Half Your “FRESH” Plate

By: Gaby Burt-D’Agnillo, #HalfYourPlate Ambassador and Vice President Ambassador Coordinator, on behalf of FRESH

What is FRESH?

FRESH, Food Resources and Education for Student Health, is a comprehensive peer nutrition education program directed by Foods and Nutrition students at Brescia University College, in partnership with the Hospitality Services Department at Western University in London, Ontario. FRESH values student participation, evidence-based information, cooperation, and a healthy campus community. Created by and for university students, and advised by faculty, FRESH’s vision is for Western University and its affiliates to be the healthiest campus in Canada.

FRESH uses multiple strategies to increase awareness, improve knowledge, build skills, and influence the campus food environment. Peer Educators engage students across Western’s campus through education sessions and hands-on cooking demonstrations to promote healthy eating behaviours. Our team is eager to answer questions and share experiences to connect with our audience. FRESH’s website and social media platforms provide a range of credible resources – recipes, videos, links, facts and tips – that students can reference as they adapt to a new life away from home.

FRESH and Half Your Plate

FRESH and Half Your Plate share a similar vision to improve the health of Canadians through education and empowerment. Half Your Plate tackles barriers to healthy eating such as affordability, lack of time, and lack of food skills. Similarly, FRESH addresses the barriers to maintaining a healthy lifestyle for students on-campus. Students lead busy lives, and must manage their time between school, work, personal life, and healthy active living. We provide tips on grocery shopping, budgeting, and meal preparation, along with nutrition education to minimize the barriers to healthy eating. FRESH is proud to assist students as they build the skills and confidence necessary to prepare healthy meals independently.

The Half Your Plate Ambassador Program supports FRESH in achieving its goals. At our cooking demonstrations across campus, we use resources from Half Your Plate to engage the student population. FRESH shares recipe cards, educational brochures, and grocery list notepads that students can use to make healthy choices on campus and improve their food literacy. Half Your Plate and their health partners believe that dietitians play an essential role in educating Canadians about healthy eating. As Foods and Nutrition students, FRESH members are proud to educate our peers in a field we are passionate about.

Want to learn more about FRESH?

Check out our Nutrition Month 2018 post on the Ontario Public Health Association’s Nutrition Resource Centre here.

Read this FRESH publication by Western University’s own faculty members in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

Visit our full website at freshu.ca.

Joining Half Your Plate On Campus Ambassador Program

Are you looking to continue eating healthy on campus?  Becoming a Half Your Plate On Campus Ambassador gives you the tools to not only fill Half Your Plate at College or University but also provides you with the tools to talk to others about healthy eating.  Sign up today!