ASU’s Residential Dining has a new club and goal. The Green Plate Club has recently started up and fliers stating its purpose can be seen displayed in dining halls throughout campus.
According to the Sun Devil Dining website and flier, the purpose of the club is to “promote awareness about consumption and green behaviors as they relate to campus life.”
“Once a week, we invite students to make a conscious effort to eat foods that are ‘greener’ or that take less energy to produce,” the website states.
This concept of eating less processed foods is a step in the right direction in offering a healthier menu in dining halls across ASU campuses.
There is the clichéd stigma that college students will gain the “Freshman 15.” While worrying about eating the right foods only adds to the multiple stressors of college, it is important to be somewhat picky about what you are consuming.
According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consuming a nutritious diet on a regular basis and staying active are vital factors in maintaining energy levels for college students.
Energy is critical when it comes to working hard and playing hard as well. And the key to energy is eating healthy.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.
There are food options and places to eat on all campuses, but one thing that is lacking is an affordable, tasty, healthy option, especially on the Downtown campus.
In the middle of last semester, the Downtown campus acquired Devil’s Greens. At first, it seemed as though this would be the place to go to take a break from the constant stream of fast and easy junk food.
Upon my first visit, it was obvious that the price tag matched the shiny new exterior and the decadent selection of salad mixings. Altogether, without skimping, the total for a salad and drink was around $10.
The amount of food for this price did not satisfy my hunger. And neither does the food in the dining hall.
I am glad to see the start of a new club with ambitions to offer healthier, less processed food, but I can only hope the taste does not suffer in the shuffle.
The trend seems to be that the healthier the option, the worse the flavor.
Since the fliers for the Green Plate Club have shown up posted around the Taylor Place Dining Hall, there has been an increase in home-cooked, healthier options such as breaded tilapia, but the availability is not consistent.
All in all, the Green Plate Club is an affordable step in the right direction for improving on-campus dining, and one can only hope that steamed veggies and fresh meats are always available among the corn on the cob presented in the vat of melted butter.
Reporter can be reached at kbiggers@asu.edu
