An Alternative to Processed Foods

By: Benjamin Norby  ~   12/7/20

The microwave beeps, its timer beckoning me. I excitedly get up from my desk, craving the meal (or rather a late-night-snack) that awaits me. I push the button to open my microwave’s door while indulging in the senses; a comforting heat radiates out while pleasant aromas rise — a strong waft of cheesy goodness hits my nose. Finally, I remove my floppy, sizzling, Totino’s™ Pizza Rolls and set them on a plate to cool. Delicious. Easy. Filling. Perfection. 

Totino’s™ Pizza Rolls on a White plate
Source: Getty Images

Can you relate to the scenario above? Are you able to recall the taste of a pizza roll or losing taste buds from indulging too soon? If so, you (and I) are not alone, since many college students here at CSU would unashamedly admit to surviving off highly processed, sugary, salty, and fatty foods such as the legendary pizza roll.

Empty Calories but Full Bellies

Many undergraduates have a love-hate relationship with highly-processed foods — these foods can seem cheaper and more available than other food options. Unfortunately, the population on college campuses is woefully helpless without the crutch of these foods. Such foods are highly addictive; a 2015 Study by the University of Michigan and the New York Obesity Research Center concluded that “highly processed foods, which may share characteristics with drugs of abuse (e.g. high dose, a rapid rate of absorption) appear to be particularly associated with “food addiction.”

In fact, processed foods are designed to be addictive. Unnecessary added sugars and fats are included in processed for taste, which gets the consumer hooked and desiring more of the food. Ultimately, the cycle helps the producer at the cost of the consumer’s health.

Processed foods are a two-edged sword. On one hand, they allow students tasty food for reasonable prices, which saves time and sweat. They can be prepared in a dorm room with only a microwave, and for many students, this is an appealing option since it is the only appliance readily available within their dorm.

On the other hand, such foods are full of empty calories which build over a lifetime, leading to increased health risks including diabetes and heart disease. Ultimately, for college students who want to make health a priority, other options are clearly desirable. Yet, these foods continue to fill the fridges and freezers of student populations. Why is that?

A Complex Issue

One reason is habitual. College comes with many new responsibilities, and for those who grew up without cooking at home, feeding oneself is easier said than done, which can lead to diets of poor nutrition.

Notably, as the Health Education Journal published in 2010, this is a “vulnerable time for health behaviors as healthy habits that adolescents were taught by their parents, such as exercising regularly and eating adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, may give way to unhealthy habits”.

Some students however, never learned habits that prioritize their bodies before coming to college. In fact, according to a 2020 study from Del Monty Foods,1 in 3 Americans say they were never educated on healthy eating habits. Henceforth, when some naïve students are shopping at the supermarket, a decision between a bag full of organic, locally grown chicken breast against a cheaper, highly processed bag of Tyson®️ Chicken Nuggets seems like a no-brainer.

Another reason these processed foods take the cake has to do with access to resources, or a lack thereof. College students tend to be without a disposable income, and student loans do no favors either. Schoolwork is time-consuming, which can make the idea of taking time to learn to cook, shop responsibly, and take extra time to prepare meals can be overwhelming coupled with the burden of long academic hours. Industrial agriculture in America runs on efficiency, leaving processed foods as the more efficient option, regardless of underlying costs. This leads students without choices to experience food insecurity.

Food insecurity is defined as the lack of access to nutritious food. Among college students, “risk factors for food insecurity included finances, time, and lack of resources/skills to provide for healthy eating”. A 2013 Harvard Study concluded that a healthy diet is on average $1.50 more expensive than an unhealthy one, which doesn’t include the extra preparation and healthier foods take. This can leave students who struggle with food insecurity away from healthier options and back to processed foods.

The Workaround

Fortunately, there are resources that colleges can (and CSU does) provide to students who are lacking education or who experience food insecurities:

First one being meal plans. Most students living in dorms on campus have a meal plan, which is a great transition to have while adjusting to having to provide food for oneself. Dining halls at universities typically have healthy options. CSU’s dining halls make a conscious effort to “provide nutritionally balanced food choices, along with accurate information and resources so that each individual can make the best dietary decisions for themselves on a daily basis”.

Next, many dorms have communal kitchens where students can rent pots and pans and cook their own meals. Communal kitchens provided at CSU allow students without cooking appliances to cook healthy meals using ingredients that they buy. This allows new freshmen to prepare for the years ahead where they will not have food provided by the university and have to cook for themselves. This is especially helpful to students with dietary restrictions who have few options in the dining halls, such as gluten allergies.

To the Kitchen

Overall, there are significant advantages to cooking meals at home instead of buying processed foods. To begin with, the price of cooking meals at home can be significantly cheaper than buying processed foods if done consciously – while organic vegetables tend to be expensive, a variety of staple ingredients can be effective at producing meal servings for under a dollar, these including rice, frozen/in-season vegetables, tortillas, potatoes, oats, lentils, beans, corn, eggs, apples, and bananas.

A spread of cheap legumes
Source: Food Network

Furthermore, home-cooked meals are generally lower in fats and sugars than processed foods. Even though they can be cheaper off the shelf, processed foods create underlying health costs which Americans pay in their lifetimes. This can be avoided altogether by paying for healthier ingredients upfront, thus saving money hospital bills and medications later.

Most processed foods contain a corn product such as high fructose corn syrup or corn oil, which can be not only detrimental to health but a significant environmental concern as well. Corn monocultures are an issue in the US as they lead to less diversity of crops, which makes the environment vulnerable such that “a single disaster, disease, pest or economic downturn could cause a major disturbance in the corn system”. Corn monocultures are also a significant contributor to susceptibility of the bee population in the US, because corn reduces biodiversity while requiring no bee pollination, leaving bees without nutrients.

Corn syrup
Source: Getty Images

In fact, processed food is a product of industrial agriculture, which has further environmental impacts. Crops are typically farmed hundreds of miles away from their destination, are sent to factories, and then shipped hundreds of miles to grocery stores. Transportation, factories, packaging, and large-scale agriculture all leave huge carbon footprints. This issue can be lessened significantly by buying local ingredients and cooking at home.

Lastly, cooking at home allows the cooking of tastier and more authentic food. Cooking food for oneself is an opportunity to explore the meaningfulness and satisfaction of home cooking. Large scale food production takes away from the artistry of food by replacing it with efficiency, meaning food is reduced to time, resources, and profit. Cooking our food ourselves means that there are options to choose recipes that have significance and that can be cooked based on what you like. There is also a definingly human and cultural aspect of cooking since food can “become the ‘glue’ that holds communities and even cultures together” (Coveney 29). Cooking also puts us in close contact with our food, which creates an intimacy that is absent when picking up a quick-and-ready product off the shelf.

I personally can remember many meals which I’ve shared with my family and friends that have brought us together and been a source of unity. I grew up getting to help my mom prepare a home-cooked meal many nights, and my family shared a meal across the dinner table and bonded over the shared food and conversation. This slowing down is very important to me, which is why something feels wrong about my day if I don’t share meals with anyone or cook my own food. Ultimately, cooking my own food allows food to be meaningful for myself.

So why not cook at home? Is it too difficult, too time consuming, too challenging?

Cooking at home can be a challenge, but there are workarounds. While it does take more time than pushing a few buttons on the microwave or oven, cooking in large batches prepping, and freezing leftovers can allow preparing food at home to still be efficient. Admittedly, learning to cook can be overwhelming. The variety of spices, ingredients, and recipes to choose from can leave new home-chefs lost, but this can be counteracted by choosing simple recipes with few ingredients, and such recipes can typically be found online. Pricey vegetables, fruits, and meats can be a turn off as well, but buying foods in season and on discounts can allow students on a tight budget to still end up with high-quality meals.

Conclusion

College students have a stereotype of surviving off the freezer section of the grocery store and relying heavily on processed foods. There are valid reasons for this – many not having learned how to cook and don’t have the available resources to do so. But, while an occasional lazy meal or comfort snack shouldn’t cause any harm, this diet has drawbacks including health concerns and environmental concerns.

Oppositely, cooking at home is less intimidating and more accessible than many undergraduates may think. Even though it may be tricky at first, but there are many online resources available along the way. Cooking your own food is satisfying, and typically is bothhealthier and cheaper than a frozen pizza. It is a great way to connect with friends, slow down, experience cultures, and experience good food that serves your body well. It is usually better for the environment since responsible shoppers can choose responsibly produced ingredients for their kitchens.

So, CSU students – next time you find yourself at the store, step out of your comfort zone and find a recipe you want to make. After all, the food that tastes best is food that you’ve made yourself – I promise!

About the Author – Benjamin Norby

I am a freshman studying Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. I’ve always loved food, particularly eating it but more recently cooking it! I got very aware of how I ate affected my athletics in high school, which led me to double down on cooking my own food, and I’ve enjoyed my culinary creations thus far. My favorite meal is breakfast, particularly a hash cooked in a skillet. Coffee and tea are my lifeblood, and I can scarcely go a day without a caffeine fix. My hobbies include running, hiking, biking, exploring, and most things outdoors

Citations:

“1 In 3 Americans Say They Were Never Educated on Healthy Eating Habits.” PR Newswire: News Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, Cision, 30 Jan. 2020, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/1-in-3-americans-say-they-were-never-educated-on-healthy-eating-habits-300995996.html.

