Ramen Noodles are the cuisine of choice for many college students. With convenience important, college students have a difficult time maintaining healthy diets.
Freelance writer Diane Marquette has written many articles dealing with college students and residence hall life. She says her focus is making the residence hall room seem like home and out of that came an article on "dorm-room recipes."
"I had thought about what foods young people like to eat and how to keep recipes containing these foods as simple as possible," Marquette says.
With the rise of obesity in America, she says it's important to address the "freshmen 15." The combination of a new lifestyle, lack of home-cooked meals and a busy schedule makes it easy for the extra pounds to accumulate.
"Everyone needs to develop a healthy lifestyle of eating, but often the foods that are most convenient and inexpensive are not the healthiest choices," Marquette says. "Students need to consume foods that will sustain their energy level while satisfying their hunger and cravings between meals."
The limited cookware students have access to can be a hindrance. Her article published in The Baltimore Sun online edition, had recipes ranging from vegetable stew in the crock-pot to pasta in the microwave.
"I think that a little creativity can go a long way," Marquette says. "There are so many canned and bottled foods in the way of soups and sauces that as long as there is a way to heat them, they can serve as the basis for a meal."
In a study by Cornell University, college freshmen gain 0.3 pounds per week, more than 20 times the weight-gain of an average adult. Marquette says if students keep in mind the guidelines for good nutrition, it will be easier for healthy eating to become a habit.
For vegetarians, the challenge is magnified because dining facilities often fail to provide students with healthy vegetarian and vegan options, says Pulin Modi, college campaign coordinator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA2, a Web site targeted toward the younger PETA members and supporters, published residence hall recipes provided by the students and its staff. Vegetarian meals are easier to prepare than ordinary meals, Modi says.
"It is far easier to cook vegetarian meals in a dorm than cooking meats which require more preparation and literally leave a bloody mess everywhere," he says.
Senior Casey Cashdollar says healthy eating is all about the decision a person makes. As a health-conscious student, finding healthy choices on campus wasn't easy initially.
"If there is Taco Bell and an apple, Taco Bell just looks more appealing," Cashdollar says.
For sophomore Michelle Gomes, the price of unhealthy food is much different than the price of healthy choices.
"Trabant has a part with salad and fruit, but it is only one little part compared to Quizno's, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bell," Gomes says. "I'm not going to pay $2.25 for a cup of grapes if I can pay a dollar for a taco."
Senior Tiffany Melendez says the lack of healthy choices leads to weight gain, especially the "freshmen 15."
"I lived in Dickinson my freshman year and you had the dining hall that you got a little sick of after a while, then there was always pizza," Melendez says.
Melendez and Cashdollar both say the transition from freshmen housing to housing such as the Christiana Towers makes having a healthy lifestyle easier. Students now have the option to shop for themselves. Unhealthy choices are then made consciously because a student now has options.
Junior Jessica Nance now lives off campus, but remembers her days trying to cook in a Christiana Towers apartment.
"The kitchen is way too small and there is no counter space to put your pots and stuff if you use that little counter for your dish rack," Nance says. "It makes you want to cook less."
Students say that there is a way out.
Cashdollar says with time you can find the places to eat healthy on campus. One of her favorite places is Perkins Student Center for a salad.
Nance has found other ways to get around the frequent dining out and works within the residence hall room size kitchen and suggests that many try it.
"Zatarain's has these little rice packs that you put in the microwave for literally a minute, pull it out and eat it," Nance says. "It's good. It's real good."
Follow us on Twitter
Subscribe to our feed
Contact us through email
Be the first to comment on this article!