Accuracy of 'Nutrition Bites' Questioned

More than two years after Harvard University Dining Services initiated its "Nutrition Bites" program, some students are wondering whether they can trust the nutritional information cards accompanying the food in the dining halls.

"Either the cards are frequently wrong or HUDS wants us to die," says Scott L. Shuchart '97.

Shuchart says he tries to maintain a low-fat diet, but he is often incredulous of the nutritional data on the signs.

He cites the example of broccoli souffle, a dish served in the dining halls that contains more than 40 grams of fat per serving.

"If they're right, it's lethal, and if they're wrong, it's careless," he says.

Faulty Labelling

Campus Executive Chef Michael D. Miller acknowledges that the information on the cards is sometimes faulty, but he says the cards are constantly reviewed and corrected.

"I couldn't swear to the accuracy of 100 percent of them, but we try to update them continually," he says. "Anything we do in dining services, we encourage student input. If they question something that we're doing, [they should] ask those questions and let us look into it and find a solution."

Director of Dining Services Michael P. Berry says the program is basically achieving its stated goal of educating students about healthy eating, despite the inaccuracies on some of the cards.

"We have had issues where clearly our analysis wasn't right," he says. "Students would bring those up, and we'd review them and change those right away."

When the program began in September 1993, Dining Services invested $15,000 in a computer program containing the complete database of the United States Dietary Association's food composition tables, Berry says. The program allows Dining Services to analyze its recipes for 38 nutrient values.

The thousands of "Nutrition Bites" cards printed by Harvard Press also cost about $15,000, Berry says.

In addition, Berry hired Shirley S. Hung, a doctoral student in nutrition and epidemiology at the School of Public Health, as the nutrition consultant for "Nutrition Bites."

Although Hung spent last summer working with the computer program to verify the nutritional values for Harvard's menu items, several errors were apparent in an informal week-long survey of dining halls.

A three-ounce serving of rice pilaf, for example, served at dinner on January 18, contained 42.89 calories and 4.81 grams of fat, according to the sign. Since one gram of fat is equivalent to nine calories, that means the dish contained 43.29 calories from fat--more calories from fat per serving than total calories.

"We're doing our best in terms of labelling and signage but we do have problems here and there," Hung says.

In addition to inaccuracies, cards are sometimes unavailable for a number of the dishes served by Dining Services.

Out of nine non-vegetarian, hot menu items (not including soups) served in Adams House at dinner on January 19, only three had nutritional information signs.

In particular, the strawberry-labelled cards denoting "Healthy Options" menu items--items that meet Hung's criteria for healthy foods--were conspicuously absent from the cafeteria lines when The Crimson conducted its survey.

According to Berry, signs are sometimes lost and it may take eight weeks to print signs for new menu items.

Miller says the premise of the "Healthy Options" program when it began was that several such items would be offered at lunch and dinner each day. He assures that the premise remains true.

"There is at least one 'Healthy Option' at every lunch and dinner," Miller says.

All the facts?

Nutrition cards do not offer all the vital information about a meal. While the card makes it clear that a single serving of Broccoli Souffle contains a whopping 41.40 gram of fat, it contains no warning that the fat content from two servings meet the daily allowances for men and exceeds the those for women.

Extremely unhealthy Harvard University Dining Services Broccoli Souffle Serving Size  Kcal  Protein  Carbs  Fat 1/24 pan  473.00  14.83  120.44  41.40

Daily Values Fat Men  75-80 g Women  50-60 g

Just Plain Inaccurate

The claimed caloric content of the Rice Pilaf is less than the number of calories from the fat alone. Harvard University Dining Services Rice Pilaf Serving Size  Kcal  Protein  Carbs  Fat 3 oz.  42.89  0.05  0.05  4.81  4.81 g           x 9 Kcal/g           43.8 Kcal

He acknowledges that the management of the individual dining halls sometimes fails to include the strawberry labels in the cafeteria lines.

"We need to look at that if that's not happening," he says.

While Miller says the strawberry labels can always be found on the printed menus, Berry discovered their absence from several days' listings.

"There seem to be days or meals where there are not 'Healthy Options' noted," Berry says.

According to Miller, the labels may have been left out because of an error when the format of the printed menu was recently changed.

Healthy Choices

Despite the discrepancies inherent in the "Nutrition Bites" program, Dining Services has joined the trend in cafeterias to offer more healthy choices alongside the unhealthy but popular items.

Elena Martinez, a nutritional epidemiologist at the School of Public Health, says offering a variety of choices is the key to promoting healthy eating in cafeterias.

