Personalization in college dining has reached unprecedented heights. Not only does each student have a unique idea of what’s healthy for them, but food choices are treated as a personal statement about who they are – and who they aspire to become.

In other words, college dining is a beautifully messy mix of culture, comfort, and identity.

How can you ensure students feel seen and supported in their quest to eat right?

Counter Social Media Myths with #Facts

Students are often fed false or misleading information through social media. Young adults are especially susceptible to harmful marketing tactics and peer pressure in online communities.

Help students break through distracting social media health myths and embrace food choices that are fuel to the brain, fuel to the joy of eating.

The best way to do this is through real human connection: with chefs, with dietitians, with other students – all together in the cafeteria or other dining stations throughout campus.

You Are the Guide

As a director of food services, you create the healthy dining ecosystem that prepares students for the future. That includes combating misinformation with evidence-based and practical advice that students can act on right now – whether at the dining center, food court, or their next social event. Lifelong nutrition skills are built in college.

Yes, Students Want Healthy Choices

According to a recent survey by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), most college students want a greater variety of healthy meal choices.

The top health attributes shaping student choices are:

• Fibermaxxing (High Fiber)
  
• Vegan or Vegetarian
  
• Protein-Rich
  
• Sustained Energy

Use these high-profile labels to begin conversations around holistic nutrition. Blend them with top dining trends, such as:

• Experiential and Interactive Dining
  
• Comfort Foods With a New Edge
  
• Playful Layering and Textures, such as: Bouncy, Jiggly, Stretchy, Squishy, Chewy, Crispy, Wobbly, Crackly, Slurpable, Fizzy
  

5 Proven Ways to Engage Students

1. Draw on Dietitians

Dietitians have a unique and complementary role to play in supporting dining services. They are especially equipped to guide students through the complex emotions that can often accompany a student’s relationship with food – especially when they’re away from home for the first time or managing a severe food allergy.

Partner with dietitians to provide specialized support to students around healthy eating. They can speak on students’ terms to convey personalized recommendations that will stick.

2. Share a Taste

Students love getting an impromptu taste at interactive tables featuring new dishes, healthy ingredients, and more. It’s a preferred event type for dining services.

• Host tasting tables with new healthy menu items
  
• Tie new foods to their functional benefits in fun ways
  
• Connect students with dietitians or dietetics students so they can ask follow-up questions or schedule a meeting
  

3. Point to Wellbeing

Call out specific health attributes of dishes and ingredients through dining hall signage as well as online ordering apps.

Set up special dining spaces where students can sit together and discuss a certain topic related to health, such as mindful eating or allergy-safe environments.

4. Cook Up Collaboration

Demonstration kitchens and cooking contests are a lively way to engage students and help them build hands-on skills.

Are there opportunities to get student athletes involved? Event topics could weave nutrition with other performance-based wellness tenets such as sleep, mindfulness, and recovery. For example:

• Host cooking contests, judged by both dining and athletics staff
  
• Partner with the rec center to hold mindfulness workshops that include healthy snacking demos
  
• Organize pop-up tables throughout campus to promote the events

How could you give multicultural and international students a voice on the menu? Collaborate directly with them to:

• Discuss flavors
  
• Source ingredients
  
• Balance nutrition

Include signage recognizing students’ contribution alongside the dish.

5. Just Text It

Many colleges are finding that students prefer text over other forms of communication. Use text messages to:

• Bust nutritional myths
  
• Showcase new mindful eating spaces
  
• Promote events and collaborations
  
• Guide students with special diets like #fibermaxxing or peanut allergies
  
• Promote retail specials or limited offerings
  
• Solicit in-depth feedback on menus, health goals, and inclusivity

Create online campaigns where students can share their ideas for #HealthyU eating.

How Does Sunflower Seed Butter Stack Up?

Whole Food Nutrition

SunButter® uses the whole sunflower seed to create delicious, toasty sunflower seed butter. Jammies® Nut-Free Crustless Sunflower Butter and Jelly Sandwiches have fewer ingredients than the leading brand – plus all the powerful nutrition of the sunflower seed. Simple, wholesome ingredients are the foundation of our peanut-free, nut-free products that everyone can enjoy.

The Super Sunflower Seed

Sunflower seeds are full of satiating protein, healthy fats, and fiber, which helps students stay full and brain-powered all throughout the day and into late-night study sessions.

Sunflower seeds are a nutrient-rich source of 13+ micronutrients including vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and manganese.

SunButter® Sunflower Seed Butter contains more vitamins and minerals than most nut butters. It puts the triple power of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to work in support of your students’ good health.

Plus:

• One-third less saturated fat than most peanut butter
  
• The same amount of protein and more vitamin E when compared to leading brands of peanut and tree nut spreads
  
• High in iron, phosphorus, and zinc

Note: Nutrition statements are examples only, not actual health claims

Brain Fuel All Day 

Help busy students prioritize wellness and allergen safety with nut-free meals powered by SunButter® Sunflower Seed Butter and Jammies® Crustless Sunflower Butter and Jelly Sandwiches:

• All-you-care-to-eat dining centers
  
• Student union food courts
  
• Coffee shops
  
• Convenience stores
  
• Self-service micromarkets
  
• Catering events