Are you new to the all access dining model? Looking for some tips to help you eat successfully within the residence dining halls? Keep on reading to learn more.
What is All Access Dining?
This term, in response to feedback from students and after in-depth engagement with the UBC community, UBC Vancouver dining halls have transitioned to all access dining. This all-you-care-to-eat model can be found at any of the 3 residence dining halls: Feast at Totem Park, Gather at Place Vanier and Open Kitchen at Orchard Commons.
We believe that this form of dining creates an environment that improves the health and wellbeing of students. It allows students to make more mindful food choices and enjoy a wide variety of foods increasing their nutrition and satisfaction.
The focus is to remove barriers and encourage students, faculty, staff and guests in an all access dining environment to:
- Eat foods that nourish their body and minds
- Mix and match and choose a variety of foods
- Focus on foods they can add and enjoy rather than remove
- Improve their relationship with food, their mind and body
- Worry less about the prices of individual food items and focus on eating
- Connect with others and improve their overall eating experience
- Eat at any time with extended service hours (7 am-10 pm)
Keep on reading to learn 5 tips to help you eat successfully within the new all access dining environment.
5 Tips for Eating Well with All Access Dining
1. Form a balanced meal with the Canada’s Food Guide plate model.
Following the Canada’s Food Guide plate model is a great and simple way of ensuring you are getting enough nutrients in a meal, both macronutrients and micronutrients, to give you the energy you need in a day and support your overall health and wellbeing.
Aim for ½ a plate of mostly vegetables and some fruit, ½ plate of protein and ¼ plate of whole grains or starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, corn and peas. Tune into your hunger and fullness cues and eat until you are comfortably and not overly full.
Remember that each meal is important and an opportunity to get nutrition in. Eat regular meals and aim to follow the plate model proportions for the majority of your meals. Tie in your personal preferences and choose options you like in each category of the plate.
Learn more about the Canada’s Food Guide created by Health Canada here.
2. Explore, mix and match and take advantage of options available.
Each dining hall has a variety of food stations with different options available, from bowls to pastas to baos to curries to burgers to soups and so much more. See what is pleasing and appetizing to you that day, try new foods and choose options you enjoy.
Don’t forget to take advantage of our side and salad bar stations with raw and cooked vegetable options to help you top up and achieve that half plate of veggies. We also offer a variety of plant-based protein options at our salad bars. Some options you may find include beans, chickpeas, tofu, pumpkin seeds, oats, quinoa and more.
Come back anytime in between meals for a quick snack. Bring a reusable bottle, load up with spa water and stay hydrated. Grab a fruit or baked good to go!
3. Use the Nutrislice app to help guide you.
Plan ahead by using the Nutrislice app to check the menu offerings at our 3 dining halls and other retail locations. Use the filter function on the app where you can filter menu options with our menu icons, top allergens and dietary restrictions. Please note, although we try our best to include as much information as we can on Nutrislice, menus are subject to change.
The app can be downloaded on your phone, accessed online or tablet at one of our dining halls. Please visit here to learn more.
4. Ask for modifications within reason.
If there is a topping that you’d like more or less of, know that you can always ask for modifications within reason. For example, if you would like more of a protein offered at a station, ask for extra.
If you are allergic or intolerant to a food item or you cannot have a food due to religious reasons, please communicate that to us and we would be happy to support you. UBC Food Services takes allergy and intolerance requests at our dining halls seriously.
Chefs, supervisors, and management all go through allergy certification from Allertrain™ to understand the seriousness of allergies and to respond effectively. Look for the purple allergy aware button to see who is certified. Please visit the UBC Food Services allergy page to learn more about how you can dine safely with us.
5. Connect with us at the dining halls.
If you ever have questions, concerns or are having trouble navigating the dining halls, our chefs, supervisors and managers would be happy to help and support you. Pop a visit into the supervisor’s office at each dining hall to ask in-person or connect with us online.
For online general all access dining or meal plan inquiries, please contact us here. If you are a student living within residence with specific nutrition inquiries or concerns, please contact our residence dietitian here.
UBC Food Services is open to feedback. Fill out our Spill the Beans survey if you have any feedback for us.
