The Smart Eats showcase made an appearance at State Gym on Thursday.

Various tables were placed around the lobby that students could go to gather information and win prizes. Each table had a different purpose; one was about portion sizes and one for healthier options students could substitute in place of unhealthy foods.

“The Smart Eats is a nutrition education program and it’s a fun opportunity for students to meet with dietetic, exercise and science majors to just begin to learn about some nutrition that could help them move towards healthier choices,” Nora Hudson, assistant director of fitness and wellness, said.

Hudson said that many students on campus have questions about how to maintain healthy eating choices.  

“We want [students] to start shifting their habits to more healthy options, in all the choices they now get to make as college students,” Hudson said.

She described the showcase as an “exciting, good first start” of the Smart Eats program at Iowa State.

If students enjoyed the showcase, they’re welcome to enter a six-week program that offers students further education and nutritional knowledge skills, according to the Smart Eats flier.

Lisa Nolting, registered dietitian for campus dining services, developed this six-week program.

“We have a lot of students who email me and ask me questions, or they might be trying to follow a vegan lifestyle, or something like that,” said Nolting.

According to Hudson, Nolting is really the only dietician on campus.

“She has only a certain, small window of the population she can work with, and yet she gets lots of calls from students wanting some support,” Hudson said.  

Hudson made a point that Smart Eats is very important to Iowa State, and that over 60 percent of the students want some sort of nutritional support.

“We want to move away from students trying to seek us out to give them diets, or telling them what to eat,” Hudson said. “We really want them to cultivate education, and really start to be able to understand –to navigate–the nutrition information out there […] and being able to really look at how are they fuelling themselves.”

Students interested in the six-week Smart Eats program can start on Monday, October 11th from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in State Gym conference room 0185.

It costs $12, and students will be educated on healthy, balanced eating choices; goal-setting to develop healthier habits and understanding some nutritional components of carbs, protein and fat. The program meets once a week and with perfect attendance, students can win a free water bottle.

More information can be accessed from the recreation services website, under the tab titled “fitness and wellness.”