Hey. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but the food at the Provo MTC is actually great. You just need to be smart about what you put into your near-sedentary, sitting-all-day-studying missionary body.
What to expect:
There’s tons of variety. You’ll always have the choice between at least three different main hot entrees for every meal, in addition to a couple options that are always available. The hot dishes are on a rotation so you’ll see the same options maybe once every week or two.
If you ever don’t find something you like, cold cereal in tons of varieties is always available for every meal, and you can always find what you need to make a good PB&J.
A fresh salad bar is available for all three meals, with fresh fruits and veggies. I always got the fresh cut pineapple, and I miss having it for every meal now. They spoil you there!
Breakfast will, along with the hot meals, always have available a couple oatmeals, cracked wheat, cream of wheat, and a good variety of toppings like brown sugar, raisins, and chocolate chips. So you can feel good about eating a ‘healthy’ fiber-filled breakfast with it still tasting like dessert! The hot meals they cycle through include the staples like french toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage, omelets… you might even get to enjoy this particular delight:
Pancake on a stick! They’re actually pretty great.
For lunch time, along with the hot meals, there is always a wrap bar. There are attendants behind a long counter of delicious wrap fillings with salad, veggies, meats, fruit, dressings… You get to build your own! So delicious, and so healthy.
Dinner is the same story. Hot meals, salad bar, and there is a leftovers bar on the far right side of the cafeteria. The MTC cafeteria is notorious for long lines, but the leftover station has delicious options and no competition. And, as always, if nothing suits your fancy, cold cereal and pb&j’s are always there.
There are some fun traditions at the MTC! Every Friday dinner they bring pizza in from an outside place, and every Sunday there’s a sundae bar with tons of ice cream from the BYU Creamery.
Another option that is always available is taking a sack lunch. If you’re running late to class, or if you and your companion want to take a picnic outside for lunch to enjoy the sunshine, there’s a place where you can put together a meal to go.
Survival strategies:
We’ve all heard endless stories about gaining weight in the MTC… suits and skirts not fitting when missionaries finally leave, etcetera. That doesn’t have to be you! It is possible to get out the MTC in a happy and healthy physical state.
I had lived at BYU for a while before my mission and pretty much the same food is served at BYU’s Cannon Center, so I knew what to expect and went in with a plan. I made some rules for myself, and told my whole District about them so I was more accountable and got some help in my weak moments. This is my own plan just as a reference point, but make your own, and stick to it!
1.) Eat at least two whole servings of fresh, raw fruits or veggies at every meal. Potato salad doesn’t count! We’re talking straight veg. Make yourself eat it and finish it very first, before anything else. Breakfast I usually had a bowl full of pineapple and an apple along with the rest of my meal. Lunch and dinner, I had any mixture of the following: handful of carrot sticks, an apple, steamed veggies, more pineapple… there are lots of options, so eat a variety.
2.) I decided not to eat any sweets in the MTC. I was going to FRANCE, for Pete’s sake! All anyone had told me about my mission was how much weight I’d gain from all the pastries and bakeries. So I told myself I wouldn’t have sugar again until I got to France. This was the hardest thing of all. Luckily I had told everyone in my district I was doing it, so I was accountable in my weak moments. I was really glad I’d done it. Treats are everywhere you turn in the MTC. Vending machines, the book store, cupcakes mailed in from home, cookies and cake and ice cream available at pretty much every meal in the cafeteria… Maybe you’re different, but I know myself, and I’m glad I didn’t even start because I might not have stopped. You don’t need to go as extreme as I did. A smart rule would be to limit yourself to one treat per day, wherever you choose to have it.
3.) Water. I brought a big Nalgene water bottle with me and filled it up with water at every breakfast. I had it in the classroom and I’d try to drink it all during the day. It’s a great idea. It kept headaches away, kept me alert, and just helped me feel healthy throughout the day.
The MTC food is great. There are tons of options to satisfy everyone. Enjoy it while it lasts!