“Avoid the Hidden Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup.” HealthEssentials, Cleveland Clinic, 1 Dec. 2020, health.clevelandclinic.org/avoid-the-hidden-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup-video/.

Cane, James, and Vincent Tepedino. “Causes and Extent of Declines among Native North American Invertebrate Pollinators: Detection, Evidence, and Consequences.” Conservation Ecology, The Resilience Alliance, 4 Apr. 2001, www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol5/iss1/art1/.

“Cooking at Home Tonight? It’s Likely Cheaper and Healthier, Study Finds.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 14 Mar. 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170314150926.htm.

Coveney, John. “Food as Humanness.” Food. Taylor and Francis, 2008. Web.

“Eat Well at CSU.” Eat Well Blog, Colorado State University, eatwell.colostate.edu/eat-well-at-csu/.

“Food Insecurity.” Healthy People, Office of Disease Prevention and Heath Promotion, http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/food-insecurity

Foley, Jonathan. “It’s Time to Rethink America’s Corn System.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 5 Mar. 2013, www.scientificamerican.com/article/time-to-rethink-corn/.

Hamm, Trent. 26 Favorite Cheap-and-Easy Meals, The Simple Dollar, 2 Sept. 2020, www.thesimpledollar.com/save-money/20-favorite-dirt-cheap-meals/.

Hyman, Mark. “Why Eating Quick, Cheap Food Is Actually More Expensive.” Dr. Mark Hyman, 21 Oct. 2019, drhyman.com/blog/2010/08/13/why-eating-quick-cheap-food-is-actually-more-expensive/.

Rao M, Afshin A, Singh G, et al. “Do healthier foods and diet patterns cost more than less

healthy options? A systematic review and meta-analysis”. BMJ Open 2013;3:e004277. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-004277. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/12/e004277.full?sid=820d6e1a-280e-47a6-b8c5-498bfa4657e3.

Schulte, Erica Metal. “Which foods may be addictive? The roles of processing, fat content, and

glycemic load.” PloS one vol. 10,2 e0117959. 18 Feb. 2015.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25692302/

Vella-Zarb, Elgar. “Predicting the ‘freshman 15’: Environmental and Psychological Predictors of

Weight Gain in First-Year University Students.” Health education journal 69.3 (2010): 321–332. Web. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236595573_Predicting_the_’Freshman_15’_Environmental_and_psychological_predictors_of_weight_gain_in_1st_year_university_students

Zigmont, Victoria A, Abigail M. Linsmeier & Peggy Gallup. “Understanding the Why of

College Student Food Insecurity”, Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, DOI. 2019.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19320248.2019.1701600?scroll=top&needAccess=true

Images:

“Pizza Rolls on a White Background at an Angled View.” Getty Images,

www.istockphoto.com/photo/pizza-rolls-on-a-white-background-at-an-angled-view-gm817166908-132178019.

“Dried Legumes and Beans.” Food Network,

www.foodnetwork.ca/kitchen-basics/photos/budget-friendly-pantry-staples/#!pantry-staples-dried-legumes-pixabay.

“Biofuel or Corn Syrup Sweetcorn Stock Photo.” Getty Images,

istockphoto.com/photo/biofuel-or-corn-syrup-sweetcorn-gm482155202-69866859.

Are CSU’s Dining Halls Really Zero Waste?

CSU’s Current Food Waste System:

CSU’s housing and dining services prides itself on a zero-waste dining experience. While they do have a lot of sustainable options regarding food waste, food containers, and disposal, CSU has failed to properly initiate a way for their students to take advantage of these options.

CSU has implemented a “zero waste” dining hall service and in this service they offer compostable silver wear, cups, and dishware. In addition, CSU owns its own composting bin located at the Foothills Campus, fondly dubbed “Oscar”. All the food waste disposed of in compost bins on the main campus is sent off to Oscar to be converted into usable soil. While these are good efforts made by CSU to reduce their carbon footprint, the school has made it hard for students to take advantage of these methods. The primary reason for this is that CSU has little to no compost or recycling receptacles available in the dining halls. As a result, students are disposing of their compostable/recyclable food waste into the landfill trashcan. Not only does this waste these sustainable products CSU has invested in, but it also harms the environment.

The Problems with Food Waste:

According to the EPA, food and food packaging waste makes up over 45% of the total materials in landfills. In 2010 alone, over 33 million tons of food waste reached US landfills per day– that is about one and a half pounds of waste per person. What is sad is that the majority of this waste could be composted, but less than 3% of this actually is. Not only does food waste take up space in our landfills, but it also contributes to global warming. Rotting food release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, which are the two most prevalent gasses in climate change and global warming. It is estimated that over 13% of the US’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the production and disposal of food and food packaging. In addition to its negative impacts on the environment, the improper disposal of food waste is also extremely financially draining. According to the infographic pictured, the US losses almost one billion dollars in food waste per year. This waste totals up to over 141 trillion calories, which could be used to feed people in need, supply feed to livestock, and create usable fertilizer for crops.

The Solution:

            The most financially viable option to solving the food waste dilemma at CSU is to provide more composting and recycling receptacles in places where students frequently eat- like the dining halls. For example, the Ramshorn dining hall has one compost and recycling unit at its entrance. While this is good, it is still far away from where the students are eating and disposing of their food. Ramshorn has seating upstairs available to the students but no place to compost or recycle. The only place students can throw away their meal’s upstairs are in two landfill trashcans. I believe that if CSU placed compost and recycling upstairs, students would be willing to use them. With the way things are set up now, if students want to sustainably dispose their meals, they must walk out of the dining hall with their trash and loop back around to the front. In addition, some other options for CSU to reduce their food waste is to switch to a more buffet style so students can pick the food they want and/or use reusable trays and silver wear.

Why?

            Some people might think, why should CSU make these changes? They technically do have somewhat sustainable containers for holding food. Also, what difference does it make wither these get thrown out in the trash or compost? And why should CSU spend additional money on compost bins when that money could be spent on something else?

            CSU was named the nation’s most sustainable university in 2015, and I believe that we should uphold that standard. By not properly disposing of our sustainable containers, we are only contributing to pollution and tarnishing CSU’s coveted title. Can we really be the most sustainable university in the country if we neglect to properly dispose of our food waste and contribute to one of the leading factors in pollution and climate change? This is why I believe CSU should make these changes. They already have the right idea in regard to food waste and sustainability but has not implemented adequate ways for students to carry out these methods.  I believe that if CSU put out more accessible compost and recycling receptacles, students would be more willing to properly dispose of these materials. Thus, helping CSU and the environment.

Sources:

Colorado State University. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://housing.colostate.edu/about/sustainability/zero-waste/EPA. (2010).

Reducing Wasted Food and Packaging: A Guide for Food Services and Restaurants. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-08/documents/reducing_wasted_food_pkg_tool.pdfMst2135. (2016, June 13).

Creating new products out of food waste. Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://makeasmartcity.com/2016/06/13/upcycling-food-waste-and-providing/

About the Author:   

            My name is Gracie Moreland, and I am a freshman at Colorado State University. Currently, I am double majoring in Ecosystem Science & Sustainability and Watershed Science. I am an avid horseback rider and I love to spend time outdoors- whether its riding, skiing, hiking, rock climbing, or just sitting out in the sun with some friends! With my love for the outdoors also comes a desire to protect the natural environment. I do my best to live as sustainably as possible by using reusable products, eating vegetarian, and learning about new ways to conserve the environment through my majors. In this blog, I discuss about how CSU can have a more sustainable food waste system and some solutions I have come up with.

CSU Farmers Market

I’m hungry? All I have to do is walk in, swipe my ram card and I am free to pick one of 5 options for lunch and dinner. Eating in the dining halls at CSU have been great, food is easily excisable and is made for us. Every week the food cycles to another new 5 options to try. However, as the weeks have progressed and the food cycles back to what it was before, I started to crave something. I couldn’t figure it out for the longest time until I went to a college meet and greet at my local church. There, in the buffet line I saw it, it had never looked so good in my entire life. A simple, yet so appetizing fresh vegetable plate. Why did it make my mouth water and why did those carrots look so gosh darn good? I realized that the only vegetable options that I could get from the dining hall was cooked vegetables that were often not cooked in the ways that I liked it. I know that that is just me being picky but people deserve to have an easy way to obtain fresh veggies when they wish. As it stands, in order to get fresh vegetables on campus, students must make a reservation hours in advance to pick up their tiny cup of fresh vegetables and hope that they are still in the mood to eat them by the time they pick it up. Or they can sacrifice a meal swipe in the cafeteria to get a salad just to get some fresh cucumbers. The simple solution to this, is to have an on-campus farmers market.

Look at Those Carrots (Illustrative picture source: Brie OCD)

Farmers Market’s Benefit to the Environment

Farmers markets benefits the environment in many ways that one may never think of when purchasing their goods. One of the biggest reasons that farmers markets are so good for the environment is because it reduces the amount of fossil fuels put into the air caused by food delivery trucks. Locally or regionally sourced produce travels about 27 times less distance than conventionally sourced produce. This is a key reason to support local businesses. By purchasing food products from farmers markets, one eliminates most needs to go to the super market. A big downside to supermarkets is all of the plastic they use, particularly when it comes to preserving fruits and veggies. In fact, over 99% of plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels, and the fossil fuel and plastic industries are deeply connected. When people buy from their local food market, they will reduce the amount of plastic used significantly. The downside to shopping less at supermarkets is there may be less of a variety of food options at times at farmers markets, but the benefits that our plant gets for reduced travel on produce is immeasurable. On the contrary, it is also very important to support the right local business. Lucky’s Market is a great example of this, all of their food that they sell is natural, mostly organic, and they even sell some local food. In this case it is good to help these businesses strive, but they are rare to come by and often take researching to find. People don’t have to research farmers markets; they know they will get the healthiest and highest quality food items and can confirm this fact by simply asking the vendor how they grow their crops.

