Originally ran on Oct. 8, 2008

Jody Horn has researched many colleges and restaurants and has found a way Eastern can use different oils in their dining halls to be healthier.

“I think people like to see us do more and more of these kinds of things,” said Horn, director of dining.

This semester, Eastern has turned away from trans fats in all dining halls.

Horn said she decided to make sure all dining halls were free of trans fats by Fall 2008. She got the idea in the summer after researching how to cut costs for the university, she added.

Mark Hudson, director of Housing and Dining services, said he believes cutting trans fats will benefit both students and faculty.

“I think it’s the healthier alternative by not having the trans fats in there,” Hudson said.

They decided on this because they are paying attention to what can help students stay healthy, he added.

“Jody has made sure all menus have balance in them,” Hudson said. “People make choices, but you have healthy options in our offerings.”

Horn decided this was needed once it became pervasive in restaurants and other universities, she said.

Eastern made a special request to U.S. Foods Service from St. Louis, the university’s vendor, to cut trans fats. The university is using new cooking oil, called Mazola ZT, which reduces saturated fats and is preservative free. The oil is made with a blend of corn and sunflower oils for a serving of zero grams of fats.

Sarah Allen, Eastern’s nutrition education coordinator, said trans fat goes back to chemistry.

She said the technology was created in the late 1800s but was not used in food until the early 1900s in Germany.

“Proctor & Gamble was the first company to patent the technology for use in food in the United States, putting Crisco on the market in 1911,” Allen said.

Crisco was originally made mostly of hydrogenated cottonseed oil.

Hudson and Allen said they both believe this is an invisible benefit to those who use the dining facilities.

“A decrease in trans fat is not something students will see benefits in right away,” Allen said. “The benefits will be years down the road, since their risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes is what’s being reduced.”

Eastern is not the only school doing this. Other schools in Illinois, such as University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, are using the same provider.

“The great thing about it, this oil is more stable, so not only is it healthier, but it lasts longer so we can use it for a longer time in the fryers,” Horn said. “And we are using their dollars wiser and being more cost effective with their money.”

Brittni Garcia can be reached at 581-7942 or at bmgarcia@eiu.edu.