College diets need to improve, adjust

cartoon by Christian A. Lopez

by Jaclyn Roco
Arts & Entertainment Editor

The constant hustle and bustle of a college student's life can easily cause tremendous strain, especially on one's own stomach.

But the question is whether the student can recognize the rules of a proper diet and abide by them, or, which is most often the case, ignore them completely and live off the fat of the land, literally.

That there are no parents around telling the student what and when to eat are the first two problems that one must face.

College students who are living on their own especially have to take on attitudes toward their health and diet.

Teague Hunter, a freshman, is one student who finds it hard to remember to eat healthy.

"The truth is it's hard as hell to meet all the requirements," he said.

"It's really hard especially in college where you're running without parents to tell you what to eat."

The first step in assuming a responsible role over one's own health is learning the guide to daily food choices, or what is more commonly referred to as the Food Guide Pyramid.

This pyramid establishes an outline on what to eat based on dietary guidelines. These guidelines help instruct one on how to eat better every day by eating a variety of foods in the right amount of calories to a maintain healthy weight.

For example, a college student should remember to eat plenty of the bread and cereal group (at least 6-11 servings of a slice of bread or a cup of cereal), but at the same time to lower intake of the fats and oils group each day.

For more information, look up this food pyramid online at www.nal.usda.gov.

Director of Student Health Services Cindy Denne suggested that students learn how to use portion control, as well as the food pyramid, to help make better choices in their diet.

"The target is a balanced diet," Denne said.

"And the way to make sure your diet is balanced is by making good choices instead of bad. Obviously grilled fish and chicken is a better choice than a Big Mac.

"Portion control and making good, healthy choices are big factors in maintaining a healthy diet.

"It is important to also limit your fast food intake along with drinking plenty of fluids and getting an adequate amount of exercise. Walking is very good and as students you have plenty of opportunities to walk around campus," she said.

Most students however felt such advice is hard to follow, especially with the food services offered.

"I don't eat healthy mainly because I don't like what Davenport has to offer most of the time," said freshman Allison Holloway.

Denne said that students should not feel discouraged despite the apparent dislike for the cafeteria's menu.

"My understanding is that Davenport is open longer hours in order to provide meals, including the traditional hot meals to the students," she said.

"There are plenty of opportunities to make healthy food choices. Apparently, Greg Marer offers three different hot menu choices daily. He said that he has a fish or a chicken course, a heavier choice of pork or beef, and then a vegetarian course."

"They have a chef who also makes either fresh pizza or pasta daily. The pizza appears to be much healthier than the fast food variety like Domino's," she said.

When the hot meals are no longer served, Denne told students to take advantage of the sandwich and salad bar.

She said that students should assume portion control by limiting the amount of fatty or creamy dressings put onto salads. Usually when students are in a hurry, the Spot seems like a better place to grab a bite to eat. But it is here that students also seem to continue to favor junk foods.

Wendy Lewis, evening shift supervisor for the Spot, said that the favorite choices include hamburgers, pizza and chips.

"Pretty much everything we have they eat," Lewis said.

Denne said that the Spot's choices should not be just limited to junk foods.

"If you're on the go, the Spot does offer some decent choices," she said. "They have yogurt, fruit, chicken sandwiches and salads. But it's the student's job to make good choices and to assume portion control. They should choose smoothies made with fresh fruit and yogurt rather than ones made with ice cream and laden with sugar."

For any dietary concerns, Denne suggests students approach Greg Marer on the nutritional values placed on the foods he offers.

"He should make this information available to you," she said. "People should sit down and really examine what and why they eat. A lot of times, outside factors can influence our choices. These factors may be school or work issues, or relationship or family concerns. Put together a game plan and find out what triggers bad choices and deal with it, don't overeat or make the wrong choices.

"If you eat on the go, you tend to eat more than three balanced meals. This can also lead to becoming over weight. It really is a vicious cycle. Good nutrition is all about feeling good about yourself and having the right amount of energy to function.

"Each person is unique and has specific nutritional needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Good health is necessary to be successful as a college student," she said.

For additional information on good health, the Health Center is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday.