ISU Dining is taking the work out of counting calories for students.

A new Web site, netnutrition.dining.iastate.edu/netnutrition, provides weekly menus for each dining center and the information to let people make healthy eating decisions.

“The program was purchased after a series of requests from students to find out information about what they were eating and track the nutritional value of food at ISU Dining. [They wanted] to see how well they were doing or how poorly they were doing,” said Judy Trumpy, registered dietitian at Thielen Student Health Center.

NetNutrition is a program specifically tailored for ISU Dining. The Web site allows students to click on foods they want to eat and select how many portions they will take, then it tallies up how many calories they will be eating, along with all the other nutritional values.

Even allergens, which are a cause of concern for some patrons, can be selected. Any food containing those ingredients will be taken off the menu possibilities.

Trumpy suggested planning meals a day or two at a time. This cuts down the possibility of deviation from these planned meals and reduces the chance of overeating.

One obstacle NetNutrition had to hurdle was its virtual obscurity to most people.

“I had never heard of it,” said Jessica Brown, senior in dietetics. “As long as people know it’s there, it’s a good idea and resource. Whether people will use it or not [is the question], since lots of people don’t care or won’t take the time to change their eating habits.”

When the Web site was being promoted, Judy Trumpy visited the dining centers with information and gift cards for the C-Stores for students who were curious.

“I’d guess that about 75 percent of people responded positively toward the site,” she said.

Brown said nutritional education is important for students.

“It’s important to educate college students about what they’re eating and proper portion sizes,” Brown said. “When they move away from their parents, many fall into the routine of buying unhealthy junk foods.”

It is important to remember that consuming alcohol, although not listed on the NetNutrition’s Web site, can also have a degenerative effect on a person’s health.

“It’s all about balance of variety, portions and exercise,” Brown said. “If people are going to use these Web sites, they need to make sure they understand what the numbers mean in order to make meaningful choices.”