Every Tuesday and Wednesday, @gvsufood goes live on Instagram for 15-minute “Ask Allison” sessions on different food topics. The topic changes weekly, but general questions are accepted as well during the sessions.

So far, the topics have included how to read a food label, a tutorial for making heart-shaped pizzas and a recipe for strawberry cheesecake brownie bites.

Sessions are led by Grand Valley State University’s new dietitian, Alison Cooney. A Laker for a lifetime, Cooney earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees at GVSU.

Cooney’s time at campus dining did not begin with her dietician role, which she started in November of last year. She was actually a student employee during her undergraduate years. 

It is not an immediate jump for someone to move up from a student employee to a full-time position. It was not until Cooney graduated from her master’s program that she was able to be considered for her new role.

“I love Grand Valley so I was very thankful for the timing and that I was offered the job, so I didn’t directly move up from a student worker to full-time,” Cooney said. “It was grad school at GV that made me qualified for the dietitian position.”

Even though she has only been in the position for a few months, Cooney has big plans for GVSU nutrition and health. Starting March 1, she will be launching a 6-week Intuitive Eating Workshop over Zoom. 

The main focus of the workshop will be creating a positive relationship with food and battling the diet culture mentality. The link to sign up can be found on the campus dining website.

Outside of online programs and activities, Cooney is actively working to make information about nutritional values and allergens more accessible. She has created binders full of information for each campus dining location. More specific information can be found out by asking managers for label details.

Consultations with the dietitian are free for Grand Valley students and can be made by going to the campus dining website or following this link.