Its Sunday morning at 11 a.m. You roll out of bed and remember the dining halls are still serving brunch because its the weekend. You meet up with your hallmates and make the trek across campus to E-Hall for brunch. Standing in line to swipe your JACard from the dining services workers, you can smell the bacon sizzling and make-your-own waffles cooking.
JMU prides itself on its stellar food. According to The Princeton Review, JMUs campus food is rated No. 8 in the country. With this in mind, eating on campus can be overwhelming because of the great variety to choose from.
Students new to all you care to eat dining environments tend to go overboard or get overwhelmed with their options, registered dietician Gillian Kelly said. True Balance provides a complete meal, similar to what they may be used to eating at home, that consists of a protein, starch and vegetable.
Below includes some tips for eating healthy on campus, along with how to go about dietary restrictions and food allergies.
Many first-year students may hear about the freshman 15 before coming to college, they may be apprehensive about campus food options. Every location has labels on food options indicating whether its gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan or contains possible allergens.
Kelly suggests trying the True Balance station in all-you-can-eat dining halls as a way to go about maintaining healthy food choices, since it provides a complete meal of protein, starch and vegetable. However, this doesnt mean you cant indulge in grilled cheese Thursdays, buffalo mash or peanut butter pie. These are some of JMUs iconic meals you should take advantage of during your time on campus.
Alex Balbontin, a member of the class of 2020, also gave some tips from her experience eating on campus and maintaining a healthy diet. She said students should be open-minded to eating new food and eating colorfully is a good way to start.
Focus on balance and moderation, Balbontin said. You can enjoy pizza but keep in mind how often you are having unhealthier options and try to balance them out with leaner meats, vegetarian sources of protein [like beans and tofu] and eat lots of fruits and veg.
Some of Baltontins favorite places to eat healthy on campus include D-Hall, specifically the allergy-free section and salad bar, quinoa bowls from Bistro 1908 and salad or grain bowls from the Fueled food truck.
Even with the abundance of food on campus, it can be nerve-wracking for those with dietary restrictions or food allergies. Luckily, JMU is inclusive with dietary restrictions.
Theres usually at least one vegan item available at every dining location on campus. From vegan cheese on pizza at Bistro 1908, to barbeque jackfruit in Market 64 and veggie burgers at Festivals food court, there are many options for vegans on campus. Vegans shouldnt have to worry about getting enough to eat. Becca Sabean, founder of JMUs food for thought club, said her favorite place to eat on campus is D-Hall because of the many vegan options and new food to try.
Dining Services is honestly very willing to work with individual diets and they do great work to be accommodating, Sabean said.
Sabean suggested taking your time and asking questions when getting food on campus. The Dining Services employees are more than willing to help and make sure youre eating according to your diet.
Eating as a vegetarian on campus is also doable. While meat has a major presence in dining locations on campus, its easy to avoid by requesting it off of a dish. Also, when it comes to burgers, there are veggie burger options available. At D-Hall, the veggie burgers are available upon request.
At Bistro 1908, any burger can be substituted with the Beyond Meat veggie burger. The best vegetarian food on campus is the Beyond burger at SSC (its 100 times better than the garden burgers, Shay Ellis said. Ellis cautioned vegetarians to double-check the ingredients before ordering food, especially the soups served at D-Hall.
Theres a room in D-Hall called The Worry Free Zone where those with food allergies can request access to get food thats free from any trace of common allergens. Kelly said the options in this room include gluten free bread, bagels, waffles, buns, snack bars, canned soups, desserts and frozen entrees.
The room contains prepackaged food items with the goal of providing students with these allergens an extra sense of security as well as additional food options when dining with us, Kelly said.
Kelly also suggests taking advantage of the True Balance station as all meals prepared there dont use seven of the top eight allergens.
Brenna Gannon, a student in JMUs class of 2022, has a tree nut allergy. She said many places are helpful in noting her allergen on containers and signs.
My favorite place to eat on campus is Cheese Please at Festival because of how careful they are with my allergies--theyll change their gloves and change the knife they use to cut the sandwiches to make sure my allergen stays away from my food, Gannon said.
Gluten free bread is available upon request at every dining location. Also, as Kelly said, those with gluten intolerances are eligible to request access to The Worry Free Zone to take food thats not been cross-contaminated with gluten.
Rachel Kim, a rising sophomore, has a gluten intolerance. She said that Market 64 has great gluten free sandwiches on the go, but Bistro 1908 is her favorite because of the variety of options.
Always ask if they have gluten free options anywhere you are, and even if it might take a little longer for the food to come out, its super worth it, Kim said.
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Guide to food on campus: dietary restrictions and allergies - The Breeze
