Eating Healthy is a Challenge for College Freshmen
Eating Healthy is a Challenge for College Freshmen
By Lily Whitten
Stonehill College News Blog Journalist
EASTON—Eating ramen and other unhealthy snacks late at night has become a new habit for Stonehill College freshman Emily LaGrega.
“After I come back after going out it is just easier to order a pizza or cook up some ramen,” she said. “Sure, it’s unhealthier but it is more convenient.”
LaGrega is not alone. LeGrega shares this tendency with many other college freshmen. Almost all college students can relate to late night snacking. Many students experience a shift in eating habits upon entering college. This shift can be positive for some but is most often negative.
Transitioning from home to college life can be difficult enough on its own. This difficult transition causes many students in their first-year to turn to unhealthy eating habits. This includes eating late at night and unhealthy foods.
These habits are caused by mainly three factors according to the study called “Freshmen Women and the ‘Freshman 15’: Perspectives on Prevalence and Causes of College Weight Gain,” which was published in the Journal of American College Health in January 2012.
The study administrators surveyed and interviewed 235 freshman women on their college eating habits while living on college campuses. From their results, they were able to determine that there are mainly three factors that are actively contributing to unhealthy eating habits among students in their first year college. The three factors are food independence, the college lifestyle, and social comparison.
The first factor is food independence. Food independence as defined by the study is having a personal choice and responsibility for one's food choices and preparation, even including unhealthy food options.
Being in charge of planning and choosing meals has made this transition from home life to college life more even more difficult for some students, specifically those who have never been in charge of choosing their own meals.
The study found that most first year students, when given first-time meal independence, repeatedly reach for the most convenient and cheapest option available, no matter how unhealthy it is. Vending machines, fast food restaurants, and buffet-like eating dining halls make it easier and more tempting to students to give into developing bad eating habits.
The study mentioned earlier also found that convenience is not the only reason students tend to choose unhealthy foods. The higher cost of fruits and vegetables is a major barrier to healthy eating. Cup noodles, microwave mac and cheese, and a bag of popcorn are all much cheaper options than a fruit salad. Price, convenience, and availability all greatly influence a student’s food choices.
Another roadblock against healthy eating during the first year is the college lifestyle in general. The lifestyle includes nights of staying up late studying, partying, and going out to lots of social events. These have also been found to influence the bad eating habits students develop.
Parties and other social events provide the perfect opportunity to consume junk food because the snacks are usually free and readily available. Going out to local restaurants to eat or ordering late
night pizza delivery is also very common because the school’s dining hall hours are limited but fast food restaurant hours are not.
During this past academic year, freshman Lagrega’s eating habits have dramatically changed since living away from home.
LaGrega, so far in the year, has not been pleased with the limited food options that the school has to offer. It has been much more difficult for her to plan meals that she likes and to locate certain foods that she usually eats.
“It’s harder to plan your own meals because if you do not like the planned food then you do not have any other options,” she said. “There are more unhealthy options than healthy options offered.”
She said that when first she came to the college, she suddenly found that she was in charge of choosing her own food and that she is not eating the variety of foods that she previously did at home.
“At home, my mom cooks dinner every night,” she said. “Here I always feel like I’m eating the same thing. Back home I am eating something different every night.”
Another Stonehill College freshman, Emma Higgins, also said that she finds it challenging to make healthy food choices especially since she is no longer in charge of preparing her own meals like she had become accustomed to.
Higgins said, “I used to cook all the time for myself, which I miss.”
She also said, “It’s just harder to find vegetables here.”
Some schools do not even offer fresh fruits and vegetables in their dining halls.
Kim Pierce, the Stonehill dietitian confirms the study’s findings.
“I see many students who struggle with food choices during the transition to college,” she said. “The main reason I see for this struggle is this is the first time many students have been responsible for what foods they eat.”
The final factor that was identified by the study to lead to unhealthy eating habits is social comparison. The study cites social comparison as involving the comparison of one’s appearance, abilities, and opinions with others in an effort to define how society thinks they should think or feel about a certain topic.
This comparison can occur between peers, role models, or anyone with similar features or characteristics, but it is most often that people compare themselves to members within their own social circle.
These social comparisons or judgments, which often occur daily, are commonly based on looks and cause women to compare themselves. This comparison can be damaging because it can end up allowing young women to amplify their own flaws and fuel their own discomfort with their body.
The study found that the female students who confessed to comparing themselves to others attempted to skip meals, count calories, and or workout vigorously. This comparison between young women fuels their weight concern and unhealthy habits. This also adds to the difficulty of making smart food choices in college.
