The conclusions reached by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services in their new policy document "Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010" hardly seem surprising: Americans should consume less sugar, saturated fat and sodium while scaling up their intake of fruits and vegetables. These are essentially the same recommendations that the departments made in 2005 when they released the previous incarnation of their nutritional guidelines, but the report's significance has been amplified by 2009 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which shows that more than 75 percent of U.S. health care expenditures - or approximately $1.5 trillion - is dedicated toward the treatment of chronic diseases that are caused by poor diet and lack of exercise.
Although University students are among those in American society with the most thorough knowledge of nutrition as well as the greatest access to healthy foods, it is still doubtful that many of them are meeting the USDA and HHS benchmark of filling half their plates with fruits and vegetables. University Dining should recognize this problem and build upon the steps that already have been taken to promote well-balanced eating.
There are simple ways to improve the visibility and appeal of fruits and vegetables in on-Grounds dining facilities. At Newcomb Hall, for example, food stations could be rearranged so that plant-based options occupy the position near the main entrance that currently features hamburgers, chicken sandwiches or grilled cheeses at most meals. An easy fix would be to simply move the salad bar from its present location in the back corner of the dining hall to this more prominent spot so that students no longer have to go out of their way to obtain a serving of vegetables. University Dining should be commended for already including cooked vegetables with certain meat-based entrees served in the front of Newcomb, but it should also accommodate those students who prefer raw vegetables. The layouts of Runk Dining Hall and Observatory Hill Dining Hall, where the salad bars are more centrally placed so as to attract student attention, could serve as models for the renovations that soon will be undertaken in Newcomb.
Yet even Runk and O-Hill leave something to be desired when it comes to the placement of fruits. In the case of the former, fresh fruits are crammed onto a few tiny shelves between two larger food stations. At the latter, fruits are tucked away in a corner where they are only likely to be seen by those coming out of the stir-fry line. A better approach would be to spread fresh fruits throughout the dining hall so that they would be accessible at any food station. Somewhat perversely, the dining halls already employ this strategy on occasion with their desserts and chips, placing them immediately next to the sandwich stations and entrees where they are both suggestive and convenient. Replacing these junk foods with fresh fruits and vegetables would encourage students to instead finish off their meals with nutritionally dense items that are both healthier and more filling.
Students also must take responsibility for their own eating habits in light of the new USDA and HHS guidelines. This is particularly true given the diverse culinary options and nutritional resources, such as calorie counts, that are available at University dining facilities. As part of its mission to teach habits that encourage social responsibility, however, the University should continue working toward the creation of a dining environment that makes healthy eating another standard part of student life.
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