Airplane Polluting Air (Image credit: Say Anything Blog)

Benefits to the Economy

Farmers markets not only benefit the environment but also the economy. When buying goods from farmers markets, people are supporting their local farmers. This is essential if people want to continue to receive the healthiest foods. Supporting local farmers does make a difference, farms selling local food through direct-to-consumer marketing channels were more likely to remain in business over the years 2007 to 2012 than all farms not using direct-to-consumer marketing channels. There are so many famers markets around Fort Collins already, why would the school need to have their own? A CSU farmers market could directly benefit students by providing them jobs. Students can already get jobs at CSU by working to provide dining halls with campus-grown lettuce in the on-campus lettuce growing facility so why not give students the option to sell their own goods that they grow. Giving students the option to sell their own goods on campus will strengthen the CSU community by creating a space for friendly interaction among students as well as a place for education. Students can meet/support new friends, as well as learn more about how people grow their crops and why it is important to buy locally produced goods. A possible challenge that students may face is the lack of land to grow their food. Students who don’t already have a house may find it difficult to grow crops. CSU could provide a designated plot on campus for students to grow food, this place would have to be enclosed and locked to have the highest chance for preventing students from steeling food. There are also minor chances that the CSU famers market could induce some conflicts among college students due to the competition in selling food. However, the multitude of customers should help make everyone’s stand stay in business and get some use.

New Jobs (Illustrative picture source: Brandon Trowbridge)

How We Can Make This Happen

It may seem like there is an impossible number of things that could prevent a farmers market from starting on campus, especially during this time with covid-19. However, I believe that the school is smart enough to work around the challenges with the reward of fresh vegetables and business. Keeping the students in mind, it would be hard for them to always show up to the farmers market with goods they have grown. Therefore, the standard farmers market ideal may need to be flexible and incorporate changes that best suit college students lives just for the on campus farmers market. An idea that I have come up with is to allow students to sign up to drop into the CSU farmers markets on certain days. The farmers market will be open at specific times during the day and depending on how good a growing season is it will be open once or multiple times a week. With this in mind, students can sign up for a specific day and time to come and sell their goods without the pressure of feeling like they need to show up all of the time.

Community College Farmers Market (Image credit: San Diego Community College District)

 It is actually very easy to join a farmers market, most markets have a website where one can apply. Similarly, CSU can create a website for students to apply to and see if they are eligible to sell food at the farmers market. The website may ask for background checks as well as where and how the students grow their food. After being approved, students can get a license for their farmers market that must be on display in an easily visible place at their spot in the CSU farmers market. There is always the possibility that students may sell what they have not registered to sell, which can be punishable by the school. However, people are taking a risk buying from any farmers market and I guarantee that it will be in students best interest to only sell healthy and legal food. I think that it would be smart of the school to allow only students, faculty, and staff to sell goods at that CSU farmers market but to allow anyone in the public to buy the goods if they please. This allows for a wider target range for business while keeping the number sellers down to create more competitive prices and ensuring the sellers are safe to buy from. I am not entirely sure if this dream can become a reality with the current times but maybe with some addition safety precautions (such as gloves) could allow a market to pass in this time of sickness.

Wrapping Up

All in all, a CSU farmers market would help the environment and be very beneficial to the CSU ramily. Students can make a business, friends, and learn more about food, which in the long run could help to make CSU even healthier than it already is. Most importantly, it can help people like me, who are just craving some fresh vegetables either to cook ourselves or to eat plain, to obtain veggies in an easy but reliable and safe manner right on campus. This ease factor will ultimately boost student’s motivation levels to get fresh foods and eat healthier.

Yummy Vegetables (Illustrative image source: TripAdvisor)

About the Author

Ryan is a first-year honors student at Colorado State University. He is currently studying mechanical engineering and enjoys eating any kind of food he can get his hands on. He can often be identified on a zoom call because of his constant urge to eat during class.

References

• Airplane –  Smoke_from_airplane.jpg (640×458) (sayanythingblog.com)

• Campus Grown Food – Thomas, Linc. “Campus Grown Food Partnership Brings Fresh Greens to CSU Dinin-g Halls.” College of Agricultural Sciences, 28 Feb. 2020, agsci.source.colostate.edu/campus-grown-food-partnership-brings-fresh-greens-to-csu-dining-halls/.

• Community College Market – foodmarket.jpg (1200×643) (sdccd.edu)

• How to Become a Vendor – Larsen, Kristin, et al. “How To Become A Vendor At Local Farmers Markets.” Believe In A Budget, 23 Oct. 2020, believeinabudget.com/vendor-at-local-farmers-markets/.

• Lucky’s Market – “HOME.” Lucky’s Market, http://www.luckysmarket.com/.

• Farmers Markets Promote Sustainability – “Farmers Markets Promote Sustainability.” Farmers Market Coalition, 2020, farmersmarketcoalition.org/education/farmers-markets-promote-sustainability/.

• Farmers Markets Stimulate Local Economies – “Stimulate Local Economies.” Farmers Market Coalition, 15 Aug. 2017, farmersmarketcoalition.org/education/stimulate-local-economies/.

• Fossil Fuels and Plastic – “Fossil Fuels & Plastic.” Center for International Environmental Law, 19 Feb. 2019, http://www.ciel.org/issue/fossil-fuels-plastic/.

• New Jobs – New-Jobs-Arizona.jpg (662×480) (brandontrowbridge.com)

• Vegetable arrangement – Healthy-Vegetables.jpg (650×421) (healthbeckon.com)

• Vegetable Tray – veggie-platter-top-view.jpg (2942×2942) (brieocd.com)

Food for Thought

Imagine yourself in the following situation: You determine that you need to buy a personal vehicle to make your 30-minute drive to and from work every day —I mean, you’ve got to work, right? You dig virtually everything out of your personal savings, enlist the help of your family, and are fortunate enough to find a reasonable loan to help make up the rest of the payment. You buy yourself a humble car that should manage to get the job done… and then find that you do not have enough money left for gas! Many college students face a similarly difficult, frustrating, and compromising situation; they pool their best efforts, the resources of their families, and they accept the terms of heavy college loans—buying the car– only to find themselves with insufficient budget to buy adequate food to fuel them in their studies.

How big of a problem is this, really?

Hunger is concerningly prevalent on any college campus; some figures estimate that the proportion of students struggling of food security may hover around 40%, varying depending on the individual circumstance of the university. It is a huge problem—one for even many students right here on CSU campus. Many of our students who do not experience food insecurity have little to no idea how real it is in the lives of their classmates, and those that do often feel embarrassed and marginalized. It is important that as CSU students, we adopt a more accepting and vocal attitude of the people in these situations, and that we cultivate a more conscious and positive culture of food on campus to optimize our performance and propel ourselves to maximal success.

An infographic about food insecurity on campus, made by Temple University and the HOPE Lab

What does hunger mean for our college students?

Why is hunger such a big issue? Aside from the obvious, “if you don’t eat, you die” argument, there are huge implications that hunger has on a young student’s academic performance, and more importantly, their health. Food is our fuel. Calories enable the neurons in our brains to fire and scramble to make sense of the quadratic equation or to try desperately to remember in what year the Treaty of Versailles was signed (it was 1919, by the way). Our bodies send us hunger signals to let us know when we need this fuel, and the hungrier we are, the stronger these signals get. Gradually, our minds become fixated on the idea of food, because once again “if you don’t eat, you die.”  The brain loses its desire and ability to concentrate on schoolwork, and instead reserves its energy to cope with and solve its basic needs. For this reason, students with inconsistent access to food tend to struggle academically. An article published by the non-profit The Borgen Project, cited that

“Hunger has been observed to cause depression, anxiety and withdrawal, all of which are obstructions to a child trying to focus on education. Hunger can also cause behavioral problems. In a classroom setting, a single child’s behavior can affect the rest of the students, the teacher’s attention and the overall learning atmosphere. In this case, hunger not only disturbs the affected child’s learning, but the learning of others as well”

We cannot expect the benefits of education to come to a person who is unable to appreciate, focus on, or engage with their academics due to their circumstances. Additionally, we observe that these effects are far reaching, and are far seldom the fault of the hungry party.

It’s complicated…

Now, I present a twin issue: nutrition. Even students in our community who can afford enough food may not be able to purchase food of sufficient quality to promote health and optimize their performance. Unfortunately, the magnitude of this issue is difficult to measure, however it can safely be assumed that it reaches further than just that of the food insecure. This is often times a natural repercussion of a typical college student’s socioeconomic standing, but in many cases it is also the fault of a lack of deliberate interaction with our food. With such an exigent schedule, with the social pressures and the academic stresses, us college students place very little meaning or importance in our food. Ramen noodles and Hot Pockets are our staple. There is an immense need to improve as a student body in this regard. The importance of healthy food cannot be overstated. Among many other benefits, eating healthily can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cavities.

