Sodexo to serve food with healthy twist, teams with apps to offer healthy options

If anyone has not already noticed, Sodexo, the food company with which Ottawa University is contracted, has added new and healthier meals to their menu. The new additions have made it so that someone can enjoy eating the same food as usual, but with a healthier twist.

Sodexo is trying to let students enjoy eating what they like, but with more nutrients. The idea of the healthier meals came from an athletics coach wanting their players to eat healthier food in the cafeteria.

My Fitness Pal and Mindful are the two companies that have teamed up with Sodexo in creating the new, healthier cafeteria food.

Using a smart phone to access My Fitness Pal, a student can scan the bar code on the meal that is being served and check how many calories, as well as all nutritional information about the meals. Also, with Mindful, they just took the basic meal and just made it in a healthier way.

Christine Krin, the general manager for Sodexo at Ottawa University had this to say about the change, “I am very excited about the new recipes that the Sodexo chefs are making. They are more nutrient dense for everybody.”

With the new recipes the company is achieving healthy meals and hopes to continue adding healthy ingredients into the meals each and every day.

“We are striving for the new meals and recipes every station and every day, we just started to add them to our breakfast so you can start to see them just about every meal,” Krin said.

These meals also are for any student that wants to watch what they eat or simply just enjoy the new meals.

“With the new meals, I am starting to see something new and different every day at lunch, and I must say the new meals at the Action Station are really good,” junior Schuyler Cooper said.

The new recipes can really be helpful to athletes because they can watch what they eat, but not have to make a change in what they are eating.

In the cafeteria, there is a station that can help and guide someone on what nutrients they should take in every day. From how whole grain is in the meals that are being served to how much dairy someone should take in on a regular basis, and still maintain a healthy and nutritious lifestyle. Also, look for the green logos at each station to know that these are the new meals and can be checked by My Fitness Pal to see what nutrients are in the meals.

“The meals that are being served are really good,” freshman volleyball player Elisa Valenzuela said. “I don’t feel tired and exhausted after eating one of them. They have helped me a lot with playing volleyball.”

Sodexo is trying to make the healthier meals a lot more often. They are trying to help the students not develop bad habits in their diet at this age, Krin stated.