Group provides alternative food for healthy lifestyle

IU student Adam Crane thinks affordable, healthy and fast food is not readily available to IU students. That's why he decided to form a campus group, Nutritional Novelties, to provide healthy food options at a reasonable price.\nCrane used much of his own money to purchase the equipment need to provide this service and said he will use the first proceeds as reimbursement. Once Nutritional Novelties is at a profit, he said the group will create more food stands to put at different locations on campus. Their proceeds will go toward alternate fuel research.\n"I want to provide an alternative to places like McDonald's or Burger King," Crane said.\nWednesday, Crane set up shop in Dunn Meadow for the first time. Starting this week, he will be there Fridays between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.\nCrane said he chose a Japanese dish and altered the ingredients to make it healthier. He prepares this meal called "Okonomiyaki" which means "as you like" in Japanese. He said the food was traditionally consumed by low-income people because of the cheap costs and versatility in ingredients. Crane altered the recipe to be completely vegan in order to keep prices low and comply with health code standards. \nHe also changed the recipe from white flour to fresh stone-milled whole wheat flour that he grinds on-site. He said the switch provides nutrients that prevent a variety of disease. \n"White flour is one of the worst things people eat," he said.\nBesides the flour, the crust consists of water, cabbage, spinach, organic flaxseed oil and baking powder. He said he prepares the crusts slightly in advance so customers can have their food fast. For about $3, customers can select a variety of toppings, such as corn, beans, squash, onion and many more. Crane fries it in a mixture of flaxseed and olive oils because they have less fat than vegetable oil and also provide nutrients and a digestive aid. \nOnce cooked, Crane sprinkles the Okonomiyaki with a sauce. The most popular is called "Tonkatsu," which is similar to a barbeque sauce.\nCrane is the only current member and he hopes students will share his interest and join his efforts. For his debut, he had some friends volunteer to help him out. \n"I didn't have anything else to do today, so I thought I'd help," said JT Kuruzovich, a junior at Indiana State. \nHe sat at a table while wearing a hat that said "Recruit" and was responsible for handling the money and updating the ledger.\nKuruzovich's friend, Mathew Mounce, 20, also volunteered to help Crane. Mounce approached passersby to give information on Nutritional Novelties and provided free samples. He said Crane was paying him and Kuruzovich for their efforts, but not in money. Crane paid the two with comic books. \n"You know we're geeks to do something like that," Mounce said. \nMounce approached Galen Miller, 21, and convinced him to try the food. \n"It's good," Miller said of the sample. He said he's health-conscious when it's convenient. Miller ordered the "3 sisters of Navajo" which had corn, beans, squash, red pepper and sauce. After taking a bite and requesting more sauce, he said "this is actually really good." Miller thinks students will like what Nutritional Novelties sells, and said he would come back for more. \nFor more information, stop by Dunn Meadow and visit the Nutritional Novelties stand between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. or e-mail Crane at aokonomiyaki@yahoo.com. Crane said he's trying to get a Web site running, and the future URL will be www.NutritionalNov.com. Nutritional Novelties also has a group on www.thefacebook.com.