Making healthy meal choices can be difficult when you’re a college student and always on the go. To help college students stay healthy, the NKU dining service and the Wellness Center have teamed up to bring Meatless Mondays, one of the many programs offered by the Healthy Monday campaign, to Northern Kentucky University.

Mondays can now be more than just the start of a new week. They can also be a start to a healthier life. This program really is as easy as it sounds. All that it asks of you is to begin each week by not eating meat. Most of the saturated fat we eat comes from meats and Meatless Monday provides incentives to students to eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Less saturated fat in your diet decreases the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes.

The Healthy Monday campaign is a national program the NKU Wellness Center picked to promote a healthier campus. Shelli Stinson, the employee wellness manager, said, “I hope that healthy behaviors become part of the culture for faculty, students and staff.”

For students looking to take this nutritional step, Fusions, located in the New Student Union food court, is a great place to start. It is collaborating with the Wellness Center to offer a meatless entree everyday.

The Healthy Monday campaign includes many programs available to students, including the Monday Mile, which encourages students to do a mile of activity every Monday, and Quit Monday, which promotes the cessation of smoking. Students looking to become healthier should look into Walktober, a walking campaign. Registration begins Sept. 22.

The Wellness Center is also having a Wellness Open House on Sept. 17, to highlight all wellness programs.

One of the main goals of Meatless Monday and the Healthy Monday campaign is that students will begin to make healthy decisions beyond Monday.

Shelli Stinson said, “Simple changes in behavior can affect your well-being.”

She added that she hopes that students will begin to become aware of their everyday choices because healthy behaviors can lead to an overall healthy lifestyle.