Antonio Arcaroli ’27 (CAHNR) never planned to start a business through social media. But with the help of a few turns of fate, he’s developed a platform where he shares nutrition information and the joy of cooking with an audience of tens of thousands.

After high school, Arcaroli began living independently which is when he first discovered a passion for cooking. The next year, he began played hockey for the Twin City Thunder in the National Collegiate Development Conference and lived with one of his teammates.

“We were living alone,” Arcaroli says. “I wanted to get into cooking, healthy eating habits, and nutrition.”

When Arcaroli was sidelined by an injury, he moved back home to New Jersey full-time. There, he was able to translate his newfound skills into helping his father lose weight and his family become healthier overall.

“[Our meals] were mostly surrounded by whole foods, and, most importantly, foods that we all enjoy that we can eat without feeling guilty,” Arcaroli says. “It also led to more family time, which is always a great thing.”

Arcaroli had been privately documenting his culinary exploits. But it wasn’t until his mother encouraged him to start posting his photos and videos on social media that his following began to grow.

After just two years, Arcaroli’s Instagram (@organic_arc) page has 100,000 followers.

“I’m glad she convinced me to do it because it really changed my life, and it motivates me each and every day to learn more about nutrition and put more information out there,” Arcaroli says.

Arcaroli decided to pursue his interest in nutritional science more formally, enrolling in UConn’s program.

“UConn felt like home,” Arcaroli says. “The culture, the people I met when I visited – it was the best decision I could have made.”

Arcaroli is majoring in nutritional sciences and minoring in nutrition for exercise and sport.

Since starting UConn’s program, Arcaroli has learned more about nutritional science which he shares with his followers.

“When I was just starting out, I was learning about the micronutrients in each food,” Arcaroli says. “I would list out everything I eat in a day, and I would always list the micronutrients in that food that I learned from class.”

Arcaroli emphasizes that there is a scientific basis to the nutritional information he shares on his Instagram. This is an important counterweight to the rampant misinformation surrounding food online, such as the viral growth of “carnivore” diets, or low-carb diets for athletes, who need carbohydrates to power performance.

“I try to educate in the simplest way,” Arcaroli says. “I really want to help people eat healthy in an enjoyable way.”

Last summer, Arcaroli studied abroad in Florence, Italy where he learned more about the Mediterranean diet which centers on whole foods, fresh ingredients, and a more social and active lifestyle.

“They walk a lot, eat seasonal foods, and don’t overcomplicate nutrition,” Arcaroli says. “When I learned the way they live and saw it, I was inspired and brought that into my content.”

Arcaroli emphasizes that healthy eating does not need to be boring.

“The biggest thing for me is that I want people to see something that I make and be motivated to eat that because it’s a healthy meal, because it tastes good, because it’s nutritious,” Arcaroli says. “When I get DMs or messages saying ‘I tried this, it was great. I’m going to make it more often,’ that means everything to me.”

Long-term Arcaroli says he wants to work in sports nutrition with collegiate or professional athletes. He has already collaborated with Mitchell Saron, a fencer who has competed at the Olympics, and cooked for UConn men’s basketball player Tarris Reed.

“I’d love to help athletes because I was an athlete my whole life, so that’s the ultimate goal,” Arcaroli says.

This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.

Follow UConn CAHNR on social media