Sodexo’s test-piloted program “The Balanced Way” is taking off at a college campus near you! With a scheduled autumn 2008 launch, Sodexo-contracted campuses will begin to implement healthy choices for students across the country.

Balanced nutrition is no longer a taboo catchphrase. Sodexo is making it a trendy choice among college students in cafeterias across the country. For the past two years, the company has test-piloted “The Balanced Way,” a program that encourages students to adopt healthy behaviors when it comes to making meal decisions. The program was piloted on 11 campuses and utilized by over half of the diners that participated in the plan. As a result, Sodexo is moving ahead to launch the program on a broader scale.

How does it work? The meals are pre-plated options that give the students the ability to make nutritious decisions. The plate is half vegetables and fruit, one quarter protein and one quarter whole-grain carbohydrates. “The Balanced Way” is based on the theory of calorie density from the nutrition principles from Franceen Friefeld’s top-rated nutrition book, Fill Up Not Out: A Healthy Approach to Weight Control for Life®. The book highlights meals that are low in calories, fat and sugar and are high in fiber and nutrients. Many options are made available to the students through the menu plans. Desserts, side dishes and snacks are also apart of the plan, which makes “The Balanced Way” attractive to students on the go. It gives them the flexibility and variety throughout the week that they wouldn’t necessarily have with standard dining hall fare. Rather than picking up fried foods high in fat, students can choose meals that are balanced and attractive in taste.

With the success of the program, over 30 campuses will be launching “The Balanced Way” in the coming months. To learn more about “The Balanced Way” and to see the first podcast announcing the program, visit www.thebalancedway.com. While visiting the site, join The Balanced Way text messaging club to vote on your favorite dishes and to receive updates on the program.