In a few weeks, finding a healthy meal in Saga, Inc., may be more simple.
The Health and Wellness Department is partnering with Saga to bring a “healthy plate” program to campus. Under the program, students will be presented with a picture of a balanced meal – consisting of food being served by Saga – when they walk into the cafeteria.
“The point of the healthy plate is to get people aware that eating healthy in Saga is possible,” said senior Bridget Ervin, who is helping put the program together.
Students who automatically grab a plateful of pizza and fries will be able to see healthier options that may not have crossed their minds.
Brock Lutz, director of health services, said it is hard to get college students to eat well because they tend to be in a hurry. The healthy plate program will suggest more protein, healthy fats like olive oil and butter, and fresh foods that contain more vitamins and minerals.
“What it will consist of is a balanced plate: one half fruits and vegetables, one quarter some kind of protein, one quarter some type of grain,” he said.
Organizers will look at the planned meals and create the plates. They also will provide nutritional charts for the content of the plates and the post nutritional facts in Saga.
Lutz said that Saga gets a “really bad rap” for providing terrible food, but that it is possible to eat good meals from what is already provided.
“If nothing is added to it,” he said, “there are a lot of good things there and a lot of good options. The people at Saga are to be commended for that.”
It is important to eat well, Ervin said.
“Especially at Hillsdale where we are trying so hard to do our absolute best all the time,” he said. “We are cutting ourselves short through poor nutrition.”
Lutz heard about the idea for a healthy plate program this past summer when he attended a conference by the American College Health Association. Someone mentioned it during a question and answer session and Lutz liked the idea.
When he came back to campus, he pitched the idea to the Health and Wellness group on campus, which also liked the idea. Kevin Kirwan, general manager of Saga, told Lutz he would let them do it if they would supply the people.
Lutz, Ervin, and Kirwan, along with sophomores Rebekah Smith and Rosemary Ricci are in the planning stages, but Lutz said the program may be up and running in a couple weeks.
Right now, he said the team is “still trying to figure out what it looks like.”
