︎ The Vital Plate
To address the issues negatively affecting diet and overall health on campus, we propose creating “food zones” that encourage healthy eating habits and expand access to nutritious foods.
By Odiso Obiora ︎ , Yuechen Zhang ︎, Rachel Liu ︎, Anthony Hernandez ︎
Hypothesis
Implementing healthy food zones on campus will lead to healthier eating evidenced by increased consumption of nutritious foods, reduced intake of processed snacks, and longer mealtimes on average.
Who
Food zones are intended for use by all members of the U-M community, but our persona, Alex Chen will help us demonstrate their impact. Alex is a master’s architecture student passionate about sustainable design. He lives in the Huron Towers apartments near North Campus but doesn’t own a car, so he must rely on walking or public transit to get groceries. Alex works as a GSI and rarely eats home-cooked meals unless his girlfriend Zoey visits. Unfortunately, she’s his only close connection. Between his busy schedule and the additional language barrier, it’s difficult for Alex to make new friends. He often snacks during long hours in the studio and hopes to improve his diet with healthier, home-cooked meals that remind him of home. Zoey also encourages him to build a stronger social circle at school.
Alex Chen
Map Before the Vital Plate
Why
Diet is a major contributor to health and well-being, with improper diet increasing the risk of obesity and other chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and osteoporosis. These conditions lead to reduced quality of life and can ultimately lower life expectancy. Stressful environments, such as college campuses, often worsen dietary choices. Studies show that “stress can lead to disruption to normal eating behaviors” and is also associated with increased consumption of unhealthy foods. Researchers at Cambridge corroborate this idea, demonstrating how people’s self-control in choosing healthier food options decreases when stressed. Additionally, situational and sensory factors can affect eating behavior.
Ideally, our diets contain healthy oils, protein, fruits, vegetables, and wholesome carbohydrates. However, the stress of school and the quick availability of “robo-cafes” prompts us to reach for processed sugary foods. Moreover, a lack of grocery options on campus limits access to ingredients needed to facilitate a healthy diet.
How
To better understand student needs and eating habits, we conducted a survey. We found that many students spend up to 10 hours on campus, and feel that time constraints lead them to eat less healthily while they’re at school. There is also a strong desire for a grocery store much closer to campus.
What are your priorities when deciding what to eat?
Where do you usually eat?
How many hours per day do you typically spend on campus or away from where you live?What
- Simplified Decision-Making:
Mindful Eating App
Eating Zones Within the School Campus
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Accessible and Balanced Eating Flow:
System Flow
After Vital Plate
So What
Increasing healthy food options on campus brings a multitude of benefits that positively impact students' lives. The Vital Plate aims to change the way we eat so that we can improve how we live. By ameliorating healthy food options and guiding resources, community members are encouraged to eat more wholesome and nutritious meals. Ambient spaces create an enhanced dining experience that inspires people to be intentional about meal time and eat mindfully. Finally, our food zones foster strong community ties by providing inviting spaces for students to eat together. Through the Vital Plate, we can encourage long-lasting behaviors around healthy eating that will improve the physical and mental health of the University of Michigan community.
Design To Outcomes
Digital Accessibility through the App
The accompanying app simplifies decision-making, supports meal planning, and promotes consistent healthy eating behaviors through a tech-savvy, mobile-first approach. This supports the University of Michigan future campus plan goal of providing resources that promote wellness.
Facilitating Social Connections
Communal eating zones foster interactions and build relationships among students, reducing isolation and promoting social well-being. Group meals encourage accountability in maintaining healthy eating habits. This aligns with the future campus plan’s aim of creating a sense of belonging through the built environment.
Thoughtfully Designed Spaces
Mindful eating zones are designed with features such as natural lighting, comfortable seating, and calming aesthetics to encourage slow, intentional eating. These elements reduce stress, improve digestion, and enhance the overall dining experience, promoting mental and physical well-being. By providing spaces that support healthy eating habits, The Vital Plan ties to the future campus plan objective to meet needs through resource distributiuon.
Links to Follow:
︎︎︎Two Page Report
︎︎︎Final Video
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Works Cited
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Harvard School of Public Health. “What Should I Eat?” The Nutrition Source, September 18, 2012. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/what-should-you-eat/.
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Hill, Deborah, Mark Conner, Faye Clancy, Rachael Moss, Sarah Wilding, Matt Bristow, and Daryl B. O’Connor. “STRESS and EATING BEHAVIOURS in HEALTHY ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW and META-ANALYSIS.” Health Psychology Review 16, no. 2 (April 29, 2021): 1–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2021.1923406.
- Leng, Gareth, Roger A. H. Adan, Michele Belot, Jeffrey M. Brunstrom, Kees de Graaf, Suzanne L. Dickson, Todd Hare, et al. “The Determinants of Food Choice.” Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 76, no.(December 1, 2016): 316–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/s002966511600286x.
- Stroebele, Nanette, and John M. De Castro. “Effect of Ambience on Food Intake and Food Choice.” Nutrition 20, no. 9 (September 2004): 821–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2004.05.012.