By Sarah Wang | Staff Writer
Baylor Dining Services aims to provide food that is nutritious and satisfies people’s dietary restrictions.
In order to help students find the meals that are the best fit for them, Dining Services uses five different classifications, which are marked by brightly-colored messages: eat well, made with whole grains, vegetarian, vegan and plant-forward.
According to the Dining Services website, eat well selections make up over 30% of menu items. They include nutritionally dense whole foods that are low in calories, saturated fat and sodium.
Whole grain selections account for over 15% of menu items.
Vegetarian and vegan selections constitute over 30% of menu items. A culinary team and dietitians assure these selections contain no meat, fish or poultry. Additionally, vegan selections have no animal products of any kind — even dairy, eggs and honey.
Lastly, plant-forward selections are referred to as “a style of cooking and eating that emphasizes healthy plants at the center of the plate with a proportionally small quantity of animal protein.”
Apart from offering a variety of options, Dining Services also strives to promote health and wellness through the management of food allergies and food-related medical conditions.
“We work closely with many students with food allergies and food-related medical conditions on campus,” Jill Hamilton, a registered dietitian, said. “Our goal is to provide students with the tools and support they need to utilize the dining locations safely and be active in the management of their food allergy or food-related medical condition on campus.”
Hamilton also said her team’s chefs receive training on how to provide nutritionally balanced meals.
According to Hamilton, any student who experiences challenges trying to eat on campus can work with Taylor Beard, a full-time registered dietitian, to “review offerings and come up with a plan to safely eat on campus.”
Shanghai senior Yunting Ling said she chose Baylor’s meal plans because they’re delicious and nutritious. She said there is no point in being bothered by cooking when there are many food options on campus that taste good and are healthy.
“The meals provided by Baylor Dining Services is really necessary for students who do not have time to cook for themselves,” Ling said.
Hamilton said Beard collaborates with chefs to make well-rounded menus that contain complete meal options for students.
According to Hamilton, Beard also provides free nutrition counseling for any student who is interested. She said anyone can set up an appointment or ask Beard questions about nutrition by emailing beard-taylor@aramark.com.
“I believe health and wellness is extremely important,” Hamilton said. “Without being healthy and well, we wouldn’t survive. When we treat our bodies well, we feel better and can be productive members of society.”