What is it like here at CSU?

It is important to recognize that despite being very real and very local, the idea of food security being an issue on campus is hugely ironic. Current figures estimate that the average residential college student wastes just over 141 lbs of food every year.

Sure, it seems harmless enough. The crust of the pizza here and there, the baby tomatoes in your salad, or the last third of that big ole’ sandwich that your post-chem-lab appetite convinced you that you could manage. Right? Not exactly! I believe that the fact that this sounds so normal and guiltless is part of the problem. No, no one will be perfect in this regard and do not get me wrong, we should not condemn people who are simply trying to get their fill and inevitably end up with some table scraps now and then—BUT— the normality of food waste is why we waste so much food!  Part of the fault is on the design of the cafeteria, the portion control, the size of the trays, the way that they advertise their options in an attractive buffet style… but a fair chunk of the responsibility falls squarely on us, the student consumers. The attitude of thoughtlessness expressed through the sheer magnitude of our food waste is exactly what perpetuates the problem. A culture so calloused and desensitized to the value of its own food will inevitably have difficulty sympathizing and helping those who are in need.

A recent ad output by RAMS Against Hunger

Fortunately, we aren’t working on this problem from ground zero. CSU has made impressive attempts in addressing hunger on campus, including “…a food pantry, a meal-swipe program, pocket pantries, and in-person assistance with navigating federal aid eligibility” to those who may need it. One of the major groups on the scene is Rams Against Hunger. These programs are incredibly well designed, but the public is largely unaware of them, and there is still considerable work to be done in addressing the stigma surrounding those who seek financial support to combat their hunger.

What can we do?

Ensuring everyone in our student body secure access to good food, just like fueling a car, will enable us to go and perform. It’s an investment that easily pays itself off. Choosing to eat good food and to encourage conversation about public dietary health and its importance are similar investments from which the CSU community stands to gain. As college students we are intended to be particularly sensitive to these types of issues, and we are the ones invested with power to start to reform the system and the culture which propagate them. So tell your friends about their resources, like RAMS Against Hunger. Lay off the Ramen noodles. Don’t judge those who don’t seem overly willing to go out to eat with you and your friends, or better yet, pay for them once in a while if it’s within your means. And perhaps most importantly, use your voice to let people know about this problem on campus! After all, as the rising generation we are the champions and voice of change; we are the future, and we are what we eat.

By Jason Jackson

About the author:

Jason is a first-year Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering Major at CSU and a huge proponent for sustainability and equal opportunity on campus. When not rigorously invested in his schoolwork, Jason likes to go mountain biking, boating, and camping with his family in the gorgeous front range of Northern Colorado. Some of his other interests include astrophotography, doing random DIY projects, and unicycling.

Works Cited:

Borgen, Clint. “Effects of Hunger on Education.” The Borgen Project, Clint Borgen Https://Borgenproject.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.Jpg, 11 Mar. 2018, borgenproject.org/effects-of-hunger-on-education/.

“Childhood Nutrition Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 May 2019, http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm.

“Food Waste Estimation Guide.” RecyclingWorks Massachusetts, 23 June 2020, recyclingworksma.com/food-waste-estimation-guide/.

Martinez M Suzanne, Karen Webb, Edward A. Frongillo & Lorrene D. Ritchie (2018) Food

insecurity in California’s public university system: What are the risk factors?, Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 13:1, 1-18, DOI: 10.1080/19320248.2017.1374901

“Rams Against Hunger.” Lory Student Center, 22 Oct. 2020, lsc.colostate.edu/slice/slice-engagement/rams-against-hunger/.

What College Students REALLY Want

By Abigail Shaffer

 Before I arrived at college, I was warned by many students that dining hall food would “suck.” I braced myself for the worst and was pleasantly surprised with the food here. However, as the weeks went on, it became clear to me why so many people despised dining hall food. I am officially sick of it, which got me thinking about the ways CSU could improve student’s eating experience. I believe that expanding the food options at CSU would drastically enhance on-campus living, incorporate more culture, as well as create added sustainable options.

Prolonging Breakfast Hours

One of the biggest inconveniences of having to eat at the dining halls is that breakfast is only offered until 10 AM. Most college students, including myself, are up late doing homework, and want to sleep in the next day as long as possible. Because of COVID-19, many students don’t have classes this semester, so there’s almost nothing that can motivate us to wake up that early, even when it comes to food. Personally, I’ve only made it to the dining hall breakfast once, and spend a lot of money on groceries so I can have breakfast food in my dorm. I believe that the university should offer breakfast until 12 PM, at the very least on weekends. Even better, would be having a dining hall open all day for breakfast. I know many students that would love to have breakfast for dinner, even if it’s just offered once a week.                       Source: Simply Delicious

Delivery Options

Many people I have met on campus are out of state and didn’t bring cars to college. This gets tricky when it comes to grocery shopping, considering the closest grocery store is a 30 minute walk away. I propose that CSU should start offering a grocery delivery service. They could employ students who do have cars to pick up groceries and deliver them to people on-campus. This would help provide more jobs and help students out who don’t have easy access to groceries. The drivers would be paid through an app, and would bring the groceries to the front of a dorm. The student who ordered the food would be able to run out and grab it, so it would be completely COVID safe. It would be like an Uber Eats, but solely for CSU students. COVID-19 has really popularized services similar to this and I believe it would be a great addition to on-campus living. Even in the following years without Coronavirus, this service would be a great addition to the school to help out struggling freshmen who aren’t sure how they’re going to get their groceries. 

Source: iStock

Food Trucks on Campus

The dining halIs offer a lot of different kinds of foods, however, they are not very culturally diverse. I think a great way to provide students with more diverse food options would be to allow food trucks around campus. CSU could partner with local Fort Collins restaurants that would be willing to invest in food trucks. This would allow for more ethnic and diverse food to be offered on campus, without the university having to change their dining hall menus. Students would have the    opportunity to eat at different restaurants that they may have never heard about, which would give downtown             Source: CMTran

businesses incentive to join. It would also encourage students to eat outside, which is especially great during Coronavirus. At my high school, we had a class offered where you could learn how to manage and work in local trucks, which was a great introduction for people looking to go into the restaurant industry. CSU could offer a similar class, so we could have the trucks run by students. There could also be an app made that showed students the location of each food truck on campus, and which restaurants were going to be offered that day. Ideally, we would be able to find a way to allow students to use their meal swipes at these trucks. Overall, I think this would really enhance the community aspect at CSU. 

Farmer’s Markets

I think it would be really neat if CSU was able to incorporate farmer’s markets into campus life. They could be held once a week in the fall and spring, and could be partnered with local Fort Collins farms. This would provide students with easy access to fresh, locally grown food, that they normally would never get while living on campus. Not only is this good for the environment, it also helps with the fight against big food industries. When you shop locally your money supports farmers nearby, instead of going towards big companies that are polluting the  

Source: NewsWeek

earth, as well as mistreating their workers and animals. Having farmer’s markers held on campus would fit in perfectly with CSU’s sustainable and agricultural vision. 

More Vegan Options 

CSU offers many vegan substitutes for meals that they serve with meat. However, many of my friends, who are vegan or vegetarian, say that they wish more options were available. They only have fake burgers, fake chicken, and tofu available as substitutes. My friends have all said they wish CSU would provide stations specifically for vegans instead of just vegan substitutes. Ideally, the university should have a whole vegan dining hall, but I know that’s unrealistic. Instead, each dining hall should have a section that serves a few different meals that are catered towards the vegan diet, while still offering vegan substitutes at other stations. My friends all say this would make eating at the dining halls a lot easier for them, and more enjoyable. 

Restaurant Style Dining Halls

Of all the dining hall food I’ve tried during my time here at CSU, the best by far is Spoons in Allison. Why? Because it’s based off of a restaurant. Spoons is nice because they offer a restaurant-styled dining 

Source: CSU Housing and Dining

experience, while still allowing students to use their meal swipes. The only problem with it is that it’s the only one on campus, and it only serves soup, salad, and grilled cheese, so options are very limited. Having more restaurant themed dining halls would help enhance the eating experience at CSU and give students more options. A lot of students want to go out to restaurants on weekends to get a break from the dining hall food, however, it would be so much easier and cheaper to do so if the restaurants were already on campus. 

Overall, Colorado State offers a variety of food in their dining halls, however, it’s not enough to keep from getting bored. I haven’t gotten the opportunity to see what kind of food the dining halls served before Covid, but as of now, I would really enjoy more options. They are so many fun, sustainable, and community building ways to incorporate more food options into the CSU campus that would benefit everyone from students to staff.

About the Author 

I am a first year student at Colorado State University that is currently undeclared. I’m considering either a degree in Business or Health and Exercise Sciences. I was born and raised in Whitefish, Montana, and have always loved the outdoors and mountains. I love living in Colorado and going to CSU. I think food is an important part of our everyday lives and we should be doing as much as we can to make it a great experience at our college. 

Works Cited

Pam, Lambitt. “Campus Dining Trends: Today.” National Restaurant Association, 12 Feb. 2020, restaurant.org/articles/news/students-choose-hot-campus-dining-trends. 

“CSU Dining Hall.” CSU Housing and Dining Services, housing.colostate.edu/dining/explore/. 

“Food Truck.” Carpenter Marty Transportation, 2016, http://www.cmtran.com/2016-food-trucks. 

