Hotspot introduces a healthier student life

Hotspot manager Renee Thomas says that the cafeteria wants to contribute to a healthier lifestyle on campus. Thomas says that the expansion of the new health section will achieve this goal.

Thomas says that they have opened both a breakfast and lunch section to keep students energized throughout their academic day.The catering system offers a variety of healthy meals and drinks. Ingredients used to make these are health approved and range from low GI bread sandwiches to lemon glazed chicken salads. These newly installed health sections were put in by new management to accommodate students who wanted healthy meals on the go.

According to the manager, there has been an increase in the number of healthy meals been sold since the beginning of the semester. Thomas says the heightened increase in sales shows student interest towards a healthier student life. "Students are showing interest in this new segment and are ultimately encouraging the growth of this section. Many of the students came and thanked me for this because they felt like the university did not accomodate all preferences” the manager said.

The manager says that they understand that there needs to be a balance in the dietary needs of students. The need for this new health segment at the university's cafeteria was due to be an excessive amount of carbohydrate consumption and fried foods in previous years.

Tell us how you dreaded that 4pm classes on statistics after a chicken burger and chips?

Taking into consideration that the provision of healthier meals will contribute to the overall well being of students, Hotspot saw this as an opportunity to better academic performance in the long term. In previous years students had very limited options when it came to healthy food. Due to the limited options available students settled for unhealthier options to sustain them throughout their academic day. During lunch times burgers, chips and carbonated drinks were the "go to" meals. 

According to second year student Mbongeni Ramaila says that the prices in previous years of healthy meals were "ridiculous and unreasonable. "I mean a salad at chillout was R30. I would honestly rather buy their chicken burger for R19. Its way cheaper”. Lack of variety and high costs were the two main problems that discouraged healthy eating at the university.

At the university the average student spends an approximate number of 8 hours on campus. Students now remain at the mercy of the meals sold by either Hotspot or Chillout. Students say that it is the responsibility of the university to ensure they they offer well balanced meals for the latter consumer.  “We do not have time during the day to go to Featherbrooke during the day to get a salad from Woolworths or Pick n pay so we might as well get something healthy from here” says a first year student. With the implementation of the health sections students can now take a break from those long walks to Featherbrooke.

According to psychologist Mzamo Ntantiso, there is a direct correlation between optimal mental health and good nutrition. Ntantiso says that students need to realise that what they consume during lunchtimes has both a long and short term impact on their studies.

Click on the link for Ntantiso's expert opinion:

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The clinical psychologist says that the implementation of a healthy lunch counter at the university’s hotspot will be beneficial for students academic performance in the long run. The consumption of healthy vitamins and essential oils (omega 3s) is good for overall brain functioning and optimal brain performance. Ntantiso makes reference to previous studies that confirm the correlation between healthy eating and lessened stress levels, improved brain performance and overall student well being.

It is evident that the implementation of these new health sections will contribute to the student experience. "We know students love their comfort food so for the winter weve already have some healthy chicken soup for you!" the manager says.
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