Nutrition Among College Students

Being in college life is hard one is required to juggle between part time job and school and getting to look at what one eat may be difficult. Diet is an important part of our life. We are often taught that we are what we eat. The American Heart Association recommends that a proper diet should consist mostly of unprocessed plant foods, with emphasis a wide range of whole grains, legumes, non-starchy vegetables and fruits. A healthy diet is considered to be low in energy density which may protect weight gain and associated diseases. Good nutrition however is not all about weight loss. In adequate nutrition has been known to affect a student’s performance because nutrition is of great essence in development of the brain (Powell, 2019). Getting to eat a nutritious diet is not as easy as it requires time to prepare which most college students point out they do not have. There other several factors that contribute to unhealthy nutrition among college students including stress, alcohol and lack of exercise

According to a research by Auburn University 95% of college students do not eat recommended amount of fruits and vegetables (Gropper, 2012). Eating being a tedious process, most college students cannot cook sand prefer eating take outs yet they do not participate in physical activities. Eating disorders especially obesity is common among college students and this is attributed to changes in eating habits, lifestyle changes and stress. In the United States, statistics indicate that, obesity among students have risen drastically. The most recent figures from the National Centre for Health Statistics indicate that a third of U.S. adults 20years and above are suffering from obesity. The numbers are quite high because a third of the population is roughly 100million individuals. The increase cuts across the entire population, meaning obesity cases in young adults and children is on the rise as well (Fruh, 2014).

References

Fruh, S. M. (2014). Obesity: Risk factors, complications and strategies for sustainable long term weight management. Journal of American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 344-349.

Gropper, S. S., Simmons, K. P., Connell, L. J., & Ulrich, P. V. (2012). Changes in body weight, composition, and shape: a 4-year study of college students. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 37(6), 1118-1123.

Powell, P. K., Durham, J., & Lawler, S. (2019). Food choices of young adults in the United States of America: A scoping review. Advances in Nutrition, 10(3), 479-488.