Kira Bierly ’23.5 is conscious about nutrition and tries to eat as healthily as possible. But as a vegetarian on Brown’s meal plan, “I've often struggled to get enough protein in the dining halls on campus,” she wrote in an email to the Herald.
Some other students on the meal plan shared this sentiment, while others thought there were solid options. The Herald spoke to students, dining management and Undergraduate Council of Students representatives about the state of nutrition at Brown.
Students express concerns about late-night offerings, access to protein
Bierly wrote that she works out most days, which adds to the challenge of getting enough protein to sustain a healthy diet. While trying her best to gravitate towards salad bars, she feels that the dining halls can improve by increasing fruit and vegetable options.
Lena Wu ’26 feels that meal options are nutritious for lunch or dinner before 7:30 p.m. But she expressed concern over the lack of nutrition-rich food available later at night, adding that it is difficult to maintain a healthy diet when the only items available are sugary snacks in vending machines.
The Brown Dining Services website includes several “Well-Being Commitments,” which include ensuring that “menus emphasize the use of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains as a featured ingredient” and practicing “‘stealth’ nutrition as a standard operating procedure by using healthy cooking techniques and ingredients in everyday food preparation.”
Lily Harding ’23 wrote in an email to The Herald that a “variety of dining halls … make it so there’s options that meet a lot of different nutritional needs and wants.” Harding added that since she does not consume “milk, dairy or eggs,” she is very considerate and careful about finding sources of protein.
Brown Dining Services’ approach to nutrition at their various dining halls includes ensuring that options are available “for all people looking to eat healthfully,” wrote Michelle Blais, director of wellness and nutrition, in an email to The Herald.
Blais currently collaborates with chefs to make the menus more nutritionally balanced and also works with students who have food allergies to accommodate their requirements. While a “healthy” meal to one person might include lean animal protein, rice and a vegetable, a “healthy” meal for another might be strictly vegan and include no added sugar, Blais wrote. “We try to accommodate all students’ needs,” she added.
Harding expressed her appreciation for the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall and the Sharpe Refectory, adding that she likes the tofu in the salad bar, the “Impossible Nuggets on Fridays” and the black bean burger at the Ratty. Since she is also a distance runner on the track and field team, Harding wrote she is conscious about getting enough nutrients “for success in my sport as well (as) my health.”
She added that while she feels the access to fresh fruits and vegetables at dining halls is “underrated,” she wishes there were more tofu or vegan sources of protein for breakfast at the Ratty
Shane Weiner ’23, who has been on the meal plan for four years, shared similar sentiments regarding finding quality protein. In an interview with The Herald, Weiner expressed his concerns over a lack of “lean sources of protein” at the dining halls, especially as he trains for weight lifting. While the dining halls do provide different meats, his lifestyle still does not permit eating them because the meats are usually covered in “sauces and oils.”
Fope Akinyede ’26 wrote in an email to The Herald that it sometimes becomes difficult to obtain a healthy meal due to the “starchy and carby basis of many of the meals.” She also added that she is trying to improve her meals by finding healthier bases such as quinoa, potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Akinyede, like Wu, wrote that she struggles to find nutritious food at night, adding that other dining halls — Andrews Commons and the Ivy Room — could benefit from increasing their fruit and vegetable offerings.
Initiatives from Brown Dining Services, UCS
In response to student concerns over a lack of information about nutrition, UCS worked with Brown Dining Services to create a “Dining Hall Common Items Nutritional Values” spreadsheet, which was launched on March 8. The spreadsheet includes macronutrient values for popular food items such as chicken sandwiches from Josiah’s, Ratty turkey burgers and Blue Room muffins. Nutritional facts for daily offerings at the Ratty and the V-Dub are available on MyMeal.
In an email to The Herald, UCS President Ricky Zhong ’23 credited “students from various walks of campus life asking us for nutritional info” which led to the compilation of this information. Zhong added that UCS is also “advocating for the incoming dining system to display macronutrients for every dish.”
While this new addition of information is a step in the right direction, Bierly wrote that she wishes “information like this was more widely distributed.”
Wu added that it would be helpful if these nutritional facts are made visible “while waiting in line since it makes better decision-making about diets.”
Akinyede expressed a different sentiment, writing that she “wholeheartedly oppose(s) calorie counting. … It is best if it is available for individuals to seek out for themselves, instead of having it obnoxiously in front of people, as this can be very triggering for those suffering from eating disorders,” Akinyede wrote. She had not seen the spreadsheet before.
Harding added that while she finds the specific nutritional information to be helpful, she appreciates the fact that it is not visible when looking at the dining menus, as she does not find it “constructive” and personally tends to ignore “number-based nutrition information.”
According to Blais, one of the best ways for students to navigate the dining hall and make informed decisions about their food choices is by “using the icons presented on the menus,” which indicate which dishes are halal, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.
The gluten-free label “does not take into account cross-contact with gluten in preparation,” Blais added. She recommended that students speak to supervisors regarding their allergy conditions.
Blais wrote that new BDS initiatives include an “integration of a new menu management software” which would expand upon the current MyMeal platform. The new software could potentially be available for students in fall 2023 and will provide more extensive nutritional information for food on campus, allowing students to better plan their meals, she added.
