When climbing the four flights of Academy stairs every day, you can run out of energy pretty quickly. Lunch becomes the highlight of the day when you can refuel and become able to push through that last class. But sometimes, chicken tenders and fries just don’t pack enough nutrients to get you through those last eighty-five minutes of the day. What do you do then?

At the beginning of the last school year, Academy administration decided to make a change in the lunch program. The food students had been offered at lunch was becoming less and less nutritious- something the girls began to complain about. After looking at different companies, Academy chose to hire a company called Sage Dining Services. Sage offers a wide variety of options for food, from pudding parfaits to chicken and yellow rice. They cook all food from scratch every day – specializing their food options in variety, balance, and moderation. Many of the options are a la carte, meaning that the students can grab something small for a snack. And the healthier options?

Senior Carmen Mendez has witnessed the positive change in the food from over the years. “The new lunch is both delicious and healthy. The fact that they no longer sell soda was something I wasn’t too happy with at first, but now I think it was a good idea because it got me to stop drinking so much soda.”
Many of the Academy girls feel the same way about the healthy changes. Mendez was thrilled to hear that it would not be the ‘same old same old’ everyday.
“It was different at first, but I like it and it’s good for us. Every day the menu changes, which is great because it’s something new,” Mendez stated. “Everything on the menu is healthy, which is awesome because I love food and it allows me to choose whatever I want and enjoy it and not have to worry about whether it’s healthy or not.” Speaking like a true Academy girl, Carmen.

Some of these healthy lunch options include the delicious salads-  chicken Caesar and Asian chicken, both jam packed with fresh greens and savory grilled chicken, as well as various other tasty toppings. The “home-cooked” main meal of every day always has a side of different vegetables to chose from as well. But what if you want something for on-the-go? Sage caters to that need as well with small salads, fruit cups, or yogurt parfaits. The fresh fruit cups come in a handful of different sizes and prices, for however hungry you might be. The yogurt parfaits also give you many choices- from vanilla or strawberry yogurt, to the size of the parfait.

Some girls might be quick to go immediately to the options of chicken tenders and fries or pizza, but next time you go for lunch- take advantage of the healthy options Sage also offers. You won’t be sorry!