As early as First Year Orientation, Dartmouth begins health education at least for certain issues. Upon arrival on campus, students are bombarded with guest lectures and floor discussions on the importance of safe drinking and sexual health with the hope of fostering healthy habits during the transition from high school to college. While Dartmouth has spent a great deal of effort developing these prevention strategies, the College has overlooked one integral health habit that is sure to be tested in the college years the maintenance of a balanced diet.
Healthy eating is compromised as soon as we arrive on campus. Especially during freshman Fall, life seems to revolve around Dartmouth Dining Service; I remember learning the locations of every dining facility before I even knew the location of my own dorm. While there is certainly nothing wrong with going to FoCo with new friends, it is important to acknowledge that the time spent centered on these types of events makes students more vulnerable to the development of bad eating habits during freshman year.
As Dartmouth has rightly addressed vulnerabilities to the formation of bad habits in other areas, it ought to also implement programs directed at promoting healthy eating practices. The College's mission to produce well-rounded individuals, can be seen as reason for this responsibility. Healthy eating is a practice that will prove important throughout our lives. Additionally, the College faces responsibility because they force us to purchase their food. If we are required to eat at dining facilities with an abundance of unhealthy options, the College should at least educate us on which choices are best.
To start, the College must increase the availability of nutritional information at dining facilities on campus. In all fairness, Dartmouth Dining Services has tried to make some information accessible to students. Ingredients are now listed beneath soups and main entrees at Homeplate and Food Court. While these vague lists are helpful for people with food allergies or dietary restrictions, they provide little substantial help for caloric estimates, since they do not include any quantity specifications.
Lack of nutritional information at dining facilities perpetuates the bad choices that students make. For this reason, it is imperative that DDS be more transparent in the nutrition of the foods they are offering. Ideally this information would come in the form of relative caloric estimates for all foods at the dining facilities. Additional nutritional information such as fat and sodium content would be helpful as well. While these calculations would certainly take a lot of effort on the part of DDS, it is the College's responsibility to undertake this initiative so that students can make informed choices.
As this suggestion will surely cause some controversy for those who prefer ignorant bliss when ordering, I propose a compromise. Instead of requiring DDS to post the calorie counts of foods right alongside the menu boards, they should instead simply make this information available online to students who wish to get nutritional feedback. That way, those who want this information can access it, and those who wish to continue eating Billy Bobs at the Hop can continue to do so without feeling guilty.
Increased transparency will surely aid students in making more informed choices, but they must also be educated in what this information means. This education should be present during Orientation Week, but should also continue through the entirety of one's time at Dartmouth. Nutrition programs must be implemented that inform students on the appropriate amount of calories that should be consumed per day, as well as which foods should be avoided. It should also be stressed that excercise may help to maintain one's weight, but will not diminish the long-term health effects that result from eating foods high in fat and cholesterol.
While Dartmouth does offer free, individual appointments with a licensed nutritionist, there need to be more widely available programs that students will find without going out of their way. In order to truly provide a "well-rounded education," Dartmouth must fulfill its responsibility to students by increasing transparency at the dining facilities and implementing services that promote good habits in all areas of health, including nutrition.
