College is the first time that many students live alone and are fully responsible for their health. With this newfound freedom comes the need for frequent and substantial nourishment.
According to a Northwest Medicine study, 95% of students do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, and 60% do not do enough physical activity.
Bella Clark, 26, said the transition from eating at home to dining in dining halls was difficult when she arrived in Lehigh.
“At home, my mom always cooked me very nutritious foods, so I never had to strain to seek out healthy foods,” Clark said. “It took me a while to figure out how to find healthy options here.”
Keri Lasky, an on-campus dietitian at Lehigh, said she recognizes the difficulty of finding healthy and affordable options on campus and aims to help students develop good eating habits.
To do this, when Lasky arrived at Lehigh in March 2022, she formed a team of four Student Nutrition Ambassadors to promote healthy eating.
Lasky said she created the position because she saw value in providing students with additional nutrition counseling on campus.
“Peer education and outreach always seems to be a bit more comfortable for the student population than for the adults telling them things,” Lasky said.
Lehigh Student Nutrition Ambassadors display homemade matcha energy balls outside the Health and Wellness Center on March 23, 2023. The four Student Nutrition Ambassadors are (left to right) Cate Coffino, ‘ 25, Katherine Luskin, ’26, Maeve Diver, ’25, and Justine Pavie, ’23. (Amanda Rowan/Team B&W)
Nutrition ambassador Maeve Diver, 25, said she became interested in the program as a health advisor.
Although the outreach of Nutrition Ambassadors is similar to that of Lehigh’s Peer Health Advisors — a team focused on improving health and safety through peer-to-peer relationships — Lasky said student ambassadors of nutrition focus on healthy eating.
“We are here to promote nutrition education,” said Maeve Diver, 25, a member of the Nutrition Ambassadors team. “We serve as a link between Keri (Lasky) and the student population.”
Diver said that during her freshman year at Lehigh, she found herself feeling a drop in her energy levels due to her new college diet. She wanted to help share the food education she learned.
Diver said student nutrition ambassadors contribute to on-campus nutrition campaigns, such as “Nourish Your Potential.” The campaign, which takes the form of campus events and informative Instagram posts, is centered around maximizing your energy and learning about proper nutrition.
This semester, the Nutrition Ambassadors hosted several events on campus promoting healthy eating.
Diver said many of these events have been popular even if the team didn’t expect it, like the “Choco-Dipped Strawberry Social”. Students and faculty were able to bake Valentine’s Day themed treats while learning about the health benefits of dark chocolate, flax seeds and strawberries.
“I opted for the chocolate covered strawberries, but I actually learned a lot about the nutritional facts,” said Alli Courtenay, 26, who attended the event. “I had never really considered dark chocolate to be healthy before.”
Ambassadors partnered with the Health and Wellness Center on March 29 to provide students with matcha energy balls and information on the health benefits of matcha.
Clark, who attended the event, said it was interesting to hear about the many healthy resources the program provides.
“Lehigh can definitely benefit from healthier food options like this,” Clark said.
Lasky said the Nutrition Ambassadors prepare all food at their events and focus on using ingredients accessible to the average Lehigh student to promote the pursuit of healthy habits.
Lehigh Dining presents “Feed Your Potential” in celebration of National Nutrition Month at the Health and Wellness Center on March 23, 2023. Student Nutrition Ambassadors served homemade matcha energy balls. (Amanda Rowan/Team B&W)
In addition to themed events, Lasky said the Nutrition Ambassadors host a “Foodie Friday” event once a month at Taylor Gym, where they highlight a healthy food option on campus.
“Not many people know about these snacks, so it’s a good way for people to learn more about the kind of food and the kind of services we offer on campus,” Diver said.
Lasky said the group is planning a “nutrition tour” across campus that will focus on showing new students where to find “healthy hacks” at restaurants.
“(The Ambassadors) will teach new students the basics of Lehigh dining: how to navigate dining rooms (and) general dietary advice,” Lasky said.
Students interested in becoming a Nutrition Ambassador can contact Lasky at [email protected]