Living A Healthy Lifestyle On A College Campus

By Jeana Esernio Living a healthy lifestyle as a college student can be more than challenging for students today. Between classes, exams, and studying, more and more students grab whatever they can to eat rather than finding a healthy option.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 2007-2010, 23 percent of young adults ages 18-24 were obese. That is the prime age range of students away from home for the first time and who are in college.

“As an athlete, I’m always on the go. I try to eat the healthiest options I can, but I find it really hard to do so in the cafeteria sometimes. Most of the time the salad bar is the only healthy option,” Jordan Gray, student athlete, 20, said.

“It’s especially hard because sometimes my schedule doesn’t work with the dining hall schedule and then it’s even more difficult to find healthy options,” Gray said.

The Tufts Longitudinal Health Study of 1,800 students, 59 percent of college students say they know their diet has gone downhill since they went to college.

At Stonehill College, the dining hall closes at 7:30 p.m. If you miss dinner or have athletic or class obligations, most students eat in “The Hill” where “bar food” such as burgers, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, and fried macaroni and cheese is served.

“I’m always on the go whether it be with practice or classes. I try to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat during the day, but I think the caf should offer more things like protein bars or granola bars. When I try to get something on the go, the only things available are chips and cereal,” Junior Stephanie Fitzgerald said.

Finding a healthy option might not be hard for some students, but it can be more cost on their meal plan.

“Healthier things are usually pretty expensive on my meal plan. I usually like to get fruit in the morning but it’s way too expensive, and the fresh fruit they use to offer isn’t really around anymore,” Student Kristin Sanborn, 20, said.

At Stonehill College, the meal plan service works by paying for what you want. Students are allotted a certain amount of money on their meal plan and then can use that money to buy what they want in the cafeteria. Things like fresh fruit and salads can end up costing more, and can lead students to run out of meal plan money faster.

According to a Sodexo dietician, one of the most simple things to do to try to stay healthy is drinking a lot of water. Soda’s and energy drinks have empty calories and students should try to swap those out and drink water with meals instead, and it will save you money on your meal plan.

Most college campuses also provide resources for students. Students can also look up the online program, Choosemyplate.gov, for help.

Choose My Plate helps people with finding healthy options and directs people into the right about of servings and what they should be consuming everyday.

Choose My Plate offers a college section to help inform college students of healthy options and build the perfect, healthy meal.

People don’t find eating healthy the only hard thing to do campus. Getting to the gym to keep in shape can also be difficult at times.

“I have to go to the gym at 6:30 in morning most days, because I work pretty late. I also go in the morning because the gym here is very small and can get busy and can also be intimidating. Waking up early to try to fit it in is not fun,” Sanborn said.

Experts suggest most people get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise in on most days. Researchers at Tufts University found that students who said they exercised at least three days a week were more likely to report a better state of physical health and greater happiness than those who didn't exercise.

“I have to carve out time to go to the gym, especially since i’m not on a sports team,” Junior Carly Craffey said.

“It is my stress release,” Craffey said.