Maple-Willow-Larch, Oak-Elm and the Union Drive Community Center are often the only option for famished students in search of a filling meal.

But as ISU students step onto the scales, after the holiday season has added to the freshman 15, they may feel a need to start healthier eating habits.

When visiting the dining halls there is a variety of food to choose from, ranging from salad bars to country-style cuisine. It is possible to eat healthily with all-you-can-eat buffets.

Besides a general idea of the food pyramid, many adults do not understand what makes a balanced and healthy diet.

It is hard for ISU students to know where to begin when picking out grub.

Mary Ellen Metzger, manager of dining services at Maple-Willow-Larch, admitted college students sometimes have strong negative feelings toward healthy foods.

“To some people, when they say healthy eating, [they] get turned off. They think it’s nothing fun,” Metzger said.

Metzger, however, stands by the idea eating healthily is not about cutting out the junk foods, but eating them in moderation. This is her approach in the MWL dining center. ÿ

Maple-Willow-Larch has a wide variety of food, with almost 10 entrees offered at one time, but has fewer options than the UDCC where there are nearly 20 entrees to choose from at each meal. ÿ

A helpful tool the Maple-Willow-Larch dining hall offers are nutrition cards.

These cards hang above each entree, supplying the diner with an ingredient list as well as nutrition facts.

The UDCC and Oak-Elm provide similar information in their dining halls as well.

Caloric values for every dining center entree are also provided on the ISU Web site.

This allows students to figure out how to balance the foods they eat with their required calorie intake.

“People need to think about whether they are starting to gain, maintain or lose weight. That the first sign of whether the calorie intake is too much or too little,” Metzger said.

Iowa State is also making strides to help students stay fit. Soya oil, a soybean oil, is now a main component for ISU Dining. It has the same qualities as other oils, but contains zero trans fat. This is an easy way to limit calories without skimping on quality.

“We have the ability to make meals in a way that is healthier than if we bought them,” Metzger said.

Not only are the dining hall employees cooking with the benefit of college students in mind, they are also willing to give advice when needed. Besides the registered dietitians on staff, there is an on-campus dietitian located in Thielen Student Health Center for those who want personalized help.

Finding a healthy approach to any food

Salad Bar

Vegetables are always a great choice. When choosing lettuce for your salad, skip the iceberg and go for the darker green lettuce which contains more nutrients. Be conservative when adding the salad dressing though, most people use more than is needed which adds to the fat and calorie content.

Deli

The lunch meats provided here are all low in fat, but try to avoid adding cheese and mayonnaise-based dressings.

Taco Bar

The meat here is rinsed of grease so it is generally lower in fat than what you would find at a restaurant. Plus, by adding a lot of vegetable toppings the healthy quotient increases.

Chinese

Entrees with cut meat and vegetables that are saut‚ed are always healthier than the fried meat choices.

Pasta Bar

Even though pasta is high in carbs, by choosing a red sauce over a white sauce you can minimize the fat content in the meal.

Drinks

Just because there are unlimited refills of pop doesn’t mean that you should take them. Instead, fill up your glass with some skim milk or water.

ISU nutrition information