"If you offer more of the good stuff, instead of taking away the pizza and burgers, that's a way to start," she says.

She lists chicken, fish, frozen yogurt, low-calorie salad dressings and broth-based soups among healthier alternatives that should be offered in cafeterias.

"There's French fries and greasy, nasty stuff every day," says Kalil S. Oldham '99.

According to Martinez, any food that has more than 35 percent of its calories from fat is unhealthy. French fries, pizza and ice cream, common fare in the dining halls, are examples of unhealthy foods.

"[The dining halls] have good stuff too," says Bill S. Triant '99. "But it's hard not to choose the junk."

Hung says choosing the Bul Koki beef and Rocky Road ice cream offered for dinner on January 18, a meal high in fat and protein, may not have maximized the productivity of students who then tried to study for their finals.

Bul Koki beef contains 17.98 grams of fat per serving, five grams more than a McDonald's cheeseburger.

"You may do well in terms of alertness but may feel full and kind of gross," Hung says.

The long-term effects of consistently eating red meat and fat are worse, she says. Diet-related illnesses, such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, make up the seven leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the 1988 Surgeon General's report.

Hung says the average woman, who eats between 1500 and 1800 calories per day, should have about 50 to 60 grams of fat per day. The average male, who eats between 2000 and 2500 calories per day, should have about 75 to 80 grams of fat per day.

Hung and Berry agree that students should not decide what to eat based solely upon the numbers on the signs.

"There aren't always signs and we shouldn't always believe the signs," Hung says.

Daily Values Fat Men  75-80 g Women  50-60 g

Just Plain Inaccurate

The claimed caloric content of the Rice Pilaf is less than the number of calories from the fat alone. Harvard University Dining Services Rice Pilaf Serving Size  Kcal  Protein  Carbs  Fat 3 oz.  42.89  0.05  0.05  4.81  4.81 g           x 9 Kcal/g           43.8 Kcal

He acknowledges that the management of the individual dining halls sometimes fails to include the strawberry labels in the cafeteria lines.

"We need to look at that if that's not happening," he says.

While Miller says the strawberry labels can always be found on the printed menus, Berry discovered their absence from several days' listings.

"There seem to be days or meals where there are not 'Healthy Options' noted," Berry says.

According to Miller, the labels may have been left out because of an error when the format of the printed menu was recently changed.

Healthy Choices

Despite the discrepancies inherent in the "Nutrition Bites" program, Dining Services has joined the trend in cafeterias to offer more healthy choices alongside the unhealthy but popular items.

Elena Martinez, a nutritional epidemiologist at the School of Public Health, says offering a variety of choices is the key to promoting healthy eating in cafeterias.

"If you offer more of the good stuff, instead of taking away the pizza and burgers, that's a way to start," she says.

She lists chicken, fish, frozen yogurt, low-calorie salad dressings and broth-based soups among healthier alternatives that should be offered in cafeterias.

"There's French fries and greasy, nasty stuff every day," says Kalil S. Oldham '99.

According to Martinez, any food that has more than 35 percent of its calories from fat is unhealthy. French fries, pizza and ice cream, common fare in the dining halls, are examples of unhealthy foods.

"[The dining halls] have good stuff too," says Bill S. Triant '99. "But it's hard not to choose the junk."

Hung says choosing the Bul Koki beef and Rocky Road ice cream offered for dinner on January 18, a meal high in fat and protein, may not have maximized the productivity of students who then tried to study for their finals.

Bul Koki beef contains 17.98 grams of fat per serving, five grams more than a McDonald's cheeseburger.

"You may do well in terms of alertness but may feel full and kind of gross," Hung says.

The long-term effects of consistently eating red meat and fat are worse, she says. Diet-related illnesses, such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, make up the seven leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the 1988 Surgeon General's report.

Hung says the average woman, who eats between 1500 and 1800 calories per day, should have about 50 to 60 grams of fat per day. The average male, who eats between 2000 and 2500 calories per day, should have about 75 to 80 grams of fat per day.

Hung and Berry agree that students should not decide what to eat based solely upon the numbers on the signs.

"There aren't always signs and we shouldn't always believe the signs," Hung says.

Just Plain Inaccurate

The claimed caloric content of the Rice Pilaf is less than the number of calories from the fat alone. Harvard University Dining Services Rice Pilaf Serving Size  Kcal  Protein  Carbs  Fat 3 oz.  42.89  0.05  0.05  4.81  4.81 g           x 9 Kcal/g           43.8 Kcal

He acknowledges that the management of the individual dining halls sometimes fails to include the strawberry labels in the cafeteria lines.

