USC Hospitality dietitian, Lindsey Pine, oversees nutrition for USC campus dining halls, including the USC Village Dining Hall and Everybody’s Kitchen. She answered a few questions related to nutrition that USC students should know.
Which nutrition standards does USC Hospitality hold itself to?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated its nutrition guidelines for school meals in April. These updates include reducing added sugars and sodium. The guidelines are for public and nonprofit private K-12 schools, so universities such as USC are not held to these government standards.
Pine shared that USC is part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a global network of universities working towards healthier and more sustainable foods for their students.
Some Menus of Change members include Columbia University, Harvard University and seven of the ten University of California campuses.
USC Hospitality develops menus based on the Menus of Change principles, which focus on the sustainability, nutrition and public health aspects of dining, said Pine
Pine said chefs keep these principles in mind when writing menus by “leveraging globally inspired plant-forward culinary strategies, focusing on whole, minimally processed foods, emphasizing calorie quality over quantity, making whole, intact grains the new norm, [and] thinking produce first.”
Restaurants that do not fall under USC Hospitality, like Cava or Kobunga in the USC Village, do not have to follow these standards.
What does the EatWell logo mean on meals?
USC Hospitality and USC Eatwell piloted the USC EatWell meal program last school year. EatWell meals are curated to fit specific nutrition guidelines, such as less than 800 mg of sodium for entrees, sandwiches and salads.
EatWell meals are branded with an EatWell logo in person, on the campus dining mobile app and at ordering kiosks. Meals at Panda Express, Seeds Marketplace and Café Annenberg have EatWell menu items.
Rayna Williams, an athletic training fellow for the men’s and women’s water polo team, said she had never noticed EatWell logos around campus, but “now [she] knows [she] can look for the logo.” Williams added she thought “better signage to point out healthier options” would help students and athletes on campus.
Pine says one of the most underrated EatWell meals is the breakfast Buddha bowl at Seeds Marketplace as “the portion is very generous and contains eggs, quinoa, sweet potatoes, pickled red onion and avocado. It’s a fantastic way to fuel your day.”
Where can I learn more about nutrition and healthy eating on campus?
The USC hospitality website has articles written by Pine and other registered dietitians covering topics ranging from Halal-friendly dining to foods that promote heart health.
Pine highlighted that the USC Eatwell website has multiple how-to guides including a Trader Joe’s grocery shopping guide for busy students. The site features over 100 cooking videos and recipes, with a USC Eatwell cookbook coming soon.
Maya Tauber, a senior studying cognitive science, said “nutrition resources” is a new phrase to her. She said for her, “sometimes it’s hard in college to have things that are healthy” and that “cooking is a new venture,” so she thinks these video recipes could be helpful.
For students wanting to dive further into certain nutrition topics, EatWell hosts monthly 30 minute webinars about healthy living called EatWell Bites.
Registered Dietitian, Frida Hovik, gave an EatWell Bites presentation in July about optimizing nutrition on the go. Hovik shared that the best thing students can remember when trying to cultivate a healthy lifestyle is that nutrition is simpler than people make it out to be, “it’s just back to the basics — eat real whole foods.”
Where are the nutrition facts in USC dining halls?
Nutrition facts are not shared for meals in USC dining halls, in person or online. USC Hospitality intentionally does not share nutrition facts to be mindful of students who may be dealing with an eating disorder, said Pine.
“We want students to focus on their education, not obsessing over food numbers. You don’t need to count calories in order to be healthy,” Pine said. Instead, she created an online guide for students on how to create a balanced meal.
What are some easy changes to make that can improve overall nutrition and health?
Hovik shares that planning meals ahead of time and having healthy options on hand makes it easier to maintain a healthy diet. Hovik said she likes to visualize her days and take note of the options that will be available to her.
Tauber expressed the difficulty of eating healthy meals when she stays on campus past the 8 p.m. closing time many on campus dining options.
“I don’t have a meal plan so I’ll end up eating Panda Express,” she said, “so maybe accessibility to healthier meals later in the day is mainly [my concern]. "
Hovik said having healthy snacks on hand like “fruits, some nuts, greek yogurt if you can store it in a fridge somewhere, rice cakes, whole grain crackers” can prevent students from going to a vending machine when they get hungry on a busy day.
Next week, Brittany Gurney, a dietitian at the Keck School of Medicine, will give an EatWell Bites presentation on how to stick to nutrition goals.
USC students, faculty and staff can contact USC Hospitality dietitian Lindsey Pine directly about their nutrition questions on USC Hospitality’s ask the dietitian website.