Providing Facts About Nutrition

Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) has made a concerted effort this year to increase students' knowledge of nutrition and health information, according to HUDS officials.

At the peak of a nationwide trend toward nutrition- and health-consciousness, HUDS has introduced two new items to the dining halls, says Assistant Director of Dining Services Administration Dale M. Hennessey.

"To Your Good Health" information signs and "table tents," --folded information sheets placed on each table--give general facts about health and nutrition and are changed weekly.

"The main purpose...is to inform the general student public of nutrition issues and make them nutrition-aware and health-conscious," Hennessey says. She says she decided to make this basic knowledge of nutrition available so that the students can make an informed decision of what they want to eat.

The "To Your Good Health" signs were put up at the beginning of the year to reach the students while standing in line, she says.

In addition, HUDS this year began working with a nutrition consulting company called the Design Institute for Nutrition Education Resources and Services (DINERS).

DINERS produces the table tents, which present a nutritional topic in a creative but informative way, Hennessey says. The topics so far this year have included cholesterol, fitness, salt and protein.

Hennessey worked with DINERS to come up with nutrition month in March to further increase awareness of the issues brought up in the signs and table tents.

A registered dietician, Hennessey says she works all year round to make sure the dining hall meals have a healthy nutritional balance, and that students with special dietary needs are provided for.

Within the main framework of the meal structure, Hennessey tries to include all four food groups and is very conscious of the sodium and fat content of the food.

In addition, Hennessey says HUDS does not include a lot of fried foods on the same menu. If there is an item like fried chicken on the menu, for example, baked chicken will also be offered.

Hennessey also says there is no butter or margarine on any of the vegetables, except for the stir-fry. "Because students were saying, 'We can put the butter or margarine on ourselves,' we let them do it," Hennessey says.

Students rarely voice their nutritional complaints or questions directly to Hennessey, but she says she has met with representatives from Eating Concerns Hotline and Outreach who asked her questions about the nutritional content of the dining hall food.

No matter how the students get the information, however, the ultimate goal is for them to "make a health-conscious and nutritionally sound selection," Hennessey says.