Nutrition
Meet the Dietitian
Gabrielle Mele RD, LDN, IFNCP is your resource for:
- Answers to questions regarding food allergies and sensitivities
- Nutrition education through tabling events and one on one meetings
- Fueling your body mindfully throughout your college experience
Gabrielle's focus as a dietitian is on helping others understand how to enjoy a diverse array of foods, as all types of foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. She works with the campus dining team to ensure students’ dietary needs are met and has an open-door policy for any concerns students may have. Feel free to contact her at gabrielle.mele@sodexo.com
We want to meet one-on-one with anyone who has individual dining needs to ensure that your dining experience is safe, delicious, and social. If you have a food allergy/special diet concern, please contact our Campus Dietitian Gabrielle Mele RD, LDN, IFNCP
Food Allergies
We take pride in serving you wholesome ingredients, preparing recipes accurately and providing nutritional analysis and ingredient statements through our online menus and nutrition calculator. From our general manager to our front line servers, we work carefully to address food allergies, celiac diets, or other special dietary needs.
We want to meet one-on-one with anyone who has individual dining needs to ensure that your dining experience is safe, delicious, and social. If you have a food allergy/special diet concern, please email mealplan.umb.edu regarding meal plan accommodations.
Healthy Eating
Providing you with healthy options is something your dining team proudly does every day. We help you select delicious, nutritious and satisfying meals, snacks and desserts by highlighting well-balanced menu choices and providing nutritional information and tips to help you make choices that fit your needs.
Menus
Our menu system provides ingredient statements specifically highlighting the big nine allergens; milk, eggs, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. You may check on the presence of allergens prior to planning your meals using our online menus. The absence of all allergen listed on this posted or electronic product signage is not a guarantee that the product is free of that allergen. You will be responsible for communicating your allergy to a supervisor or manager to ensure your safety.
Our station menus and online menus also include key nutritional information. Look for the Mindful, Vegetarian, Vegan, or other icons to also easily identify recipes that focus on wellness and other dietary preferences.
Please note: At this time the Halal icon does not show on our online menus, only our menus at physical stations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
These icons are not present on national brand menus like Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, or Burger King. Please reach out to Gabrielle.mele@sodexo.com to request this information if needed.
Mindful
Mindful is Sodexo's health & wellness approach that helps you make healthy choices second nature! We are committed to creating healthy environments for our customers. Central to this effort is providing healthy, nutritious foods. The result of this initiative is an approach that focuses on transparency of ingredients, delicious food, satisfying portions and clarity in message so that you can make Mindful choices!
Mindful offerings meet stringent nutritional criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each meal part contains fiber and protein, has ≤10% of calories as saturated fat, has ≤10% calories from added sugars, and is restricted in sodium. Look for the Mindful icon to indulge in the healthy and delicious items offered at each meal.
Simple Servings
Simple Servings is our allergen-safe dining option for our customers with food allergies or gluten intolerance. This station offers food made without the FDA's most common allergens of peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, wheat, soy, milk products, eggs, sesame, and gluten-containing ingredients. Fish dishes will be included in the varied menu options as a healthy protein choice along with beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and vegetarian options. The menu will change at lunch and dinner. Simple Servings staff members are carefully trained to avoid cross-contact with food allergens.
Separate equipment, storage areas, utensils, and preparation areas minimize but do not totally eliminate, the chances of gluten and allergens to our Simple Servings food. About 75% of Simple Servings items also meet our Mindful criteria, which makes it an easy and healthy choice for customers who are focused on ingredients, blood sugar, and other health issues.
Simple Servings is located in the Dining Commons.
For more information about Simple Servings, please contact Gabrielle.mele@sodexo.com
Simple Zone
Simple Zone is our campus dining “pantry” where food items needed by students with Celiac disease or food allergies are housed with precautions against cross-contact. It is located at the Dining Commons and gives students the ability to be involved in their own allergen -safe meal preparation. There are a variety of items made without gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts such as cereals, breads, bagels, and more each day. Simple Zone features a designated refrigerator and toaster.
Simple Servings is located in the Dining Commons.
For more information about Simple Servings, please contact Gabrielle.mele@sodexo.com
UMarket
UMarket is open to all and includes a variety of snacks, fresh sandwiches and salads, coffee, frozen meals and health and beauty aids. This location offers a wide variety of gluten-free or gluten-friendly snacks.
Located in campus Residence Hall East
Swirl
Swirl is our new smoothie bowl concept in the Beacon Cafe! Swirl serves smoothies made without gluten, dairy, and nuts
Swirl is located in Beacon Cafe in University Hall.
Vegetarian
Menu items with the vegetarian icon contain no meat, fish or poultry, or any meat products such as soup base. Our vegetarian offerings meet the needs of lacto-ovo vegetarians and may include eggs and/or dairy products.
Black Bean Burgers are available upon request at our grill station, Flame, in the Dining Commons.
Vegan
Vegan offerings contain no meat, fish, eggs, milk or other animal-derived products such as honey.
Plant Based
Plant-based offerings are plant-derived and sugar and honey may be included.
Mindful
Locate a healthier choice! All Mindful offerings meet stringent nutritional criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each Mindful item is limited in calories, has fewer than 30% of calories from fat, fewer than 10% of calories from saturated fat, and is restricted in sodium and cholesterol.
Halal
Denoting or relating to meat prepared as prescribed by Muslim law. Most of the chicken served from our locations are Halal. Please look for this symbol to identify our Halal options. Please note: At this time the Halal icon does not show on our online menus, only our menus at physical stations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Halal Burgers are available upon request at our grill station, Flame, in the Dining Commons.