The facts: University Dining and Lisa Eberhart , the university’s Dietician, have paired up to bring students various healthy eating and cooking classes.

Our opinion: This program is unique and can help students’ develop experience for eating healthy now, so they may use the knowledge in the future.

Students living on or off campus face the same issue of choosing what to eat. Many times this decision is dictated by what is the easier alternative. For on-campus students, the dining halls are an easy meal, while off-campus students see fast food as the easier option. The option of cooking one’s own meal is far from reality; however, University Dining’s new classes and programs provides students with the opportunity to learn how to cook easy, healthy meals.

While the options of dining halls and fast food are quicker for students with busy schedules, given the opportunity to learn how to make healthy meals or even the ability to understand the basic concepts of nutrition, students would be able to make healthier decisions.

The media and public health outlets have publicized countless studies about how America’s diet has changed, the effect fast food has on one’s health and even the weight gain college students face during their adjustment to school life. On or off campus, the issue of eating healthy is not to be taken lightly.

With the success of last semester’s Eat Smart, Cook Smart program, University Dining has created a list of available classes for students to learn about eating and cooking healthy. Classes range from Nutrition 101 to Dig into the Dining Halls. While these classes are directed towards on-campus students, the knowledge of eating healthy can benefit all students.

These classes will allow students to learn the basics of eating healthy, exploring other cultures way of eating and cooking and even how to maintain a healthy diet while living on campus. These types of classes will demonstrate to students what to get at the dining hall and what to buy at the C-Store that aligns with their new, healthy diet.

Since university Dining is providing these classes for free, or the five-dollar fee for Specialty Cooking, students should take advantage of them. There is no better way to jump-start one’s New Year’s resolution to lose weight than to learn how to eat healthy. The uniqueness of these classes lie with the fact that they adapt basic nutrition information to fit with students’ lives on or off campus.

If students can implement the knowledge of these classes properly, they will be able to not only save money on the amount set for a university meal plan, but they will also gain the experience of chopping, cooking and eating healthier. This will only benefit them in the long run once they are off campus or out of school.

Students need to take advantage of this program now so their diet, wallet and experience can benefit in the long-run.