A new program to assist students with specific dietary restrictions may be coming to Auburn’s campus in the fall. The program hopes to enlist the help of nutrition students, referred to as dining nutrition ambassadors, to provide information about which on-campus dining options fit any student’s specific nutrition needs.
Ada Ruth Huntley, sophomore in nutrition and pre-dietetics, has been recruited by Tiger Dining staff members, including Director of Tiger Dining Glenn Roughridge, to assist in jump-starting the program.
The program’s goal, according to Huntley, is to help Auburn students live their best life through food.
As far as more complex eating issues, if students were to come to the dining nutrition ambassadors with any sort of eating disorder or more complex problem, the student would be referred to a dietitian.
The nutrition ambassadors’ role is focused on providing students with nutrition information and which on-campus food options fit their nutrition needs.
“For example, let’s say a student comes in and says, ‘Hey, I’ve decided I want to go vegan. What are my options on campus?’ That group of students, the dining nutrition ambassadors, they will be able to assist those students.”
The group of students will also be hosting different events to inform students about various health and wellness topics. Events could cover anything from the benefits of more plant-based diets to good sources of calcium, Huntley said.
Huntley is working with dietitians from Aramark, the food services company partnered with Tiger Dining, and the Health Promotion and Wellness office to create a more solid plan to move forward with the program.
They are working to bring a presentation to The Organizations Board soon, and from there, Huntley hopes to recruit more nutrition students to become dining nutrition ambassadors.
Students from any of the three nutrition programs who have made a good grade in NTRI 2000 are welcome to become dining nutrition ambassadors. The program will be based out of the Tiger Dining office on the bottom floor of the Student Center.
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