Helen, Ross. “Farmer’s Market Produce.” Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2019, http://www.newsweek.com/how-succeed-french-farmers-market-1456870. 

IStock. “Delivery Truck.” IStock, 29 July 2017, http://www.istockphoto.com/vector/red-delivery-truck-gm821221074-133538603. 

Ryder, Alida. “Breakfast Plate.” Simply Delicious, 16 Nov. 2016, simply-delicious-food.com/easy-breakfast-board/. 

Slow Food at CSU

By: Kendall Bush

The slow food movement was born as a result of the increased presence of fast food restaurants in Rome in the 1980’s. Today, the slow food movement has extended its reach to Fort Collins, and even has a CSU campus chapter. These initiatives in Northern Colorado reflect the importance of regionality in slow food, as these groups are not at all exclusive and include various community members. This community involvement in turn fosters the spread of valuable food knowledge and food biodiversity to many across an area.

Bridging the Farm to Table Gap

In support of global sustainability,  many methods can be employed in order to decrease the distance and lack of communication between producers and the consumers. Among these methods are becoming the farmer, by planting and caring for a home garden. At-home gardens allow one to know exactly what inputs are used in the production of their food, and allows one a working relationship with the Earth. If a home garden is not a viable option, a great choice is to instead develop a relationship with a local producer and harvest your own produce! This option is often inexpensive and a new and fun experience. Another great option for obtaining fresh, healthy and local food is joining a CSA, or community-supported agriculture. To find your local CSA, visit  www.LocalHarvest.org and enter your zip code. CSA’s are operations that are essentially partnerships with local farmers, a box of farm fresh food is shipped to your door as often as needed. CSA’s have even been found to be cheaper than purchasing food at farmer’s markets.

Though no longer at the top of the sustainable food chain, farmer’s markets continue to provide communities with food straight from the producer, the avoidance of supermarkets allows cheaper prices and increased sustainability. As an extra test to bridge the gap between farm and table, I challenge you to cut out all processed foods, if even for a week or a few days, in order to enjoy fresh and truly healthy food, for the benefit of your body and mind.

Promises of Slow Food

Slow food directly supports local farmers and economies by cutting the supermarket middleman between producers and consumers, allowing more money to remain with consumers, and more funds to be received by farmers. The local economy is able to retain money, instead of having it sent to faraway large corporations.  In relationships established between farms and restaurants, the restaurant is provided better food, and the producer receives a guaranteed payment, and recognition from restaurant customers. Restaurants easily gain popularity in becoming defined as farm to table because the food tastes and looks better, is fresher, and supports that very community. Serving farm to table food allows increased availability of organic, local and healthy food to consumers, directly benefiting their health. Local relationships producers have with restaurants, or directly with consumers, keeps the food miles of that product very low, instead of wasting the energy to transport the same food to those that need it. And although most believe so, slow food wouldn’t end up costing much more, because there is no middle man. One must be prepared to pay more for quality. Today, many are much too used to consuming cheap food, when in reality we simply need to eat better-quality food, and less of it. Today, the smallest percentage in history of people’s yearly wages is spent on food, the goal is no longer to continue to reduce the price of food, but to eat less of it.

Difficulties of Slow Food

One of the biggest problems associated with the slow food movement is the inability to produce a single product all year long. Seasonal growth is seen by most as a huge drawback, because the single corn crop cannot provide food for longer than a few months. A simple solution to this dilemma is the use of multiple crop rotations which would allow for more than one crop to be grown in a year, and tiered farming that takes it even further to have the crops support each other’s growth, and be able to produce multiple food products throughout the year. Also, the inefficiencies in the politics of food result in produce from smaller organic farms being more expensive than produce from mega farms that have government monetary assistance and far more advanced technologies. Unfortunately, this issue requires large government involvement that is not currently able to happen due to food industry lobbyists involvement within the government. Another issue present within this industry is a lack of authenticity in restaurants. Very similar to incorrect product labeling, the claim of restaurants as being “farm to table” benefits them, but is not fact checked.

Land Grant Institutions vs. Agribusiness

In an effort to support sustainable food systems, Virginia Tech Dining Services began practicing waste diversion programs along with multiple Farm-to-College initiatives. Virginia Tech even created an on-site garden and made the switch to local Virginian producers. After a press release celebrated these changes, staff members experienced pressure from many lobbyists for agribusiness groups. As a land-grant institution, like CSU, Virginia Tech has very close ties to the agriculture industry of the state. This  includes the poultry business, which constitutes 1/3 of Virginia’s commodity production.

Image: CSU’s Horticultural Center’s project provides salads across campus.

https://www.picuki.com/location/csu-horticulture-center/1017772943

Virginia Tech also relies on the agriculture industry for a large portion of its funding. In order to protect against backlash from lobbyists regarding increased sustainability, students must take an active role in on-campus activities that go against established agribusiness practices. Sustainability on college campuses is led in a major way  by students, and this enables colleges to have less of a carbon footprint to negate the current political inefficiencies that are harming the future of our Earth.

Into the Future

After the chaos we all have experienced in the crazy year of 2020, it is hard to imagine a future that is truly sustainable and healthier,  yet every single one of us is insanely lucky to be on the greenest college campus in the United States. We are in a place currently where we can have a huge impact on the world around us, and we go to a college that encourages ideas regarding sustainability and actively participates in them. I have no hesitation in my mind that CSU can completely erase their carbon footprint. And as students at CSU, it is our responsibility to get ourselves there. With the right emphasis placed on where we get our food, our university can achieve a truly efficient and sustainable food system. Though our university has welcomed us with excellent food practices, such as composting of food waste, community gardens, and even campus beehives, there is more we can push for as students to have truly efficient and fair food provided to us, as we know the consequences when food is not. In order to achieve this goal, the places the campus receives food from need to be evaluated by a panel, with students included. The aim is for all the food on campus to come from local areas, and to even establish relationships between CSU and surrounding farmers. Another problem with on campus food currently is the presence of processed foods, such as chips, cookies, and soda that are readily available. Reducing the amount these items that are offered, would greatly increase the health of students, and reduce the campus’s global impact.

About The Author

I am a first year honors student at Colorado State University, studying biology with a major in zoology. I hope to attend CSU’s veterinary school to achieve my dream of practicing as a wildlife veterinarian. The relationship between food and sustainability is very important to me, as the food we eat daily has a severe impact upon the environment around us and the future of our planet. In my opinion, it is important to have a healthy relationship in every aspect of one’s life, because food literally allows us all to continue to live, we should all very carefully consider the influences present in your own food lives.

Bibliography

• Agribusiness vs. University Dining Services. (2009, May 19). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://slowfoodoncampus.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/agribusiness-vs-university-dining-services/
• Endangered Species: Slow Food. (2003, July 26). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/26/arts/q-a-endangered-species-slow-food.html
• Traylor, R. (2017, October 02). Farm to Table: A Movement for Local and Organic Food. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/postdetails.cfm?post=1532
• -, R., By, -, & Fountain, R. (2016, May 03). Rachel Fountain. Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://collegian.com/2016/04/slow-food-movement-comes-to-fort-collins/
• 5 Simple Steps to Bridge the Farm to Table Gap for Kids. (2014, June 03). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://livewellcolorado.org/about/whats-new/livewell-blog/5-simple-steps-to-bridge-the-farm-to-table-gap-for-kids/
• https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com%2Fv%2Ft51.2885-15%2Fe35%2F73082565_443161843007913_2791144235123857917_n.jpg%3F_nc_ht%3Dscontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com%26_nc_cat%3D109%26_nc_ohc%3DaJqlWQl8cAUAX_eNpBe%26se%3D7%26oh%3D1de8d26753b3e1245393f536635a628b%26oe%3D5E97323D%26ig_cache_key%3DMjE3Nzk3MDI0MTMzMjczNDkyNA%253D%253D.2&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.picuki.com%2Flocation%2Fcsu-horticulture-center%2F1017772943&tbnid=ZRUEQGA9DYcN7M&vet=12ahUKEwiqyYqm2uzsAhVIRs0KHQniCyAQMygUegUIARC4AQ..i&docid=PJrsO_viLZIH0M&w=1440&h=922&itg=1&q=csu%20horticulture%20center%20food&ved=2ahUKEwiqyYqm2uzsAhVIRs0KHQniCyAQMygUegUIARC4AQ

Picky Eater’s Challenge

By Sam Vaughan

Picture this. The day is Thanksgiving and you’re gathered around the table with your family and friends. Food goes around; the typical mashed potatoes, turkey, cranberry sauce and more grace the plate of nearly everyone. Except you. Your plate consists of turkey, a bit of corn casserole, some rolls, and some fruit. That was me, not too long ago. I’ve been a picky eater ever since I can recall. I abhorred the idea of eating vegetables that were not called green beans, corn, and peas. I’m not a fan of potatoes, broccoli, or even salads, all very common foods. Thus, coming to Colorado State (CSU) and eating in the dining halls was a bit of a shock. The meal plans here rotate around every week, and after four weeks the rotation refreshes. I live in Edwards Hall, so the closest dining center is Ram’s Horn. I often do not have the time to go across campus to another hall… so I eat at Ram’s Horn or express 90% of the time, where everything is prepackaged to go.

Prepackaged salads are an example of an option at CSU dining halls.

