"Eat Well, Be Well" Dinner
Sponsored by Well Woman and Barnard Dining Services
Well Woman’s healthy eating campaign, “Eat Well, Be Well,” held its first dinner on Monday, April 6th in Hewitt Dining Hall in collaboration with Barnard Dining Services. Well-Woman and Barnard Dining Services are working together to help students eat healthfully by making more nutritious foods and recipes available—especially fresh vegetables and whole grains. Last night’s dinner featured entrees based on recipes from Vegetarian Times and a new mixed-to-order salad bowl option. Well Woman Peer Educators were on hand to talk to students about the special menu and surveyed students about their food choices, knowledge, and interests. Peer Educators also gave out “food books” they’ve created and hosted a “Pleasures of the Table” dinner discussion at a table reserved for interested students. The Barnard Eco Reps were also present to answer questions about eating locally and sustainably.
The “Eat Well Be Well” program provides ongoing education about healthy eating practices around campus, including in Hewitt Dining Hall itself. Last night, “food cards” were on display in Hewitt for the first time. The cards feature whole foods that are key ingredients in Hewitt recipes, or are available fresh in the salad, sandwich or fruit bar. They inform students about vitamins, minerals, and other food elements the particular food contains and how those nutrients work in the body. The cards will rotate on a daily basis to reflect what menu items are offered in Hewitt that day.
Several students remarked on how delicious the food was last night. "You have to try the dessert, it is amazing!" urged one student, "it's almost gone!" Recipes for the desserts are available online through Vegetarian Times so you can cook them on your own.
The "Eat Well, Be Well" campaign is visible throughout campus in the form of educational posters, postcards, bulletin boards, workshops, and more. Last night, Well Woman Peer Educators distributed to students a number of postcards with food inspired poetry such as Lucille Clifton’s Cutting Greens:
“curling them around
i hold their bodies in obscene embrace
thinking of everything but kinship
collards and kale
strain against each strange other
away from my kissmaking hand
and the iron bedpot.
the pot is black”
Well Woman's director, Karen Winkler, explains "Eat Well Be Well"'s mission: "Well-Woman hopes to educate students about the food they eat-- what it contains, how it works in your body, and where it comes from. At the same time, we believe that the availability of healthy, fresh foods, deliciously-prepared, will encourage students to make good choices and enjoy really good food, as they did tonight. We're also hoping to work with Dining Services, and the Barnard Eco-reps, to make locally-grown foods available whenever possible." For more information about Well Woman and the “Eat Well, Be Well” campaign, visit their blog at wellwoman.wordpress.com
Well Woman Peer Educator Lizandra Muniz ‘11 talked to students about the “Eat Well Be Well” dinner. Visit iTunes U to listen to an interview with Well Woman’s Peer Educators. |