By Lily Whitten
Stonehill College News Blog Journalist
EASTON—Eating ramen and other unhealthy snacks late at night has become a new habit for Stonehill College freshman Emily LaGrega.
“After I come back after going out it is just easier to order a pizza or cook up some ramen,” she said. “Sure, it’s unhealthier but it is more convenient.”
LaGrega is not alone. LeGrega shares this tendency with many other college freshmen. Almost all college students can relate to late night snacking. Many students experience a shift in eating habits upon entering college. This shift can be positive for some but is most often negative.
Transitioning from home to college life can be difficult enough on its own. This difficult transition causes many students in their first-year to turn to unhealthy eating habits. This includes eating late at night and unhealthy foods.
These habits are caused by mainly three factors according to the study called “Freshmen Women and the ‘Freshman 15’: Perspectives on Prevalence and Causes of College Weight Gain,” which was published in the Journal of American College Health in January 2012.
The study administrators surveyed and interviewed 235 freshman women on their college eating habits while living on college campuses. From their results, they were able to determine that there are mainly three factors that are actively contributing to unhealthy eating habits among students in their first year college. The three factors are food independence, the college lifestyle, and social comparison.
The first factor is food independence. Food independence as defined by the study is having a personal choice and responsibility for one's food choices and preparation, even including unhealthy food options.
Being in charge of planning and choosing meals has made this transition from home life to college life more even more difficult for some students, specifically those who have never been in charge of choosing their own meals.
The study found that most first year students, when given first-time meal independence, repeatedly reach for the most convenient and cheapest option available, no matter how unhealthy it is. Vending machines, fast food restaurants, and buffet-like eating dining halls make it easier and more tempting to students to give into developing bad eating habits.
The study mentioned earlier also found that convenience is not the only reason students tend to choose unhealthy foods. The higher cost of fruits and vegetables is a major barrier to healthy eating. Cup noodles, microwave mac and cheese, and a bag of popcorn are all much cheaper options than a fruit salad. Price, convenience, and availability all greatly influence a student’s food choices.
Another roadblock against healthy eating during the first year is the college lifestyle in general. The lifestyle includes nights of staying up late studying, partying, and going out to lots of social events. These have also been found to influence the bad eating habits students develop.
Parties and other social events provide the perfect opportunity to consume junk food because the snacks are usually free and readily available. Going out to local restaurants to eat or ordering late
night pizza delivery is also very common because the school’s dining hall hours are limited but fast food restaurant hours are not.
During this past academic year, freshman Lagrega’s eating habits have dramatically changed since living away from home.
LaGrega, so far in the year, has not been pleased with the limited food options that the school has to offer. It has been much more difficult for her to plan meals that she likes and to locate certain foods that she usually eats.
“It’s harder to plan your own meals because if you do not like the planned food then you do not have any other options,” she said. “There are more unhealthy options than healthy options offered.”
She said that when first she came to the college, she suddenly found that she was in charge of choosing her own food and that she is not eating the variety of foods that she previously did at home.
“At home, my mom cooks dinner every night,” she said. “Here I always feel like I’m eating the same thing. Back home I am eating something different every night.”
Another Stonehill College freshman, Emma Higgins, also said that she finds it challenging to make healthy food choices especially since she is no longer in charge of preparing her own meals like she had become accustomed to.
Higgins said, “I used to cook all the time for myself, which I miss.”
She also said, “It’s just harder to find vegetables here.”
Some schools do not even offer fresh fruits and vegetables in their dining halls.
Kim Pierce, the Stonehill dietitian confirms the study’s findings.
“I see many students who struggle with food choices during the transition to college,” she said. “The main reason I see for this struggle is this is the first time many students have been responsible for what foods they eat.”
The final factor that was identified by the study to lead to unhealthy eating habits is social comparison. The study cites social comparison as involving the comparison of one’s appearance, abilities, and opinions with others in an effort to define how society thinks they should think or feel about a certain topic.
This comparison can occur between peers, role models, or anyone with similar features or characteristics, but it is most often that people compare themselves to members within their own social circle.
These social comparisons or judgments, which often occur daily, are commonly based on looks and cause women to compare themselves. This comparison can be damaging because it can end up allowing young women to amplify their own flaws and fuel their own discomfort with their body.
The study found that the female students who confessed to comparing themselves to others attempted to skip meals, count calories, and or workout vigorously. This comparison between young women fuels their weight concern and unhealthy habits. This also adds to the difficulty of making smart food choices in college.
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