Here’s where the challenge comes in. Ram’s Horn (or any other dining hall) has to feed hundreds, potentially thousands of students every day. When thousands of students are eating at a dining hall, it is impossible to cater to every student’s individual desire. Coupled with the challenge of an international pandemic, the prepackaged meals seem like the best option. However, this solution has two significant flaws.

Wasted Food and Packaging

The first of these problems is food waste. According to a research team from Ohio State University, students at Michigan State University (MSU) waste an average of 1.54 pounds of food per week. MSU is a similar state school, although its population is much larger than Colorado State. Equated for CSU, this is over 50,000 pounds of food per week (Colorado State reported a student population of 34,166 in October 2019). I know I tend to have more waste than I’d like. I’ve never been able to eat broccoli, a food which is in nearly every meal at the dining hall. Thus, I set my broccoli aside and dispose of it with the packaging and other things I may have. 

I try and compost whatever I can whenever I can, but not all students do so. I talked with some of the people on my floor, and many of them mentioned the difficulty of locating compost bins. This does have some validity, as Ram’s Horn has pretty much one easily accessible bin. I mentioned that most dumpsters (where trash has to go from the rooms) have compost bins around, but my floormates brought up the difficulty in keeping food separate. In other words, the fact that not all of the food is eaten leads to extra food ending up in landfills. This is even with all the efforts to be eco-friendly put forth by CSU. Colgate University’s student paper actually wrote about this. “There’s so much leftover garbage from the paper bags and the plastic containers that it starts piling up, and we end up taking multiple trips to the dumpster a day,” said junior Colin Duncan. I asked my RA about this issue as well, and he said he’s noticed more food waste in the dumpsters during this time.

Unhealthy Picky Eaters

The other problem for pickier eaters is nutrition-related. Eating the same foods for a week can have legitimate adverse effects on health. Neglecting to “eat the rainbow” as some folks say can lead to nutritional deficiencies, gut problems, and even determine how long you live. My friend Z (he asked to remain anonymous) is among the pickiest eaters I know, and he will often eat just a burger and fries for dinner—no vegetables or fruit included. Simply eating red meat is believed to raise blood cholesterol and make heart disease worse. This, in addition to neglecting to consume fruits and vegetables, can be disastrous for the health of students across campus. It is also important to note that there are students who want a greater amount of vegetables in their portion; these students are also struggling as they often do not get a choice of more fruits or vegetables with their meal. 

Nutrition facts from the CSU Online Menu

In continuation, many options in the dining hall contain a large amount of one element while perhaps lacking in other places. In the example of a cup of macaroni and cheese (shown above), one serving contains nearly 50% of the daily serving for both sugars and sodium. High amounts of sodium is known to have adverse affects to Americans’ health (mainly high blood pressure), and most people consume too much as is. Even a hamburger bun contains 13% of the daily serving; these numbers in conjunction with the high amount of sugar can be problematic for the health of college students.

I find there is one meal during the day in which other students and I can consume a decent balance of nutrients. This meal is breakfast. Every morning I go in and I can ask the people serving for specific foods. I can get oatmeal if I want it; I can get a fruit cup or yogurt. Every morning I get something different. I eat with friends; we are not rushed. Breakfast somehow manages to avoid both problems, even for a picky eater like me. How is this?

Breakfast choices in a dining hall are more varied as opposed to lunch and dinner at CSU. 

Choosing Your Food

Breakfast at Colorado State offers students the ability to choose exactly what they want. As mentioned above, it is also the meal in which I tend to have the fewest leftovers. This is because students have the choice of what food to get during the time from 7:00 to 10:00 every morning. If I don’t like potatoes (which I’ve previously mentioned I do not) I will simply not get potatoes. It is really that simple.

I’ve come to believe this is part of the solution. Allowing students to choose what they want for food would reduce the problem of unnecessary food waste. In the example of Z, he would not have to have unnecessary vegetables and therefore would have a reduced food waste output. He would simply be able to get what he wanted–and would therefore be able to eat most of it, if not all (he eats everything he enjoys). As for me, I would not have to have a bunch of broccoli to keep or make an effort to compost with every meal. Allowing students to choose would be more efficient for all parties involved.

In addition, I firmly believe there can and should be a choice of various fruits and vegetables with meals. During breakfast students can get a fruit cup consisting of cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple, and other fruits, but this is not an option during lunch and dinner (at least at the dining hall most accessible to my dorm). There are sometimes bananas or apples out, but the variety is simply not there. Eating fruits with every meal has significant health benefits, including a reduced risk for several illnesses and considerable nutrient advantages. 

Why Does This Matter?

Food choice plays a huge part in an individual’s health habits, and this is most present in what is known as the “Freshman 15.” The estimate is 66% of students gain weight during their first year at school, even though the average is only 2-3 pounds. This is largely due to the extreme change in eating habits; dining hall food is extremely different from what students may have experienced before. Picky eaters like Z and me tend to eat the same foods over and over (simply because we stick to the same meal) which can directly lead to problems of an unbalanced diet and the subsequent issues. 

The best solution in these times? I don’t know for certain. I don’t work in administrative work regarding the logistics of feeding an entire campus of students. I don’t work with COVID-19 protocols, which certainly impacted the decisions leading to the current system. I don’t pretend to be an expert by any means. But I do live on campus and eat on campus; nearly every meal I eat during the week comes from the dining halls or express. I have experienced the good and the bad. The good is the breakfast setup with its options and choices… and its fruit cups. The dining halls should allow students to ask for what they want and provide a balanced palate. Doing so would reduce waste output from students (as they would be able to choose exactly what they want—and would be more likely to eat what they have) as well as provide students with the opportunity to get some fruits and vegetables. The effort put forth by the dining halls today is a good one, but it can and needs to be improved. The health of the community needs it.

About the Author

Sam Vaughan is a first-year Civil Engineering major from Prairie Village, Kansas. In his free time, he loves skiing and hiking and simply being outside. Sam is not much of a cook, although he enjoys eating with other people and believes the discussions around a table cannot be found elsewhere. He looks forward to continuing his learning at CSU in the coming years.

Sources:

Baker, K. (2017, April 28). 5 Totally Normal Reasons People Gain the Freshman 15. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/gain-the-freshman-15-totally-normal-reasons-college-students

Dienst, N. (2020, September 15). Food Waste Remains A Major Problem Across Campus With COVID-19 Related Health Concerns. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://thecolgatemaroonnews.com/24161/news/food-waste-remains-a-major-problem-across-campus-with-covid-19-related-health-concerns/

Meat, Poultry, and Fish: Picking Healthy Proteins. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/meat-poultry-and-fish-picking-healthy-proteins

Phifer, T. (2020, February 12). Enrollment reaches new records throughout CSU System. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://source.colostate.edu/enrollment-reaches-new-records-throughout-csu-system/

Shiffer, E. (2019, January 23). The Scary Reason You Shouldn’t Eat the Same Foods Every Day. Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.thehealthy.com/food/food-variety-health/

Sodium. (2020, September 08). Retrieved December 01, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/sodium.htm

Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://u.osu.edu/research5682/statistics/

Why 5 A Day? (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/why-5-a-day/

Photos:

Durrell Dining Center [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://housing.colostate.edu/dining/hours/

Sodexo’s “Simply to Go” take-out program University of Maine at Fort Kent [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherelliott/2020/08/14/how-will-americas-universities-safely-feed-students-during-the-pandemic/?sh=496389d82df0

Tanque Verde Ranch [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g60950-d3781463-i91752790-Tanque_Verde_Ranch-Tucson_Arizona.html

The Benefits of Eating Locally

(https://geneticliteracyproject.org/)

By: Elizabeth Brink

“Local,” seems to be the buzzword in the food world right now, but what does it even mean? Who gets to decide what local food is, where it is grown, and how it is processed? And why should we even care anyway? What even is the point? These are questions that many have asked themselves when looking at labels while browsing the grocery store or strolling through a farmer’s market. I will fully admit that up until this year, I had no idea what local food was, nor did I really even care to look into it. I can thank my roommate and her dietician mother for introducing me to this whole new world of eating.

Colorado State University is known for their sustainability and eco-friendly methods of maintaining and removing waste. These eco-conscious ways of thinking unfortunately don’t exactly transfer over when taking a look at the food systems used to feed the masses of hungry students daily.

The Benefits of Knowing What This Means

There’s no set definition for what is considered local food which can be viewed as a good or bad thing. Good because then small town farmers and ranchers have the ability to spread their food to a greater audience, but bad in the way that there is no way to standardize what local food really is. An article by the USDA tells us that local foods are often sold through “farmers markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture” as well as some smaller grocery stores. There’s been a massive boom in the locally grown foods markets over the past few years: according to a study done by Business Insider, with local food sales growing from $5 billion dollars in 2008 to $12 billion dollars just four years later. This is mostly thanks to the younger generations realizing the importance of fresh, local foods on the environment, economy, and individual health.

The Benefits of Knowing Why this Matters

We constantly hear about the government monitoring monopolies on technology and media, but what we don’t hear about is the monopolies on the food industry. Companies such as DuPont and Syngenta basically control the market in terms of seed and genetic modification of plants. They ruin livelihoods through massive and unnecessary lawsuits of small agricultural businesses that are just trying to make a living. They often buy out in-debt farms with false promises of easier and better crop yields for cheaper prices. It’s always said that people have the power, that we control the market, but how long will that last?