"We need to look at that if that's not happening," he says.

While Miller says the strawberry labels can always be found on the printed menus, Berry discovered their absence from several days' listings.

"There seem to be days or meals where there are not 'Healthy Options' noted," Berry says.

According to Miller, the labels may have been left out because of an error when the format of the printed menu was recently changed.

Healthy Choices

Despite the discrepancies inherent in the "Nutrition Bites" program, Dining Services has joined the trend in cafeterias to offer more healthy choices alongside the unhealthy but popular items.

Elena Martinez, a nutritional epidemiologist at the School of Public Health, says offering a variety of choices is the key to promoting healthy eating in cafeterias.

"If you offer more of the good stuff, instead of taking away the pizza and burgers, that's a way to start," she says.

She lists chicken, fish, frozen yogurt, low-calorie salad dressings and broth-based soups among healthier alternatives that should be offered in cafeterias.

"There's French fries and greasy, nasty stuff every day," says Kalil S. Oldham '99.

According to Martinez, any food that has more than 35 percent of its calories from fat is unhealthy. French fries, pizza and ice cream, common fare in the dining halls, are examples of unhealthy foods.

"[The dining halls] have good stuff too," says Bill S. Triant '99. "But it's hard not to choose the junk."

Hung says choosing the Bul Koki beef and Rocky Road ice cream offered for dinner on January 18, a meal high in fat and protein, may not have maximized the productivity of students who then tried to study for their finals.

Bul Koki beef contains 17.98 grams of fat per serving, five grams more than a McDonald's cheeseburger.

"You may do well in terms of alertness but may feel full and kind of gross," Hung says.

The long-term effects of consistently eating red meat and fat are worse, she says. Diet-related illnesses, such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, make up the seven leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the 1988 Surgeon General's report.

Hung says the average woman, who eats between 1500 and 1800 calories per day, should have about 50 to 60 grams of fat per day. The average male, who eats between 2000 and 2500 calories per day, should have about 75 to 80 grams of fat per day.

Hung and Berry agree that students should not decide what to eat based solely upon the numbers on the signs.

"There aren't always signs and we shouldn't always believe the signs," Hung says.

He acknowledges that the management of the individual dining halls sometimes fails to include the strawberry labels in the cafeteria lines.

"We need to look at that if that's not happening," he says.

While Miller says the strawberry labels can always be found on the printed menus, Berry discovered their absence from several days' listings.

"There seem to be days or meals where there are not 'Healthy Options' noted," Berry says.

According to Miller, the labels may have been left out because of an error when the format of the printed menu was recently changed.

Healthy Choices

Despite the discrepancies inherent in the "Nutrition Bites" program, Dining Services has joined the trend in cafeterias to offer more healthy choices alongside the unhealthy but popular items.

Elena Martinez, a nutritional epidemiologist at the School of Public Health, says offering a variety of choices is the key to promoting healthy eating in cafeterias.

"If you offer more of the good stuff, instead of taking away the pizza and burgers, that's a way to start," she says.

She lists chicken, fish, frozen yogurt, low-calorie salad dressings and broth-based soups among healthier alternatives that should be offered in cafeterias.

"There's French fries and greasy, nasty stuff every day," says Kalil S. Oldham '99.

According to Martinez, any food that has more than 35 percent of its calories from fat is unhealthy. French fries, pizza and ice cream, common fare in the dining halls, are examples of unhealthy foods.

"[The dining halls] have good stuff too," says Bill S. Triant '99. "But it's hard not to choose the junk."

Hung says choosing the Bul Koki beef and Rocky Road ice cream offered for dinner on January 18, a meal high in fat and protein, may not have maximized the productivity of students who then tried to study for their finals.

Bul Koki beef contains 17.98 grams of fat per serving, five grams more than a McDonald's cheeseburger.

"You may do well in terms of alertness but may feel full and kind of gross," Hung says.

The long-term effects of consistently eating red meat and fat are worse, she says. Diet-related illnesses, such as heart disease and certain types of cancer, make up the seven leading causes of death in the U.S., according to the 1988 Surgeon General's report.

Hung says the average woman, who eats between 1500 and 1800 calories per day, should have about 50 to 60 grams of fat per day. The average male, who eats between 2000 and 2500 calories per day, should have about 75 to 80 grams of fat per day.

Hung and Berry agree that students should not decide what to eat based solely upon the numbers on the signs.

"There aren't always signs and we shouldn't always believe the signs," Hung says.