Smaller portions and lots of sauce should encourage residents of residential care centers to eat more

In the kitchen of the Sint-Augustinus residential care center in Torhout, they still notice too often that plates from the two hundred meals return full. “We dug deeper and noticed that the potato portions were too large and that there was not enough creaminess,” says Stephanie Roosens, a dietetics student.

“In a survey among our residents, we scored 5.5/10 for portion size. You’ve passed, but it’s not enough,” says director Francoise De Vreeze.

7/10

After the students’ research, they made some adjustments. Residents can now choose between a small, medium or large portion of potatoes or fries. For this, the staff also uses serving material that fits the portion size. And they don’t look at an extra scoop of sauce either. “The sauce helps them digest everything more easily.”

And the residents also notice a difference: “After the entire project, we did the survey again. Now we score more than 7/10.”