Written by Stefani Pappas
With over 34,000 students, North Carolina State University is the largest university in North Carolina. While NC State is known for its research and academic achievements, it also has a campus dining program that is the leader among other universities in helping college students maintain a healthy lifestyle. We talked with NC State Dietitian, Lisa Eberhart RD, LDN, CDE, to get the scoop on healthy eating initiatives at NC State’s campus.
NC State has had a self-operated campus dining program since 1978. Thirty venues on campus offer a full range of meal services, and include dining halls, food courts, cafes, coffee shops, convenience stores, athletic concessions, catering and vending. The dining program is known for having eighteen chefs on staff to help accommodate student allergies and special diets. Eberhart has worked for NC State for over 18 years, and says that the university is constantly improving their approach for encouraging students to live a healthy lifestyle through offering healthy food choices, emphasizing food labeling, and offering healthy activities on campus.
NC State offers various different healthy dining promotions on campus. Fresh Start Mondayis an initiative that occurs during the first weeks of the semester. The program is composed of seven health pillars that are introduced to all students; these pillars include physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational and environmental health.
Taste the Difference is another campaign that emphasizes and highlights everyday food items served in the dining halls. The design of this program allows students to taste different foods though healthy sampling stations.