Making Healthier Choices during Nutrition Week

During Winter Quarter, Residential Dining celebrated its annual event, Nutrition Week, at the Dining Commons. Nutrition Week is an educational campaign developed to teach our students about nutrition and mindful eating. During the week-long event, a different theme from the menu of change principles was highlighted daily. On Monday, the Dining Commons focused on “Think Produce First.” The salad bar was organized by color in rainbow order to encourage students to eat more produce. Following Monday’s produce theme, Tuesday focused on nuts & legumes, Wednesday’s them was “Encouraging Whole Grains,” Thursday highlighted low-fat dairy, and the Dining Commons promoted healthy beverages on Friday.

During the week, the Dining Commons also served more plant-based menu options and whole, minimally processed foods. In addition to the menu guidelines and options offered in the dining commons, vendors were invited to table and provide samples of food items that align with Nutrition Week. This year, The Berry Man provided us with fresh berry samples, and Healthy Campus Network shared information about how the campus is making and implementing healthier policies. Danielle Sinclair, our Assistant Director of Nutrition, and Brian Smith, our Senior Executive Chef, also hosted tasting tables and tabling events that aligned with the theme of the day. On Friday, Brian served Blackberry Orange Flavored Water at De La Guerra to encourage healthy drink options which was highly popular with the students. Nutrition is a key part of our dining program which we enjoy showcasing throughout our annual Nutrition Week event.