NC State offers students numerous options for dining on-campus, including three dining halls and several restaurants and stores, to a mostly positive reception from students.
Max Goren, a first-year studying sports management, practices an omnivorous diet and has been very pleased with the options available in the dining halls and food courts at state.
“Now that I’m at school, I actually choose to eat fruits and vegetables from the dining hall on my own accord more frequently,” Goren said.
Goren said he was fairly satisfied with NC State’s dining options, but critiqued the structure of the meal plan system.
“The main thing I would want to change is just how the meal credit system works,” Goren said. “If you could eat more than once on a meal credit between 4:30 and 9, that would be great.”
Claire Waters, a second-year studying environmental sciences, practices a vegan diet but is somewhat disappointed by the university’s lack of variety.
“I’m grateful that they have options, but I think that the options are very limited, and it’s usually repetition of the same things over and over again,” Waters said. “I really start to look forward to eating at home when I visit, because I have a wider variety of options.”
Courtney Smith, a second-year studying fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, identifies her diet as vegetarian and agreed with Waters that the university lacks options for plant-based foods.
“There’s not a whole lot of options for vegetarians,” Smith said. “I feel like I eat the same things consistently.”
Smith said she enjoys eating black bean burgers and Los Lobos while on campus, but found dining overall lacking.
“It’s not that the food available tastes bad, it’s just that there’s so few options,” Smith said.
Trey Corriher, a fourth-year studying business administration, practices an omnivorous diet and is overall very satisfied with the food available on campus.
“I’m a big fan of the dining halls,” Corriher said. “My nutrition has gotten much better since I’ve gotten to school. I eat a lot more vegetables since I’ve come to school.”
He really enjoys Fountain dining hall, and when he makes his own food, his go-to is either grilled chicken or scrambled eggs. Overall, Corriher is very satisfied with his dining experience at NC State.
Suha Najjar, registered dietician at the Student Health Center, said dining plays a large part in one’s overall well-being and state of mind. For instance, many college students slack on eating breakfast, but Najjar stressed the importance of the meal.
“Try to have breakfast, even if it’s a small one, with protein and a complex carbohydrate,” Najjar said.
Eating at a consistent time is also important, according to Najjar. This helps recalibrate the body’s natural metabolism. Najjar also advised students to explore the wide variety of vegetables available in dining halls.
Student Health Services offers two complimentary nutrition counseling visits per academic year for students. More information can be found on the Student Health Services website.
