By AMEARA DITSCHE
Arts Editor
Elizabeth Tornatore, a resident assistant at The College of Saint Rose, teamed up with two other resident assistants as well as the Student Association to bring a healthy eating initiative to the College’s Events and Athletics Center Main Lounge.
Tornatore works at Bare Juice Bar, a smoothie place in Stuyvesant Plaza. Tornatore asked her boss, AnnMarie Berdar, to volunteer her time to teach students about healthy eating in college.
Berdar gave a presentation on eating habits amongst college students and healthier alternatives. There were also smoothies made and given out to students courtesy of Bare. Berdar donated the leftover produce to be given to students so they could make smoothies on their own.
Berdar owns Bare Juice bar and is an alumnus of Saint Rose. She graduated in 2017 with a degree in cell and molecular biology. During her time at the college, she found her passion for health and wellness, directing it to science. Upon graduation, she went to the Albert Einstein Institute in the Bronx; she realized it wasn’t her calling and instead moved back to Albany to open Bare.
Berdar’s presentation, titled “Freshman 15,” detailed some of the unhealthy eating habits among college students and ways to make healthier choices. She talked about the things that factors like stress, alcohol, and change do to your body.
She also shared recipes that college students could make in their dorm rooms with limited appliances and ingredients. She shared local supermarkets that carried healthy products for an affordable price.
The presentation also revealed the dangers of continuous unhealthy eating. Berdar talked about what too much sugar does the body, and the negative effects it can have on your body and life.
Berdar stressed the point of calories and nutrient density in her presentation. Some students found the reiteration of calories counts troubling, claiming it was a dangerous mindset.
A student, Sage Stranden, spoke her thoughts to Berdar after the presentation ended.
“This wasn’t about healthy eating, it was about tracking calories, which contributes to diet culture,” said Stranden, a sophomore English adolescent education major.
Berdar responded, clarifying her points and claiming she was just sharing tips to be healthier in general, not encouraging diet culture.
“I’m not telling you to starve yourself, I’m telling you to be conscious of what you put into your body,” said Berdar.
Tornatore, whose idea it was to hold this event, also spoke on the purpose of the presentation.
“I wanted to spread the word on how important it is to eat healthy,” said Tornatore.
Hey Ameara, Iove this article and thanks for sharing. I keep reading reviews about the Smoothie Diet but can’t make up my mind because of the price. I understand it has a ton of value which I can kind of justify for the price but then again in this review https://www.totalbeings.com/the-smoothie-diet-review/ they are saying it is great. Would love to get your opinion on it and is it something someone needs when first starting out. I’m on the fence if I should sign up or not.