National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics aimed at spreading the message about the importance of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality‘s (EMDH) dietetics team works daily to spread this message and is always focused on students’ nutrition and health.
Morgan Harm, a registered dietitian nutritionist, said this month is “an opportunity to showcase the importance of good nutrition and the knowledge and expertise dietitians can offer.” To promote National Nutrition Month, the EMDH dietetics team of Harm, Zak Kaesberg, and Desiray Yeaw, alongside Executive Chef Matt Horton hosted a pop-up tasting event in Watterson Dining Commons (WDC) to serve students fresh, nutritious foods on March 23.
Sustainability was one focus for this year’s event, according to Kaesberg, a registered dietitian nutritionist. The goal was to create a grain-based recipe using sustainable grains which led to the decision to use millet as the United Nations named 2023 the International Year of Millets. It is naturally gluten free and known for being drought-tolerant and taking up less water compared to other grains making it a sustainable grain option. The “Milly” Cake was a play on a traditional crab cake without the crab including cooked millet, sunflower seeds, capers, garlic, oregano, and sun-dried tomatoes and was served on a microgreen salad with vegan garlic aioli.
The colorful, plant-based dragon fruit smoothie bowl was created to give students the opportunity to try new flavors and plant-based foods. The Dragon Bowl included coconut milk, frozen banana, pineapple, and red dragon fruit, and optional toppings of fresh bananas, kiwi, edible orchids, pepitas, chia seeds, and desiccated coconuts. Both recipes did not use the top nine allergens (eggs, fish, milk, shellfish, soy, peanuts, sesame, tree nuts, and wheat) or gluten making them more inclusive for students.
The event took place in the Culinary Support Center’s Test Kitchen in WDC where students could try the recipes while seeing the dietetics team and Horton preparing them. Kaesberg said this interaction with students is his favorite part of the pop-up events.
“We regularly notice that students may not know what resources are available to them or haven’t considered alternative options,” Kaesberg said. “Events like this are where we get to make that essential contact.”
EMDH looks forward to hosting more pop-up events in the dining centers and hopes to see more students at Nutri-Fest on Thursday, May 4, at the Bone Student Center.
