Sarena C Glenn RD, LDN, MS, Campus Dietitian
Sound familiar? You are not alone! College students often struggle at some point with making healthy choices in the dining hall. This time of year, many families are weighing their options for next semester regarding meal plans and healthy food options for their student. College is a wonderful time for exploring resources that build will-power to make nourishing and healthy choices. Dineoncampus.com/umbc is an excellent tool which provides nutrition information and ingredient list for daily menu items.
Students can access Dineoncampus.com/umbc through online menus, the iPad Nutritional Kiosk in True Grit’s or download App on Campus for iPhone, Android phones, and tablets. The popular fruit-infused waters are flavorful calorie-free beverages, available at our dining hall and in the Commons for all meal plans. All meal deals offer the option of fresh fruit in place of chips or fries. There are meal deals that have a vegetable option. In our residential dining hall True Grit’s, there is an extensive salad bar which includes spinach, mesclun greens, and assorted vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein toppings. The vegan bar includes quinoa, couscous, rice, various legumes, tempeh, seitan, tofu or edamame offered daily. On the hummus bar, in addition to many flavors of hummus, there is tzatziki sauce, salsa, and homemade guacamole. In My pantry, students can choose from dairy alternatives, nut butter alternatives, and whole grain cereals. The sandwich station offers students a variety of whole grain breads. Hot fresh vegetable and whole grain side dishes, fresh whole and cut up fruit, and vegetable-based soups are offered daily at True Grit’s.
Students are more than welcome to seek out FREE nutrition counseling on how to make nourishing and healthy food choices with the campus dietitian. Concerns about food allergies, including gluten intolerance can also be addressed by the campus dietitian. MyUMBC Dining Services online provides numerous resources inclusive of media, handouts, and access to other online resources that can empower students to make nourishing and healthy food choices. Coming soon Chartwells will start showcasing healthy meal deals which will be another resource that will empower students to make nourishing and healthy choices, so stay tuned!