Picture this: you go into the grocery store and there are ten types of apples each from different companies. This is where you have a choice; assuming that everyone buys eight of the brands consistently, then the other two would go out of business. Easy supply and demand, right? Now picture this situation: you go into the grocery store and there are now only five types of apples, four of the types come from the large corporate companies who imported them from all over the world, and one is from the farm down the street. The second situation is where we are headed. Gradually, the large companies are buying out or chasing away the small local companies to yield only one remaining. Eventually we will not have that choice anymore, it will be made for us. This is why we must buy from the locals, so that they can maintain and grow their businesses in an effort to combat the ever growing monopolies.

Not all grocery stores are bad though, there are many small chain ones such as Lucky’s Market that strive to provide fresh, natural, and healthy food for all at an affordable price. They stay true to local businesses and farmers, supporting only those in the surrounding areas and those smaller businesses across the U.S. that have products that cannot otherwise be found in Colorado. It is our job as the consumers and as the youth of America to support these local businesses as to not let these large corporations win. Not only will shopping at farmer’s markets and neighborhood grocery stores help those people to continue doing what they love, but it benefits us, as the consumers, by giving us access to healthier, more natural, more diverse, and better tasting foods.

Figure 1: Display of the variety of choices offered at Lucky’s Market

The Benefits of Knowing the People

Now it’s pretty easy to ignore this issue as it may not directly affect you or you have no care for where you food comes from, only that it ends up on your table from somewhere. To make this more relatable, let’s meet some of these people who I interviewed and wrote about previously, whose jobs and lives are based off of their locally grown food that they work for and sell.

Kia and Jennifer are wives running a business together called Taco Farm. At the ages 38 and 37 respectively, they started their business to pursue their passion for food while incorporating produce of local farms. They sold premade taco kits for those who are always on the go or don’t know how to cook . Not only did they produce a sustainable and healthy food source, they worked to create a welcoming environment where people could gain understanding of the connections that can be formed around food. They are a perfect example of how we should be working to support local farms and incorporate better tasting and healthier food into our lives.

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Bryce is a local farmer who owns a business called HUGS. His interest in sustainable and eco-friendly food has continued throughout his entire life from he began growing his very first garden at only 10 years old and continues growing food now at 44 years old. Bryce’s love for farming has been passed down for generations through his family from his parents by their parents and so on. He began selling his food at the farmer’s market four years ago as an effort to reconnect America’s agricultural system with the planet and increase sustainability. He believed that America has become lost as corporations have taken over and the environmental cost and health has been neglected as cheaper, easier, and faster production of food has become dominant. America is no longer defined by the type of food that’s eaten or the culture incorporated into it, but rather the environmental harm that it causes.

Figure 3: Bryce showing off the diversity of food provided by his stand

These are real people who make their living from growing and selling their food. They face hardships when fighting against the large companies, but they continue to battle their way through the struggles in order to stick to their beliefs that natural, local food can change lives.

The Benefits of Knowing About the Environmental Impact

As mentioned before by Bryce, the environmental impact of the modern agricultural system is widely ignored. People are often ignorant to how much certain methods of food production are hurting the Earth. Taking a look at those genetically modified seeds in the documentary Seeds of Freedom, sold by the large corporate companies like DuPont and Syngenta, it can be seen that they actually strip the soil of the natural nutrients and chemicals that promote plant growth as a way to force farmers to buy their fertilizers and seeds the upcoming years. It’s the local farms that safely grow and harvest their food, creating renewable seeds and plants that maintain the health of the land. The crazy thing is that while there are regulations of food itself, there are no regulations on the environmental impact of the food to stop these companies from turning the land infertile.

It’s also important to take a look at the meat producing side of the food industry. Cowspiracy: The Sustainable Secret was a documentary created in 2014 that exposed the unknown harm of mass farming on the world. It showed us that 18% of all greenhouse admissions come from livestock, making it one of the largest greenhouse producers. Diversity of the natural ecosystem is rapidly declining due to the clearing of land to create pastures and meat processing plants. Yet, thousands of pounds of meat go to waste every years and it is far too overproduced at a corporate level. When we take a look at local ranchers, we can see that they produce only what they have the land to support without the destruction of the ecosystem all around them and they don’t over produce – only serving the people’s demand to avoid waste.

The Benefits of Knowing How This Applies to CSU

Unfortunately, CSU chooses to ignore all the benefits of shopping locally and supporting the sustainability that they preach so loudly. They turn their back on one of the largest influences of creating an eco-friendly and sustainable world. While it seems unrealistic to get all of their food from local sources, CSU relies entirely on mass imported food from large corporations with no concern with the process of how the food is attained or processed. CSU is one of the top schools for agriculture and environmental programs, yet their own beliefs seem to fall short of the true issues. If large universities switched to purchasing food from local businesses and those who practice environmentally safe farming methods, those producers would have a chance to grow and spread their influence farther. If we can’t trust the school to do what needs to be done, we must do it ourselves.

The Benefits of Knowing What This All Means

Buying local food doesn’t only serve to promote a healthier diet and support local businesses, but also to combat massive environmental damage, loss of ecosystem diversity, and destructions of businesses. When you go grocery shopping next, spend time searching for the locally grown products. The small action of buying one type of apple over another could mean the difference between if a famer can make it another day. Already young people are starting a movement, one that focuses on the health and well-being of people before the money gained. We are the future, we have the power to change the food world by our actions.

About the Author

I am a first year student currently studying biochemistry and economics with the hope of entering the medical field. I’ve lived in Colorado my entire life and recently moved to a tiny town known as Divide. I love photography, lacrosse, and rock climbing. I hope that people will support more local food businesses and help make a change in the world.

Citations:

“Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014).” Watch Documentaries, 1 Jan. 2020, watchdocumentaries.com/cowspiracy-the-sustainability-secret/.

Hesterman, Oran B., and Daniel Horan. “The Demand for ‘Local’ Food Is Growing – Here’s Why Investors Should Pay Attention.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 25 Apr. 2017, http://www.businessinsider.com/the-demand-for-local-food-is-growing-2017-4.

Hand, Michael. “What Is ‘Local’ Food?” USDA, 7 Dec. 2018, http://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2010/07/16/what-local-food.

“Seeds of Freedom.” Top Documentary Films, 20 June 2012, topdocumentaryfilms.com/seeds-of-freedom/.

Brink, E. (2020). You Are What You Eat Journal [Unpublished manuscript]. Colorado State University.

Staropoli, Nicholas. Genetic Literacy Project, 8 Feb. 2019, geneticliteracyproject.org/2019/02/08/reality-check-eating-locally-grown-food-isnt-always-the-most-sustainable-option/.

Eating Healthy as a College Student

By: Andrew Borchert

The classic “freshman fifteen” is especially prevalent this year more than any other year.  With Covid-19, gyms are either closed or limited, classes are mostly or all online, students like me, spend most of their time inside trying to socially distance.  With all the odds stacked against us, how are we supposed to avoid the “freshman fifteen”? 

As we all know, eating healthier foods plays a tremendous part in maintaining a happy, healthy body.  With most of us, living in the dorms it is very easy to find healthy food…just kidding.  The dining halls have a limited amount of choices and we do not have the option to choose what we want with our meals as it comes pre-packaged and pre-made for us.  Luckily for you, I have some tips that might be able to help you prevent the “freshman fifteen”.

1. Limiting Snacks and Unhealthy Options

One of the biggest reasons for an unhealthy lifestyle, is the amount and the type of snacking that we do.  Me personally, I love sitting down eating chips and candy but obviously this is very bad for you and will lead to weight gain.  Instead of the chips and candy for healthier options like vegetables, fruit, trail mix, nuts, and popcorn.  But even though you might be eating healthier options like those I listed in the last sentence, it is still important that we do not eat too much of these snacks.  According to Healthline.com, it is best to eat snacks that provide about 200 calories and at least 10 grams of protein.  In addition, depending on how active you are, eating one to three snacks a day is the optimal amount.  For more information on healthy snacking, click here.  The amount of times you eat a quick snack really depends how active you are, but one to three times a day for a small snack is plenty. 

2. Eat Breakfast

Breakfast is often called the most important meal of the day, so it is puzzling that most of us often skip breakfast.  Breakfast replenishes your supply of glucose to boost your energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health.  Eating breakfast improves your energy levels and ability to concentrate in the short term, and can help with better weight management, reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long term, according to an article written by the Better Health Channel.  Even if you wake up after the dining halls close, having something in your dorm room like a yogurt, fruit, smoothie, will all help you stay happy and healthy.

3. Limit caffeine

If you are anything like me and love drinking coffee and soda, it is hard to try and limit your caffeine intake.  But trust me, it will be worth it in the long term.  Instead of two or three cups of coffee in the morning stick to just one or swap out that soda for a water or lemonade.  Reducing caffeine intake can help reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, sleep better, and have better digestion.

4. Make a “Food Plan”

This is probably the most important tip especially since most of us eat mainly at the dining halls.  Have a set plan in your head or even write it down on a piece of paper if you must.  Plan out what exactly you are going to grab, plan out how much of each item you will get, and even look at the menu to see nutritional facts about the different items.  Grab a salad with your meal and a fruit and a vegetable and skip the cookies and brownies.  When you are about to be eating your main meal, like a burger, chicken tenders, spaghetti, or whatever you grab, try and eat the burger without the bun, skip the fries, or eat less of the meal and save the rest for the next day.  Having a plan beforehand, will help you limit your impulse decisions and grabbing more than you need.

