The Ikenberry Dining Hall made healthy changes throughout March in honor of National Nutrition Month, such as installing a new soy milk machine, offering healthier versions of dining hall foods and educating students about nutritional eating habits. 

National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 

Their goal is “to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits,” according to the academy’s website.

Robin Allen, assistant director of dining and administration dietician, said the Ike wanted to demonstrate how different foods can be modified to fit dietary needs, like gluten-free restraints, and to show students healthy twists on everyday foods.

“We try different things to see how the students react, and if they react positively, we install them,” she said. “For example, for someone who wanted chicken tenders, we would offer breaded or baked versions of the chicken tenders. The goal was not to necessarily have food lower in calories, but just to have it be healthier.”

While dining hall changes have been a priority during March, Allen said administrators are always trying to offer new options.

“We are just trying to highlight various ways to add nutritional food into students’ diets,” she said. “We are constantly making plans, we are always testing new recipes and we are trying to respond to different cultural needs.”

Allen said the first problem Ikenberry was looking to tackle was portion size. The Student Dietetic Association at the University collaborated with University Dining Services and demonstrated serving sizes by setting up posters in the Ike and allowing students to weigh their food. The Ike also now houses serving spoons to help students control portions.

Students said they have noticed and appreciated these serving spoons.

“It was really helpful for me to know what exactly the serving size was with some of the less healthy foods,” said Angela Neufeld, freshman in Business. “Before, I would just grab any amount, and I didn’t know what was really in it.”

Another main event was a themed meal called “Food Democracy,” held on March 6 in dining halls. The Ike hosted the Sustainable Student Farm and other vendors.  

Allen said the idea behind this theme is not to force students to eat only healthy foods, but rather to allow students to easily make healthy choices.

“We are continually looking to add fruits and vegetables and healthier options to the menu,” she said. “But we want to (add these) without sacrificing flavor.”

57 North has also made changes to the food they offer. Along with selling healthy products like a variety of salads, granola bars, soy milks and other drinks, they have also changed the way their French fries are made.

John Francis, 57 North student supervisor, said employees bake French fries rather than frying them. This decreases both empty calorie and fat content, making the fries healthier overall. 

In addition, 57 North added healthier menu items, such as grilled chicken wraps, baked fish sandwiches and grilled buffalo chicken sandwiches. 

“The grilled chicken wraps have been flying like crazy,” Francis said. “They’ve been doing really well, so the management decided to keep those after the healthy food month. The fries are probably going to go back to being fried in fryers.”

Francis said managers will finalize which menu items to keep after National Nutrition Month is over. 

Brittany can be reached at [email protected].