February 2, 2005

Purdue eateries to hold Valentine's Day wellness event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Student Wellness Office at the Purdue University Student Health Center will conduct a Valentine's Day "Love Your Heart!" event on Feb. 14 in acknowledgement of American Heart Association Heart Month.

The event will take place during lunchtime hours at several campus restaurants, food courts and cafeterias. It is designed to encourage individuals to select a heart-healthy meal on Valentine's Day by displaying menu suggestions at the entrances to each participating eatery.

"Valentine's Day is a good time to think about our hearts and take control of our own health," said Sue Abney, nutrition education coordinator for the Student Wellness Office. "We hope to heighten awareness and bring about positive change in the lifestyles of our students, faculty and staff."

Among those eateries taking part in "Love Your Heart!" are Union Market, the All-American Dining Room, Stone Hall's HTM Café, the food courts at Earhart and Hillenbrand halls, and the food services departments at Meredith and Tarkington halls. Menu suggestions also will be posted at the Recreational Sports Center and the Purdue Student Health Center.

In addition to the heart-healthy menu displays, participating eateries will offer diners personal goal-setting forms designed to encourage healthy eating habits. A free American Heart Association cookbook also will be offered to those willing to take the organization's online "Learn and Live" quiz at http://www.americanheart.org.

"Nearly seven out of every 10 adults living in American today are overweight and about three out of every 10 are obese," Abney said, quoting recent American Heart Association figures. "These are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and they are rising to epidemic proportions. These factors collectively represent the second-most preventable cause of death in the United States, second only to cigarette smoking. They obviously need to be addressed."

Lunchtime dining hours for participating eateries are as follows:

• Earhart Hall Dining Court, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Hillenbrand Hall Dining Court, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Meredith Hall dining services, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Tarkington Hall dining services, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• All-American Dining Room, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• HTM Café, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

• Union Market, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Student Wellness Office currently is conducting other wellness campaigns on campus. For more information, call (765) 494-WELL (9355).

Writer: Aaron Martin, (765) 496-3133, martinac@purdue.edu

Source: Sue Abney, (765) 494-1716, nsabney@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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