When Theresa Laurenz became Northwestern’s campus dietitian nine months ago, she opened her doors to students seeking individualized dietary advice and widened the scope of healthy, vegetarian and vegan options in the dining halls.
“Theresa is an enthusiastic and highly professional person who gives you confidence in yourself,” said Mike Grossman, public relations representative for Sodexo nuCuisine. “She makes you believe in what you want to change – whether it has to do with food allergies, fitness concerns or diet concerns,” he said.
The Daily sat down with Laurenz to hear what she has learned about eating habits at NU over the past year and nutritional advice she offers students as they prepare for finals.
The Daily: What are your primary roles and responsibilities as the campus dietitian?
Laurenz: For me, it’s to the students first and foremost. So whether it would be for food allergies, eating disorders or overall wellness concerns. Those are my top three.
The Daily: How many students do you council individually?
Laurenz: I’m only here two to three days a week, so if more students need it, I would be here longer. On average, I can have anywhere between two to six appointments a day. So this year between food allergy students and students that want to work on an eating disorder or those who come to small talks, I’ve probably seen hundreds this year.
The Daily: What are the general eating trends for college students?
Laurenz: One thing that I notice is that vegan and vegetarian diets are much more popular. I know that’s one thing that needs to be addressed because there are a lot of myths out there. I know that for a lot of students this is the first time people are trying a vegan or vegetarian diet, and their parents are not there and maybe their parents don’t like that they are doing it. It’s almost like a rebellion to choose this diet without parents knowing it. So a lot of that is the freedom to control their food. Either they are able to control their food by now becoming a vegan or vegetarian, or maybe they’re controlling their food with an eating disorder.
The Daily: How do you help students who meet with you?
Laurenz: That totally depends on the student. For food allergies, where they need to have their food especially made, we set up a program where they write out exactly what they want to eat for week. It’s totally individualized. For the other nutritional things, that could be something where someone could see me even weekly where we do weight-loss consultations. I give them an individualized diet or exercise plan. Just what you would have when you go to a doctor’s office and you get a meal plan, and I will be there to check in and find out how the progress is going. And I can do weigh-ins. I’m kind of like an individualized Weight Watchers.
The Daily: How can NU students maintain healthy eating habits?
Laurenz: One of my favorite things that I use all the time is the “Mickey Mouse Plate.” Its actually called the “Plate Method” and it’s from Idaho State University, but I changed it to the Mickey Mouse Plate because it’s easier to remember. So one thing is, half your plate – a nine inch plate – is vegetables. So you think that Mickey is smiling at you with a mouthful of vegetables. And one quarter of the plate is a high source of protein. So that’s beans or tofu or chicken or whatever it may be. The other quarter is grains, and you should try to make at least half of this whole grains. And then you have your Mickey Mouse ears. One ear is a high calcium source, and then the other Mickey Mouse ear is fruit – a baseball sized piece of fruit. And so if you do that for lunch and dinner, you will get all the nutrients that you need in a day.
The Daily: What is your best nutritional advice for students coping with midterm stress?
Laurenz: One – water. Most students don’t realize the effect of dehydration, and when they have the energy drinks, coffee and other beverages they choose that keep them awake, they don’t realize they are not getting enough water in. Being dehydrated, you get the muscles shakes, you get the cramps, you get nauseous you and you get fatigued. Second – make sure you have regular meals – use the Mickey Mouse Plate. Just because you’re stressed and studying doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a break to have a well-rounded meal. You’re probably going to study better if you have regular meals.
