Collegiate Times

College can often be a period in which people slip into unhealthy habits, from eating that greasy cheeseburger to overindulging in drinks over the weekend.

While students ultimately have to deal with the responsibility of their healthy eating and living habits, Virginia Tech Dining Services started the You’re Eating Smarter Program, also known as the YES Program, to assist students in their pursuits of a healthier lifestyle.

Jenny Lindsey, the administrative dietician for Dining Services, said the program started in 2005 to increase students’ nutritional knowledge and provide them with healthier options in dining halls.

“We wanted to educate our students outside the classroom,” Lindsey said. “Teaching about healthy eating gives students life skills that are not necessarily learned in the classroom.”

YES works to educate students on healthy eating habits in a variety of outlets. Their webpage outlines some of the program’s key aspects and offers credible links for additional nutrition information.

The site also contains a blog that addresses various topics, ranging from information about local produce to recycling.  

For a more intimate approach, YES also offers educational sessions for those students who may be less inclined to conduct their own research.

“We provide educational sessions in the dining centers two to three times a semester,” Lindsey said. “Last month we did a program on osteoporosis in D2 during dinner.”

Alongside general nutrition information, the program offers individual counseling for students who want a more individualized approach.

“Also, if a group or organization wants to have us come to speak to their group about healthy eating, my student assistant and I can do that,” Lindsey said.

Abby Baer, a sophomore psychology major, values the addition of healthy options in the dining halls along with the information YES provides.

“(The program) is valuable in educating students about the food they are consuming on a daily basis,” Baer said. “It is very useful in my pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.”  

Dining Services has seen a positive effect in the student body, from students like Baer, who are learning from the resources available.

Dining Services has conducted student surveys, which are administered at the beginning and end of semesters to assess the level of nutritional learning that takes place over the course of a semester. Lindsey said there have been positive results.

“Typically, we find that there is around a 10 to 20 percent increase in knowledge. We have also seen an increase in students choosing the healthier options in the dining centers,” Lindsey said.

One popular service YES offers is an interactive nutrition analysis program, which allows students to see the nutritional content for the daily items offered at dining halls.

This feature allows students to apply their nutritional knowledge and assess whether the food they are consuming daily is beneficial to their nutritional goals.

“I think the calculator is really helpful in breaking down the content of the food,” Baer said. “It shows you exactly what you are eating and breaks down each individual part,” Baer said.

Baer has learned a lot about the food being served in the dining halls from the calculator, and regrets not using it more to help with her food choices.

“Some of the food is not very good for you,” Baer said. “I definitely need to be checking (the calculator) more because there are some things that seem healthy that actually have a lot of preservatives.”

Baer hopes more students will utilize the services provided by YES to aid them in their food choices. 

While YES has increased student health education and access to nutritious foods, Lindsey said they have plans to provide students with a more hands-on learning approach in the future.

“We did an extensive strategic plan this past summer, and one component of the plan is to provide an avenue for learning and exploration through special events and educational programs,” Lindsey said.

YES plans to build upon the educational workshops offered in dining halls and provide students with more application-based learning experiences with things like culinary skills and food preparation.

A version of this article appeared in the Nov 11 issue of the Collegiate Times.