College students are faced with many different challenges in their freshman and sophomore year, not the least of which is how to make wise lifestyle choices. Much research has gone into the “freshman 15”, or the common five to seven pounds of weight that most college freshmen add to their waistline. Some theorize that the extra weight comes from the added stress of being away from home and taking on more responsibility while juggling classwork and social friends. Others believe that it is the lack of exercise or emotional eating which leads to the increase in weight. In reality, it doesn’t matter which it is because now we need a solution.
The theories that researchers and educators have about why college freshmen may pack on the pounds in their first year at school all surrounds the added stress that they encounter on campus. Many colleges are adding programs to help college freshmen deal with that stress as well as decrease the amount of fast food available and opened their workout facilities even later in the evening. But it is also important to help college students make wise food choices both in the cafeteria and for snacks while they are cramming for tests at night.
Most adults want to have a healthy lifestyle while most teenagers believe they will live forever. College students are caught somewhere in the middle and often neglect thinking about lifestyle choices, or even what they mean, until after they have graduated from college. But it is in their college years that people begin to create habits which last a lifetime.
The best way for people to maintain their weight, lose weight or create a body which works optimally is to make healthy food choices. Going through the cafeteria line at school, students can begin by choosing foods that are lower in sugar, fat and are not highly processed. By cutting out high fat foods and foods that are high in sugar, you leave enough room in the diet to increase the number of fruits and vegetables that are eaten every day.
College students continue to lay down new bone and increase bone density until they are 22. This has a significant impact on the age at which they may develop osteoporosis in their later years. For this reason, it is important to include dairy products and calcium in the diet. If you enjoy milk then make it low fat and include cheeses. Don’t mislead yourself into believing that ice cream will do the trick.
Diets that are higher in fiber and lower in fat will decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity. While college students may not be faced with some of these chronic diseases, diabetes is certainly one which can develop in these early years. College students who enter the university with health concerns will benefit greatly from making a strong diet and lifestyle choices to help control symptoms.
But, in all things, moderation is the key. While it might be great to be absolutely perfect in your diet choices it certainly won’t to be reasonable. It’s good to understand what kinds of foods are healthy and which ones are not but it won’t do any good if you feel completely deprived and binge eat weekly. Instead remember that moderation in all things will help you to achieve your overall goal without feeling as if you are the only one on campus willing to make compromises and sacrifices.
College students must work slightly harder while on the university campus to make wise decisions than they did at home. Because they are overworked, have little sleep and have few options for foods which can be kept in their dormitory rooms, they often turn to vending machines and fast food restaurants to fill their empty stomachs. Unfortunately, this is a fat trap full of problems and health concerns which will plague them for the rest of their lives.
Leave a Reply