#UCDFOOD Healthy Eating Week

The #UCDFOOD project is a campus-wide healthy eating awareness initiative. With the support of Odhran and the catering companies we are introducing “healthy options” on the menus in Pi and the Main Restaurant and providing nutrition information so that staff and students can make informed choices.

We’re setting up information stations in the Science Hub and the Main Restaurant and will have lunchtime talks all week. We have a social media presence using facebook, snapchat and twitter. Our ultimate goal is to create a healthy eating culture across campus which will tie in with the University strategic plan “Healthy UCD”.

We want students to get involved in every way possible. The week will kick off with a launch event on Monday where we will have 5 people challenging the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to peel and eat 3 oranges, and the chance to win a Fitbit (between Science Hub entrance and the lake). There will be free fruit and lots of spot prizes. Throughout the week, students will have the opportunity to talk to nutritionists and learn more about healthy eating with the interactive Nutrition Board that will be located in the Science Hub.

We will be encouraging everyone to choose the “healthy option” in Pi and the Main Restaurant and will be measuring the success of this to see if it is something that we can continue beyond the Health Eating Week. We’re also hoping that students will get involved on social media and are running lots of competitions this week and next so there are loads of opportunities to win prizes.