Sophomore Orielle Heilicher’s boyfriend has a problem — he’s too fond of McChicken sandwiches.
“I mean, they taste really good, but they are not exactly the healthiest thing,” Heilicher said.
This prompted her to write an article about how unhealthy McChicken sandwiches are, which included a recipe for a healthier sandwich. The publication for her article is Spoon University, a global organization where writers can submit content about food and lifestyle. Many campuses, including Truman State University, have their own chapters. In fact, Heilicher founded the one here when she transferred from University of Colorado Boulder to Truman this year.
Going to college on her own left Heilicher in a bit of a conundrum. She admitted, while in college, she didn’t always have the healthiest habits, but she learned how to adopt a healthier lifestyle throughout time — especially with food.
“I learned to stay healthy by getting my own food, shopping in the produce aisles and really looking at what was on the labels of what I was buying,” Heilicher said.
Heilicher understood the challenges of balancing nutrition while being a college student and realized it was a fun project to help college students become healthy. Heilicher said it’s a goal of her’s to help other kids who struggle to find healthier options.
Heilicher thinks it is important for college students to learn how to eat healthy because many might have never learned how to cook. She also thinks it is possible to eat well while staying on a budget.
“When you make something that’s healthy, it can be the best thing you’ve ever tasted,” Heilicher said.
Heilicher hopes to build up Spoon University as an organization.
“My goal is to create a presence on campus and give students an opportunity to become a part of it because I think it’s really great,” Heilicher said. “I hope that Spoon becomes a big thing, because I think it can really bring something fun to this campus.”
For more information about Truman’s chapter of Spoon University, pick up a copy of The Index on Feb. 22.