LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Dominic Reed knows all about the unhealthy options offered to college students. That's why Cardinal Nutrition has become like a second home for the University of Louisville graduate student.

"It's just a place where you can come hang out you can get something nutritious and have a great conversation," Reed said. 

Cardinal Nutrition offers a three-part process. Smoothies come in tasty flavors like captain crunch and strawberry shortcake. It's the brainchild of owner Nocomis Miner who seems to know every member, not customer, by name.

"So, when we welcome you to cardinal nutrition step one is mango aloe shooter. That's good for your digestive system. It also helps with heart burn and indigestion."

"Step two is the herbal tea. That right there boosts your metabolism, gives you a good dose of energy. So we got raspberry, peach, and lemon."

"Step three is your meal replacement. That's 25 grams of protein, 21 key vitamins and minerals. I used all sugar-free, gluten-free to make this shake. In addition to that, it has only about 250 calories in it," Miner said. 

Miner tells me he remembers the days of looking for something to give his body the right type of fuel during his time at Kentucky State University. He says he saw the same problem when he arrived back in the Bluegrass years later.

"What I did was I came out here and I did a survey and was just asking, 'Hey is there anything where I can get a healthy meal replacement or a healthy salad?' and they could only name one place. So, after I talked to so many students and they only named one location it was like, "Oh, ok something else has to give. I have to put something else out here.' So that's kind of how I came up with Cardinal Nutrition," Miner said.

He says he's always felt a calling to his heart to help people, so it feels like the perfect fit for him.

"People are getting more health conscious about their diet because health issues are arising. With that being said we want to try our best to take care of everybody that we can touch so continue to reach out," Miner said. 

Reed has lost 15 pounds since making dietary changes. He's also gained some friends during his health journey, that he's committed to following. 

"Camaraderie and the nutrition, they kind of go hand-in-hand. When people hold you accountable on one end, you can hold yourself accountable on the other end. It's kind of like an anchor. You know you have that anchor holding something in place and it will keep you level and that's how I feel this place is," Reed said. 

Cardinal Nutrition is located at 2631 S 3rd St, Suite 1408 in Louisville.