5. Exercise!

Your diet is not the only variable in the equation in maintaining a happy and healthy body.  Exercising is a huge part in staying healthy as well.  Exercise helps control weight, combat diseases, improves mood, boosts energy, and promotes better sleep.  If you want to check out more benefits about exercising check out the Mayo Clinic website.  Whether this be going to the gym every other day, working out in your dorm room, walking, or biking to class, or going on a run, there is something for everyone.  Start off small if you do not exercise regularly, like going on a walk to class, doing a couple pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks in your room, or even setting aside a day or two of the week to go to the rec center for 30 minutes to an hour.  There are small steps everyone can take to become active and fit, and your body will love you for it.

             Following these quick tips that I provided will help you avoid the “freshman fifteen” and if you follow through with it and eat healthier and exercise regularly, you will be much happier and healthier overall!

About the Author

Andrew Borchert is a first-year honors student at Colorado State University studying computer science.  He was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado and loves being outside, playing guitar, and food of course!

Works Cited

Department of Health & Human Services. “Breakfast.” Better Health Channel, Department of Health & Human Services, 12 Mar. 2020, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/breakfast.

Mayo Clinic. “7 Great Reasons Why Exercise Matters.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 11 May 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389.

Spritzler, Franziska. Is Snacking Good or Bad for You?, 2020, www.healthline.com/nutrition/snacking-good-or-bad#tips.

Food is for Fuel, not Emotional Support

By: Katie Kilzer

When dealing with a recent breakup or a bad grade on an exam, most students do not tend to reach out for fresh vegetables for support. They go for the tub of ice cream with the most abundant amount of chocolate possible to eat their feelings away. One of the biggest influences in what we eat on the daily is how we are feeling emotionally. In moderation, this is perfectly fine and normal. But when this becomes a consistent habit it can have a very negative affect on both your mood throughout the day and your overall health. It can even turn into a type of eating disorder called binge eating disorder. Food should be viewed as what fuels your body and mind throughout the day, not reason to get through your day emotionally. 

What is Emotional Eating?

When students eat to relieve stress, anxiety, depression, boredom, and other emotions instead of physical hunger, it is considered emotional eating. When this happens, most students tend to reach for a fresh box of pizza, ice cream, chocolate, and other forms of unhealthy comfort foods. Emotional eating is often very common for people in high stress jobs and college students who are drowning in homework, papers, and exams. Not only is emotional eating very bad for your physical health but it is also not a solution for the emotions that lead to this type of eating. 

When students eat out of their emotions, it tends to not fix those emotions as well as make them feel worse after eating. It is equivalent to putting a band aid on a bullet wound. It is very short and temporary relief. This leads to a cycle of eating that is very hard to escape and can lead to larger problems like binge eating disorder and obesity. This cycle never addresses the problem at hand that is causing these feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. It also leads to a feeling of guilt due to all the excess calories eaten. 

Source: Help Guide

There are many differences when it comes to emotional hunger and physical hunger. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly while physical hunger is gradual. With physical hunger, you may experience low energy, light headedness, and a growling stomach. When physically hungry, any type of food, healthy and unhealthy, will also sound good. When you are emotionally hungry, you will most likely crave things like pizza and ice cream. Emotional hunger also feels as though it needs to be satisfied immediately while physical hunger feels as though you can wait to eat. And lastly, emotional hunger will not be satisfied when you are full compared to physical hunger which stops when your feel full. 

Why do we connect emotions with food?

For some students, stress leads to ignoring their appetite and refraining from eating for large periods of time. For others, though, stress can lead to eating foods high in sugar, fat, and salt. Students who eat out of stress are looking to distract themselves from those feelings with food. When we are stressed, our body sends out a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can put our bodies into a fight-or-flight response causing our bodies to crave these foods high in fat, sugar, and salt to fight the threat of stress. It was found that those who produce more cortisol are more likely to eat in response to the stressin their lives. This means that the more cortisol that is produced, the more likely someone is to eat out of response to their emotions. It was also found that stress is correlated with weight gain with those that are already overweight. Whether the student produces more cortisol than average or they are highly stressed due to being a college student, there are things that they can do and CSU can and should be doing to avoid an eating disorder.

How can students change these habits?

Source: Getty Images

Changing these emotional eating habits can be very difficult, especially if it is a habit formed as a child, but there are many solutions to overcome these feelings. If you are eating because you are depressed, you can call a friend or play with your pet. If you are bored, go for a walk or watch your favorite show or movie. If you are stressed, you can meditate. You can also ask yourself “can this wait?” Have yourself wait 5-10 minutes before you satisfy your emotions with food and if you are still thinking about the food, then you can eat in moderation. 

Setting a limit for how much you eat can also be very effective. This can be pouring chips into a bowl instead of bringing the entire bad. This may not completely satisfy your craving but it can help you to stop thinking about the craving constantly. Another way to avoid binge eating due to emotions is to satisfy the craving when it comes on. If you are craving a piece of chocolate early in the day and avoid that craving for the entire day, when you get home from work or class your craving may get the best of you and you eat an entire bag of chocolate. If you eat that one piece of chocolate when the craving begins, the craving will be over and you will not binge eat later that day. 

One of the most important factors when it comes to fixing the habit of emotional eating is to find the source of the emotion that is causing the emotional eating. If we are to find the source of the stress, anxiety, or depression that is causing this emotional eating, we may be able to solve those problems and eliminate the need to eat. Whether a simple 5 minutes of meditation per day is needed or a bigger step is needed like therapy, emotional eating can be solved by finding the cause of the emotions. College is stressful and many students struggle with anxiety and depression and Colorado State University has many resources for students struggling with their mental health. 

What can CSU do to combat stress eating?

When walking into the dining halls, students are overloaded with options of limitless food with a single meal swipe. When provided with the option of a green salad or a pasta bar and pizza, stressed college students tend to immediately go for the grease filled foods to satisfy the stress of being a college student. CSU provides many options for students who are dealing with mental health issues and eating disorders. There is a page on their website that provides an abundant amount of information about eating disorders and what you can do. They provide many resources including counseling service and nutrition consultations. As for the dining halls, though, there is a major issue when it comes to portion sizes for students. 

Pre-Covid, dining halls included a self-serve system where students were able to choose the amount of food that they ate. This leads to the common weight gain referred to as the “freshman 15”. This unhealthy way of eating can lead to bad habits such as emotional eating and binge eating disorder. CSU could combat this issue of overconsumption in the dining halls by providing prepackaged foods to limit the amount that students are consuming. If that amount of food is not enough, then the students could still go get more food to satisfy their hunger. There are many schools that are trying to combat the freshman 15. For example, Lebanon Valley College is providing an orientation to their dining halls that includes and explanation to all of their dining hall options. Their goal is to combat the freshman 15 before it begins to happen. Many students come to college never having made a meal before and do not know how to fuel their bodies. If CSU were to provide and informational orientation for the food they have in their dining hall, students would better learn how to fuel their bodies and not form bad eating habits that could last the rest of their lives. CSU provides many resources after you realize you have an eating disorder but are not doing enough to prevent them for their students. 

What Information About Food Should CSU Provide?

Source: CSU Housing and Dining Services

If CSU were to provide an orientation for students regarding food, eating disorders could be avoided for some students. Food should be something that we have a constant and healthy relationship with. A balanced diet without restrictions is a necessary component for living a healthy life physically and mentally. Food is our fuel and what gives us the energy to walk, talk, and as students it gives us the brain power to study. A balanced diet consists of carbohydrates to provide energy for movement and our brains, protein to build muscle and cells, and fat to provide energy and make hormones. All three ofthese major nutrients should be a part of our daily diets and none should be completely cut out as many diets advertise. 

Food is seen and used in many different ways. This includes pleasure, comfort, socializing, reward, boredom, business, and so many more. Our world practically revolves around food. When we want to get together with friends, we go out for lunch. When we are driving down the streets we have grocery stores and restaurants at every corner. Because of this, the temptation and pressure to eat becomes greater and greater. By changing our mindset as to why we eat, this pressure to eat can decrease significantly. Food is simply a way to gain energy, keep us alive, and keep us successful in our day to day activities. 

About the Author

I am a first year student from Omaha, Nebraska majoring in Health and Exercise Science. I am very passionate about fitness and health. I have goals of being a physical therapist or a nurse one day with the hope of working with patients with heart disease. I hope that future generations will live a healthier life style than the average American today so that eating disorders are not nearly as common. 

References

Colorado State University. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://health.colostate.edu/body-image-and-eating-disorders/

Food as Fuel: Changing the Way We Think about Nutrition. (2018, February 05). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.yourweightmatters.org/food-fuel-changing-way-think-nutrition/

How Stress Can Make You Eat More — Or Not At All. (2020, October 08). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-stress-can-make-you-eat-more-or-not-at-all/

Melinda, S., Robinson, L., Segal, J., & Segal, R. (2020, September). Emotional Eating. Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/emotional-eating.htm\

Walmer, D. (2016, September 02). How colleges are fighting the Freshman 15. Retrieved November 29, 2020, from https://www.ldnews.com/story/news/local/2016/09/02/how-colleges-fighting-freshman-15/89412726/

Why stress causes people to overeat. (2020, January). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeat