Beginning next fall, Ithaca College students will have a program that offers a pre-portioned meal under 600 calories through a new Dining Services option. The program will be included in every student’s meal plan without an additional cost and will be offered in all campus dining halls.

Julie Whitten, the marketing manager for Dining Services, said the Balanced Way Program will help students eat in a healthier and more proportioned way.

“People always expressed that it’s kind of hard to control portion sizes,” Whitten said. “[The Balanced Way] is the answer to that: perfect portions.”

Students will be able to ask for the Balanced Way option in any line at the dining halls. The meals are composed of 50 percent fruits and vegetables, 25 percent carbohydrates and 25 percent protein, and will be under 600 calories. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will all be included in the program, and desserts and snacks will be less than 200 calories.

Students who are vegetarians can get extra vegetables in place of meats. The deli and salad bars will not be included, but there will be signs pointing out healthier eating habits at those locations. Some meals will include Taco Beef Tostadas with Mexican Rice, Chicken Breast Marsala with Lemon Herb Orzo and Sautéed Zucchini and Yellow Squash.

In a presentation last Wednesday, the college’s Dining Services said it is their obligation to provide good, nutritious choices to make the campus a healthier environment for students, staff and faculty. Jeff Scott, director of Dining Services at the college, said he thinks students will be happy with the Balanced Way program.

“I hope that by implementing this new program next year, our customers will feel that improvements have been made with regards to the availability of healthy choice options,” Scott said.

Seniors Stephanie O’Brien and Rachel Poczatek are nutritional interns for the Ithaca Dining Services and have been helping kickoff the new program. O’Brien said she thinks the Balanced Way is a good idea because students do not

have to worry about how many calories they are eating.

“People come in, and they know what they’re getting,” O’Brien said. “They don’t have to think about it at all. It’s already prepared for them.”  

The Balanced Way, which was developed by Sodexo, will also fight the rising epidemic of obesity in the country and student concerns about gaining the “Freshman 15,” Poczatek said.

“The students have requested healthier choices, so we’re thinking this is a good way to give it to them,” Poczatek said.

Freshman Krystal Marsh said she thinks the option is a good idea and will help students learn how to eat healthy.

 “If it looks delicious and it’s a smart way to eat, I’ll eat it,” Marsh said.

Whitten said that she wants students to keep in mind that the Balanced Way focuses on how to eat — not how to diet.

“It was an answer to the rising epidemic in obesity,” Whitten said. “People are saying they want to eat healthier but it’s challenging because they have less time. But we want to remind students that this will help them eat healthier, not how to diet.”