then there's a kosher meat and animal protein side.

BU Today: What resources are available for students facing food insecurity and who may not have access to enough food?

BU has a food pantry, which is an amazing resource. You don't have to demonstrate any particular criteria, so it's available for all students. There's also something called the Terrier Meal Share program, where students can donate unused swipes, and then they're repurposed to students in need. So if a student doesn't have enough swipes, or if they're having challenges navigating that piece, the Terrier Meal Share program is available for support.

BU Today: What's your favorite place to eat at BU?

I feel like each dining hall has its own identity, so I love them all for different reasons. Marciano I love because they have the concept kitchen, so they're always trying new recipes. It's very inventive. So if students love creative, new types of flavors, Marciano is great for that.

Warren Towers has a wonderful grill station and Asian food station. Most of our athletes dine in West, and I feel like there are a lot more "create your own" type of options there. There are cozy vibes, where you can go and find a little corner booth and sit there.

BU Today: What would you say to students who come in and are worried about falling into unhealthy or harmful habits during the school year?

I would say, you're not alone. It's a totally new environment, so many changes and a lot of stress can happen in the school year. And so just letting people know they're not alone in those struggles, and they don't have to struggle through them by themselves. We have these amazing supports in place, and I would encourage them to reach out early and often to our center, just to get that connection before things get challenging. We also partner with CAPS, Student Health Services, and Dining Services. If anyone is struggling, reach out.

Find a list of resources for food allergies here.

Explore Related Topics:

• Dining
• food
• Nutrition

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