Nutrition

Healthy Eating

Providing you with healthy options is something Dining at Russell Sage College does every day. We help you select delicious, nutritious and satisfying meals, snacks and desserts by highlighting well-balanced menu choices and providing nutritional information and tips to help you make choices that fit your needs.

Our Registered Dietitian, Megan Dennis, works with our dining team to provide nutrition and dietary support to students and helps promote a healthy lifestyle on campus.

Megan is passionate about healthy cooking and helping others reach their health goals through food and nutrition. Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Culinary Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She earned her Master of Science in Sports Nutrition and Exercise Science from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, while completing a comprehensive dietetic internship.

Megan follows the approach of using food as medicine and believes that health and wellness are fueled by a balanced dietary pattern. Whether you’re looking for more healthy options and general guidance, seeking help due to dietary restrictions and food allergies, or trying to boost your athletic performance, Megan is here for you. She wants every student to feel comfortable in their dining environment with safe, delicious options that are right for you.

Megan is enthusiastic about helping you achieve a happy, healthy lifestyle through food and nutrition! You can meet Megan on campus or contact her at megan.dennis@sodexo.com

Follow her Instagram @campusdietitian_megan for more nutrition guidance!

Why see a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist?

• Learn about healthy options
• General guidance about a healthy lifestyle
• Food allergies and intolerances
• Vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based diet
• Dietary restrictions with religious beliefs
• Fueling for optimal athletic performance
• Any other food or nutrition questions/concerns

Special Dietary Needs

Dining at RSC accommodates all students with medically diagnosed food allergies or medically prescribed diets while also striving to empower students to feel comfortable utilizing dining hall stations. Ingredients for all recipes served in the dining hall are clearly listed on the station menus and are available on the website and Everyday App. If a student is unsure about any item we are serving, staff will talk directly to the chef that prepared the dish to determine exactly what ingredients were used and how it was prepared. Write or call us if you have questions about accommodating a food allergy. Contact General Manager David Gaul at David.Gaul@Sodexo.Com and/or Executive Chef Gillian Manna at Gillian.Manna@Sodexo.Com

We serve a wide variety of foods in the Dining Hall, many of which are free of some, or all, food allergens. If you are not sure if a food contains an allergen that you must avoid, please ask a manager, supervisor or server for assistance. They will go directly to the chef who prepared that item and will be able to find out if you can, or cannot, eat it. In some cases, the answer may be as simple as getting you a piece of meat from the kitchen that has not been dressed with a gravy that contains a food allergen.

How to order special meals: Most students on a special diet will be able to build satisfying meals by combining foods from the Dining Hall stations with the Simple Servings 8-Food-Allergen-Free hot lunch or dinner, along with supplemental breads, snacks, desserts and breakfast foods that are stocked in the Simple Zone pantry. When this approach cannot meet all of a student’s dietary needs, Dining Services will work with the student to ensure that his/her needs are being fully accommodated, through specially prepared entrees, stocking specific products, etc.

Simple Zone

The Simple Zone Pantry is the contained refrigerator, freezer, and shelf space where food items needed by students with celiac disease or nut allergies can be stored with precautions against cross-contact. The Simple Zone Pantry will always be free of gluten-containing ingredients and products, as well as tree nut and peanut products. Simple Zone Pantry can include specially-prepared meals or pre-packaged items. With the My Zone Pantry: Students maintain control over managing their own allergy when foods are pre-packaged because they are the only ones handling them. Students can work closely with Dining at RSC managers and chefs to negotiate which products are stocked.

Simple Servings

Simple Servings is the 8-Allergen-Free hot lunch and dinner station served in McKinstry Dining Hall. It is managed by Dining Services employees. All foods offered at the Simple Servings station are free of milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts and gluten. With Simple Servings, students can comply with food allergy or other dietary concerns without feeling singled out. They won’t have to go off campus for their meals or miss out on dining with their friends while waiting for the chef to specially prepare their meals. Straight forward preparation techniques assure transparency of ingredients, and help the student prepare to be responsible for their own shopping and cooking in future. The hot lunch and dinner menu change daily and include varied protein options: beef, chicken and turkey. All side dishes are vegan, containing no milk, eggs, or meat products

The weekly Dining Hall menu, including the Simple Servings 8-Allergen-Free hot lunch and dinner, is available on the Everyday App. This interactive menu allows you to see nutritional information for every item that is listed. Using the menu can help you determine what foods will accommodate your special diet needs for any meal period.

Gluten-Free Options

We have accommodated an increased demand for gluten free menu options over recent years. In all dining locations, gluten free alternatives are available to order at the pizza, pasta and deli stations on a daily basis. Several items such as our rotisserie chicken and salmon are also made daily with gluten free seasonings. Gluten Free options can also be selected for catered events. When arranging your event, please let us know in advance if any gluten free items are required so that we may incorporate them into your menu. Nutritional information for our gluten free products is also available upon request. Udi's is our main source for pre-made gluten free breads and baked goods.

Mindful

Mindful is a health & wellness approach that helps you make healthy choices second nature! We are committed to creating healthy environments for our customers. Central to this effort is providing healthy, nutritious foods. The result of this initiative is an approach that focuses on transparency of ingredients, delicious food, satisfying portions and clarity in message so that you can make Mindful choices!

Mindful offerings meet stringent nutritional criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each meal part is limited in calories, has fewer than 30% of calories as fat, fewer than 10 % of calories as saturated fat, and is restricted in sodium, and cholesterol. Look for the Mindful icon to indulge in the healthy and delicious items offered at each meal.