Eating healthy can often be a challenge for college students: The price and convenience of fast food tends to beckon much more often than choosing to cook a more nutritious meal. WELLWVU: The Students’ Center of Health at West Virginia University is working to change that with its eatWELL program.
eatWELL encompasses several components that aim to teach students that incorporating more fruits and vegetables into their diet is not only healthy, but also convenient and budget-friendly.
“Each semester our goal is to move students closer to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day,” said WELLWVU health educator Shannon Foster.
One segment of the program is cookWELL classes. These cooking classes, offered through a partnership with the Erickson Alumni Center, are designed to increase students’ comfort level in preparing healthy, nutrient-dense meals. Executive Chef Scott Spiker will use his 25 years of experience to lead the classes, which are open to all WVU students.
“Using concepts of simplicity and convenience, and fruit-and-vegetable-based recipes, we hope students come away from the classes with new ideas for incorporating fruits and vegetables into their diet and an understanding that eating healthy is not necessarily expensive and can be done on a student budget,” said Foster.
Students will also be able to share their new eating habits through the tweatWELL social networking program. This point-based network serves to provide a fun way for students to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. The program, designed specifically for WVU students, allows participants to earn points by sharing what they’re eating, answering food-related questions and trading recipes. Participating in these interactive activities will encourage students to get the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables each day.
A full listing of eatWELL education programs, including a cookWELL class schedule, are available here. To request an eatWELL program, visit http://www.well.wvu.edu/wellness/request_program.
For more information, contact Rebecca Olsavsky at rrolsavsky@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-3573.
-WVU-
ta/01/09/15
CONTACT: Rebecca Olsavsky, WELLWVU
304.293.3573, rrolsavsky@mail.wvu.edu
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