Students at UW-Platteville can choose from eating at Glenview Commons, Pioneer Perk, Pioneer Crossing, Pioneer Haus, C-Store or vending machines.

Joan Bahr is a registered dietician at UW-P. Her job is primarily finding food options for people who suffer from food allergies, high cholesterol, lactose intolerance, and other needs.

“If a student is wondering about the calorie count or an ingredient list of a particular food, all they have to do is ask the cook, who will provide the information,” Bahr said.

Bahr is willing to meet with people who are concerned about their weight. “It is easy to lose weight, but with all the options available on campus it can be hard,” Bahr said.

“It’s not so much that you can’t do it, you just need to come up with a plan.”

One piece of advice Bahr would give students is, “Monitor your portions and try to maintain an active lifestyle.”

Diets are up to the individual student.

“When students are given the choice between an unhealthy dining choice and a healthy one, it is a draw as to which they will pick,” Tom Menzel, a student manager of Glenview Commons, said.

Some students try to blame weight gain and a poor diet on campus food. They don’t usually take into consideration all the sports and activities they were participating in during high school.

“College life can be a very sedentary one,” Menzel said.

“I think more students were choosing junk food because the C-Store does not have much to offer when it comes to healthy food,” Nikolai Wahl, a former resident assistant in Pickard Hall, said.

Every night there is a full salad bar, vegetable selections, a baked potato bar and a pasta bar at Glenview.

“Choosing these and, more importantly, eating proper portion sizes will result in a healthy lifestyle while in college,” Menzel said.

“Some students will opt for the appropriately-portioned meal while others have an overwhelming tendency to choose to eat portions that are too large and select food that is less healthy,” Menzel said.

“In a buffet style of eating it can be difficult to keep track of your portion sizes,” Justin Sommerfeld, student manager of Glenview Commons, said. “We have many requests for fried foods. For example, chicken tenders are the most popular item.” Glenview now uses a more health-conscious oil to prepare their fried foods.

“We’re here to help if you are concerned about your diet,” Bahr said.

Students can contact Joie Schoonover, associate director of Dining Dervices, if the student wants one-on-one dietary counseling.