An investigation into the actual dietary health of food options on campus

On campus food options are seemingly limited in variety to many students, appearing as if the only readily, regularly available food options are unhealthy choices; healthy choices seem to be severely limited by meal-trade out restrictions. This belief was only further supported by a talk on Oct. 18 called “Terrier Bites: Eating for Your Best Self.” The designated AVI dietitian for Wofford, Adrienne Haverland, spoke on campus about health and food choices in college, but was not knowledgeable of the actual options available on campus for Wofford students. So is AVI really concerned about Wofford students’ health when it comes to decisions regarding food options made readily available on campus? 

Walter Miller, head of AVI at Wofford, discussed his perspective of the food options available and explained how these decisions are made on behalf of AVI. 

“The chefs on campus create breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for the week and those options are totally up to them. They then send out the menus to a group of AVI dietitians in Ohio, where the dietitians then figure out the protein, calories, fat, etc. within that menu and approve it or make changes to it. The chefs are able to change menu decisions, but they must first have approval from the dietitians to actually serve that food,” said Miller.  

Miller was adamant about wanting ideas from students for food options in the suggestion box located in Burwell or emailing him directly if there is something they would like to see changed. I personally suggested an addition of a healthier pancake options for those who are gluten-free and health conscious, made out of oats, bananas, and yogurt. I sent Walter Miller the recipe and he said that he would give it to the chefs to incorporate with the menu.  

Miller has been receptive to changes in the past, such as offering grilled chicken in Burwell at the grill station per athletes’ request and plainly cooked tofu on the vegetarian/vegan bar per student request. In regards to the lack of fruit, such as bananas and berries, Miller commented that it was a quality issue and they have been trying to find a produce company that consistently delivers good quality fruits, but he stated he will try to provide more berries as options for students. He also stated that offering brown rice as opposed to white rice would be an easy, healthy fix for students. 

In regards to portion size control in Burwell, Miller remarked that the reasoning behind it was to speed up lines and cut back on waste, though he did mention that students are able to ask employees for more of the food or take more than one plate.  

Once the big refrigerator in Zach’s is fixed, Miller promised that sushi would once again be meal trade out at Zach’s as well as Phase V. However, he stated that it would cause chaos to offer side options in replacement of beverages under meal trade-out, so that won’t be a change that will be made.  

Although it seems that Miller was extremely receptive to changes in Burwell, not many changes seem to be on the horizon for meal-trade out in Zach’s or Phase V. In Zach’s, there are still limited side options and the higher quality Chick-Fil-A fruit is no longer considered meal trade out. In Phase V, healthy options include a grilled chicken sandwich or a black bean burger which could be paired with a fruit cup. The only other healthy option in Phase V is a salad, which costs so much that meal-trade out does not allow any sides to be paired with it, even if a beverage is removed. 

Miller admitted the peanut butter in Burwell is made with honey roasted peanuts, claiming that the peanut butter made with normal peanuts didn’t taste good. Sugar is sugar in the way that your body metabolizes it, but honey or maple syrup are slightly better options if you are going to reach for something sweet, rather than natural cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.  

Overall, efforts are being made to offer healthier options on campus, but it seems that carbs and junk food have still infiltrated food options. When one-fourth of Burwell is only dessert options, it makes it hard to keep off the freshman, sophomore, junior or even senior “15.” But if you aren’t satisfied with the options available, Miller has made it obvious that he is willing to make changes based off of student feedback, so contact him at [email protected].