College freshmen have long fallen into the trope of bad nutrition and poor cooking skills. LSU is trying to combat that. 

The university hosts multiple events throughout the semester to help students gain a better understanding of healthy, balanced eating. Here’s a look at what these occasions can provide for students looking to expand their nutritional knowledge. 

In partnership with foodservice management company Chartwells’ Higher Education, LSU will put on a series of food-centric events throughout the year called “Joyful.” The most recent event was a food fair on Sept. 26. The next event in the Joyful series is a cooking class that will take place on Nov. 14. The series aims to offer students “a taste of some international cuisine,” according to the LSU Dining Hall website. 

The “Teaching Kitchen” is another LSU resource students can take advantage of to learn about nutrition. On Oct. 13, LSU invites students to the Teaching Kitchen to learn how to cook with LSU Dining’s “Feel Good Food of the month,” pumpkins. 

“Students will get a walkthrough from one of our chefs on how to create their own different flavored butter with pumpkin loaf,” the LSU Dining Hall website states. 

For students who don’t like pumpkins but would still like to get into the Halloween celebration, LSU Dining is putting on another event on Oct. 31 from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. LSU Dining will celebrate Halloween with a fall festival-themed menu in all of the dining halls.

LSU Dining’s Feel Good Food of the month in November will be chickpeas.

Another Teaching Kitchen event on Nov. 10th will teach students how to make chickpea cookie dough. 

As part of the chickpea theme, The 459 Commons will also have a hummus bar on Nov. 16. 

LSU’s dining halls will host a breakfast-for-dinner event on Sept. 19.

“I don’t wake up in time to go to breakfast at the dining halls, but I hear it’s the best time to go, so you know I’m not missing this,” said kinesiology sophomore Jasmine Davis.

Davis wasn’t alone in that. 

“The only time I have ever had breakfast at the dining hall is when they have offered it for dinner,” said Kyra Bennett, Davis’ friend and fellow kinesiology sophomore. “Keep in mind, I’ve only been here for two years, so maybe there’s time for me to make an actual breakfast, but from what I’ve had here, I would definitely wake up for it.” 

LSU has many opportunities to help students achieve nutritional literacy.