UCLA is known as the college campus that is “under construction, like always,” and this has been highly visible for at least the past four years on the Hill. This area of UCLA, where all the student dorms are located, looks vastly different from just a few years ago.  Aside from the flashy new dorms and two-way streets, the places that even upperclassmen are flocking to the Hill for, are the dining halls. One popular magnet is Bruin P late, a healthy and innovative restaurant located in the new Carnesale Commons. The focus of UCLA’s new dining hall rests upon making both the environment and its students healthier. This dining hall is one of the ways that UCLA has enacted its Healthy Campus Initiative (HCI). UCLA’s HCI consists of a commitment to three objectives: nutrition, choice and meeting the needs of its students. This was accomplished by allowing students to preview and give feedback at the Hedrick Test Kitchen. 
Daily feedback helped make the menu as close to the general student taste as possible, which provides an even greater incentive for students to eat what their peers, and they themselves, have decided are the tastiest options. The food deemed most popular at the Test Kitchen was used to create the current menu at Bruin Plate, UCLA's largest dining hall, which has allowed the university to supply a much healthier menu to a greater number of students.  
A holistic approach to an environmentally healthy restaurant begins with its design, which means using sustainable materials and low-energy lighting. This is just another step that UCLA has taken to reach its goal of having zero waste by 2020, and it builds upon the presence of recycling and composting bins throughout the Hill and on campus. In addition to continuing UCLA’s commitment to becoming more environmentally friendly, the new dining hall demonstrates the college’s determination to accommodate its student dining habits and allow them the opportunity to have good nutritional options for meals.  
The menu at Bruin Plate changes the types of ingredients utilized in each meal and maintains strict nutrition levels for each dish. Ingredients are chosen based on what is seasonal and natural, with preference given to plant-based foods. Meal planners made sure sodium and calorie counts remained low – each entrée remains at, or below, 400 calories, while each side dish and dessert is less than 200 calories. This allows students to better gauge their caloric intake as well as permitting them the choice in reducing their intake of sodium and sugars, which leads to overall better health. This change allows students to better monitor themselves on their road to a healthier lifestyle, especially as New Year’s Resolutions begin to dwindle. 
The response to Bruin Plate has been overwhelmingly positive, with vast numberss of students dining at the restaurant and spreading the word of its tasty and healthy appeal. Bruin Plate has been open for less than a year, but it's success will, hopefully, lead to more restaurants like it, especially as the student population increases and there is even greater demand for healthy dining options.


Photo credits: (inside of dining hall): http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/new-dining-hall-serves-up-a-plateful-248440.aspx

(outside of dining hall): http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/srp-view.aspx?id=200209

(logo for bruin plate):http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1005046