Food courts to switch to healthier oils

When students return to school after spring break, healthier food will be awaiting them in dining halls across campus. \nSandra Fowler, director of dining services, said Residential Programs and Services will be phasing out the current vegetable cooking oil used in the dining halls and replacing it with a new oil that contains zero trans fats.\nFowler said they tested the new oil at Wright food court a few weeks ago.\nFowler also said RPS has seen a trend toward healthier dining on the IU campus during the past three to four years. \n“The number one item we sell is our turkey breast, and the number two item is our grilled chicken,” Fowler said. “That’s not to say we don’t sell a lot of burgers, but they aren’t our top selling foods.” \nLast spring, RPS began the “Eat Wright” program, also at the Wright Quad dining hall, which is a way of teaching students about making healthy choices regarding what they eat, Fowler said. “Eat Wright” includes low-fat entrees and paninis, as well as soups and a salad bar.\nDespite the recent trend of making healthier options available to students, Heidi Boruff, a RPS dietitian, said she can’t say with certainty that foods containing trans fats will be entirely eliminated at any time in the near future.\n“We have an executive chef who is in charge of purchasing the food,” Boruff said. “I can advise him, but it all comes down to prices and what is available.” \nBoruff said if students are wondering about the nutritional information in the food they are consuming in the dining halls, they will soon be able to access that information online. RPS is currently working on a program which will allow students to select certain foods into a kind of online shopping cart and then view their nutritional facts.\n“Due to technical difficulties, it’s not up and running yet but it will be available in the near future,” Boruff said.\nRPS nutritionists also make trips to visit different floors in various residences halls across campus to promote healthy eating habits, Fowler said.\nHowever, many student diners don’t think there are currently enough healthy items offered.\nFreshman Trevor Alt is one of these students.\n“I think there aren’t enough healthy choices, and the ones that do exist are too expensive,” Alt said.\nFreshman Christy Shirreffs agrees. She said she thinks the problem is all of the options often come mixed together.\n“You can’t just get steamed vegetables or something. It’s always vegetables with butter or something,” Shirreffs said.\nHowever, when she learned about the new cooking oils that will be used after spring break, Shirreffs brightened.\n“I didn’t know they cooked in trans fats,” Shirreffs said. “But taking it out will be a health benefit not only to me, but to the rest of the school as well.”