Eating well-rounded meals at Michigan Tech can be difficult amongst the endless dining hall buffets and the intimidating prospect of cooking on your own for, often, the first time. But health doesn’t have to be intimidating; Michigan Tech has equipped students with a variety of free resources to educate themselves on food.
Eric Schley, the campus dietician for Husky Eats Dining Services, shared a few general tips on healthy habits in the dining halls. For starters, he encouraged students to “explore” and “buy into the variety” of the many cultural and ethnic foods offered at the different stations. Schley advocates for a more inclusive and broader diet, as opposed to one that is limiting.
A more specific recommendation he gave is to eat more fiber. Schley quotes new studies as showing that a healthy adult should eat between 20 and 35 grams of fiber a day. Having more fiber in your diet is correlated with a decreased chance of colorectal cancer, which is becoming increasingly prevalent in America’s older populations.
Schley also shared some information on how Husky Eats builds their menus to cater to students’ preferences and nutritional needs. Every year, the dining halls use a “core” or “master” menu that he said is based on “generational trends.” These items are the ones most commonly served. Michigan Tech stays on top of nutrition by staying in season with fruits and vegetables, which can unfortunately limit options.
If students have any dietary or allergy needs or questions, Schley is available for students to meet one-on-one through his booking page on the MTU Husky Eats website. His final remarks to students at Tech are, “When it comes to the day to day, the things you should be eating are the things you like.” Sustainability is the key to a healthy lifestyle.
