The Green Glance | Healthy options sorely lacking in dining system

Nathan Zucker Columnist

As I entered the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC) on Valentine’s Day, I noticed that something important was missing: healthy food. Walking from station to station, it was obvious that Aramark’s menu emphasized fried foods and dairy products, and not vegetables or whole grains.

Although this was only one day in a single dining outlet on campus, it symbolized a larger problem that pervades Vassar’s meal plan: Despite all the lofty talk about fresh, healthy and local cooking, Aramark fails to deliver on its promise to give students a meal plan that enhances their physical well-being.

A quick review of some of ACDC’s different stations reveals how unhealthy our meal plan really is. At the Mesa Mexicana, students can choose between quesadillas, nachos grandes and traditional nachos. All three of these items are heavy on cheese and oil, two products not known for their health benefits. A quesadilla contains nearly 20 grams of saturated fat, the amount that an average adult should consume in an entire day. Furthermore, the quesadillas have over 1,300 milligrams of sodium, more than half of the recommended daily allowance.

Matt’s Grille, another popular station, is even worse for student health. The menu there includes hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and fried chicken tenders—certainly nothing that a doctor would recommend to any patient. The veggie burger is the only item on the station’s menu that even comes close to healthy. Matt’s Grille doesn’t offer grilled vegetables, a regular seafood entrée or anything else with less saturated fat and sodium.

Even the vegan station, commonly viewed as a sensible alternative to the junk offered in the rest of ACDC, is hardly a haven for health nuts. On Feb. 10, Vegan’s Delight served a broccoli teriyaki, which sounded like a safe choice. However, most students probably didn’t realize that a tiny 3.75-ounce serving of this dish contains 1,600 milligrams of sodium, far more than one should eat in a single meal.

Worse yet, when I went to ACDC on Valentine’s Day, the vegan station wasn’t even open, a situation that is becoming more common. At a college that costs $46,000 per year, one would think that dining services would keep the animal-friendly, “healthy” Vegan’s Delight station open at all times.

Furthermore, Aramark is extremely hypocritical in pretending to be health-conscious while actually serving students fatty, salty items. The home page of Vassar’s Dining Services is replete with images of healthy food: Grilled shrimp surrounded by vegetables and bowls of fruit were two photographs that greeted me when I accessed the site. There is also a section entitled “Health & Flavor” that discusses nutritional issues and promotes the corporation’s “healthy philosophy.” Unfortunately, when I actually went to ACDC on Valentine’s Day, the computer in front displaying real nutritional information was broken.

When asked about getting healthier food at Vassar, Director of Dining Maureen King responded, “It’s an ongoing process. We are constantly examining and re-examining what we offer. In the future, we will continue to introduce more and more local foods to the menus, and foods cooked to order. In some ways, Vassar is about choice. We accommodate vegans, vegetarians, those with allergies, special diets, kosher, those looking to eat healthfully, and those who aren’t as concerned.”

King cited smoothies, sushi, stir-fry, homemade soups and the salad bar as some of the healthier choices offered by Vassar. She also mentioned that ACDC serves grilled swordfish, grilled salmon, free-range chicken and sautéed broccoli rabe for dinner.

King is right, of course, in saying that Aramark does offer some healthier options to students. Dining Services should be commended for introducing sushi and fresh salads at the Vassar Table; it is also admirable that freshly-made smoothies are now available.

However, the problem is that healthy items constitute a minority of items on the menu. The main stations at ACDC are absolutely terrible for one’s health, and introducing a few healthier options in piecemeal fashion will not solve this problem.

Furthermore, the cost of healthy items such as stir-fry and salads is high compared to greasy, salty choices such as hamburgers and quesadillas. For example, a plate of stir-fry, which is simply a mixture of dirt-cheap pasta and inexpensive vegetables, can easily cost seven points on its own. A full meal consisting of a cheeseburger, French fries, and a small soda would be significantly less.

Changing the pricing scheme would resolve this unfortunate situation; students should be rewarded financially for choosing to be healthy.

All scientific evidence shows that diets high in saturated fat and sodium are extremely unhealthy, often leading to diabetes and heart disease. More than 64 percent of American adults are now overweight or obese; this figure has more than doubled since 1980. Considering this information, it is simply unconscionable that Vassar offers such an unhealthy menu. As an educational institution, Vassar should be promoting good habits both in and out of the classroom, and this includes diet.

Students are at a crucial time in their lives when it comes to making decisions about eating habits. If they become accustomed to unhealthy foods now, they will continue eating them after graduation.

Aramark is doing a disservice to the student body, and it compounds this disservice greatly by feigning an interest in student health.

This is clearly a time for reform, especially because Vassar is currently accepting bids for its dining services contract. If the goal is to bring healthy, sustainably-produced food to the student body, Bon Appetit Management Company (BAMCO) is the best choice. BAMCO has a strong record of working for both consumer health and the environment; these are values the College should endorse.

Healthier foods would naturally be better for the environment, regardless of who provides them to our dining facilities. Reducing consumption of unhealthy animal products decreases energy use because vegetables, fruits and grains are much less energy-intensive to produce than beef and dairy.

Of course, no one is suggesting that we should eliminate French fries, as that would likely cause an insurrection. It is necessary, however, to start phasing in healthier choices at all of ACDC’s stations, helping the student body while simultaneously protecting the environment.

—Nathan Zucker ’10, a Latin American Studies major, is writing about environmental issues that affect both the Vassar community and the world at large.