College Nutrition
College nutrition refers to the dietary habits and food choices of students attending colleges and universities, particularly in the United States. Many students experience a shift in their eating habits upon entering college, often leading to weight gain during their first year, commonly referred to as the "freshman 15." This phenomenon is influenced by a variety of factors, including the prevalence of unhealthy food options available in dining facilities and vending machines, as well as financial constraints that make healthier foods less accessible.
Research has shown that a significant number of students fail to meet recommended dietary guidelines, often consuming excessive amounts of high-fat foods while neglecting fruits and vegetables. These poor eating habits can stem from a lack of experience in meal planning and preparation, as well as the pressures of academic commitments, leading students to skip meals or choose quick, unhealthy options instead.
In response to these challenges, many colleges are implementing initiatives aimed at promoting healthier eating habits. These initiatives include offering more nutritious menu options, educational programs such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate on Campus, and food assistance programs to help students access healthy foods. Such efforts aim to instill lifelong healthy eating practices among students and address the potential long-term health risks associated with poor nutrition.
College Nutrition
In the twenty-first century, many students at colleges and universities in the United States admit to having developed poor eating habits. Many gain weight during their first months on campus. A variety of factors contribute to these problems, including the presence of unhealthy foods in college dining halls and the expense of purchasing healthier foods. Colleges have been addressing the nature of their campus dining offerings by reforming their menus to include more nutritious choices and educating their students in healthy eating through programs such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate on Campus.
Food Choices and Health
In the past, many U.S. college students' dining habits were influenced by the prevalence of unhealthy food choices in college cafeterias, dining halls, and vending machines. Many colleges and universities have begun offering more nutritious, lower-fat fare, including healthier versions of favorites such as pizza. However, not all students select food wisely. A 2002 study of 1,800 students at Tufts University showed that 60 percent of students consumed too much fat and that 59 percent knew that they had been eating poorly since beginning college.
The colloquial term freshman 15 is commonly used to suggest the average number of pounds that many college students gain during their first year. Though this figure has proven to be inflated, many students on average gain between five and seven pounds during their freshman year. Much of this weight gain is caused by students simply choosing popular but unhealthy foods such as pizza, ice cream, and various fried items. Researchers have also found that excessive alcohol consumption contributes to college weight gain.
Some dietitians have found that many freshmen make poor food choices because they are away from home for the first time and have not experienced this independence before. Many continue these eating habits all through college and even beyond.
Many students fail to include fruits and vegetables in their diets. In a 2011 survey of nearly six hundred students at Oregon State University, a research team discovered that few students were consuming the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. While a balanced diet should include four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, these students were eating four to six servings a week. The survey also found that in many cases, students' nutrition-poor diets were a result of skipping meals because of various school commitments. In place of healthier foods, harried students often ate high-fat foods.
Financial Considerations
Researchers credit a lack of resources and the high cost of tuition for some students' nutrient-poor diets. Just as college students often skip meals to suit their schedules, so they also may choose unhealthy foods to fit their budgets. In a situation described as food insecurity, some students, even those with part-time jobs, cannot afford fresh produce and lean meat. They therefore rely on unhealthy foods, which often are filling and less expensive. As a result they take in fewer essential nutrients.
Results such as these were discovered in university studies performed in New York, Oregon, and Hawaii. Some school-sponsored and governmental organizations have been working to incorporate an assortment of healthy food options onto college dining halls.
Emerging Solutions
The prospect of college obesity worries nutritionists, who believe that the eating habits students develop in college will follow them for the rest of their lives. Over long periods, excessive weight can increase a person's risk of suffering a heart attack or developing type-2 diabetes. For college students, poor physical health may lead to mental health problems such as depression and stress, which in turn makes learning in the classroom difficult.
To combat all of these problems at their source, many American colleges have begun healthy-eating initiatives to educate students about nutritious diets while also providing them with healthy food choices at affordable prices. This is the case for the approximately forty members of the College and University Food Bank Alliance in the United States. In 2013, for example, Virginia Commonwealth University established the food pantry Rampantry, which offers students such healthy staple food items as rice, beans, nuts, and canned fruits and vegetables. Rampantry also offers fresh produce from a local farm.
In 2012 the University of Massachusetts tested a new salad bar in its dining hall, while the same year, Boston College began training students in healthy eating so they could then educate their peers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate on Campus initiative has also helped to teach college students about proper nutrition. It offers toolkits to help students make healthy choices. Some universities have provided students with plastic plates using the MyPlate key that help students choose proper portions of fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins.
All of these efforts continue the goal of instructing college students in healthy eating and incorporating nutritious foods onto college menus.
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