The subject of food is always a touchy one; it is never easy to please everyone.

Although the Barone Campus Center cafeteria has progressed significantly with its foodoptions, it still lacks the variety necessary to placate the entire student population. The new sandwich station and salad-making station are phenomenal new attributes to its selection. However, there is still work to be done.

The issue of obesity is prominent in American society, and forces people to discuss the importance of keeping healthy options out there for everyone. With a society as innovative and health crazed as the one we live in, vegetarian diets and vegan diets are popular new fads, especially with college students. Barone does not supply enough options for those who choose to leave meat out of their diet or even the more extreme, leave any animal products out of their diet. It is just as important to get protein and all other vital nutrients in their meals as it is for meat eaters.

Even those who are just looking to eat a good healthy meal may have the occasional struggle to find enough nutritional options in the cafeteria.

‘As an athlete, getting the right nutrients is really important, so personally I wish the selection was a bit healthier,’ said sophomore women’s soccer starter Nicole Cavallaro.

But, simple solutions do exist. There are a few simple foods that can be added to the selection that will satisfy everyone’s needs.

First of them is brown rice. White rice is offered at least three times a week now in the cafeteria, which is great. But, brown rice is a healthy alternative to white rice. As with many new foods coming out, brown rice provides several nutrients that white rice does not, similar to how wheat pasta has a higher nutritional value than white pasta.
Sophmore Ream Akkeh believes that brown rice is a vital part of the diet

‘Get brown rice in Barone!’ she said. ‘It just makes such a better side than white rice, it’s easy so why not!’

Another would be the addition of a few more soy products. For vegetarians and vegans, soy is a vital element of their diet. The soymilk and tofu already offered at Barone are a great start. Soybeans are an easy way to get protein, something of which vegetarians need to make sure they get enough.

At the grilling station, tofu or soy dogs are also a great way to incorporate soy into the selection, in addition to veggie burgers, which are already offered.

Even the addition of some nuts on the salad bar can have a huge effect on the diet of vegetarians and vegans.’

Kelly Erwin ’11 is a long-time vegan and thinks that ‘vegans should always have a good vegan option. Soy products should always be available.’

Third, fish is another food that many vegetarians use as a source of protein. Tuna is adequately supplied at every meal, but other types of fish are rare commodities.

Many times the entrées offered for dinner or lunch are some kind of chicken cutlet or some type of beef. The addition of fish once or twice a week even, could make a huge difference.

Fish provides many of the same or similar high quality proteins that chicken or red meat provide for carnivores.

Therefore, giving vegetarians the opportunity to get substantial protein as well.

The lack of a few staple healthy options is an easy problem to fix. Just a few adjustments to the menu can make it significantly better.

Barone has already taken several crucial steps to make it a better place to eat. With the addition of a few more options, it will be better able to satisfy more of the student body.

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