Endicott Student Releases Blog About Nutrition on Campus

Beverly, MA—McKenna Darr, a student at Endicott College, released a blog recently about nutritional patterns of college students. The blog features a variety of content anywhere from “What’s in a College Student’sRefrigerator”, to tips on how college students can save money at the grocery store. Expert views from a local nutritionist can be found on the blog, as well as views from students on the Endicott campus.

The inspiration for this blog came from McKenna noticing changes in college students’ diets, and her curiosity as to why things change when students moves out of their parents’ house and move to college. There are articles in her blog that discuss nutrition and children, and how they are influenced at a young age, essentially determining their diet as they develop into teenagers.

The blog contains articles that can help college students with “how-to” make a meal in a student’s room with just supplies one would find in a dorm room. McKenna even follows a student around for the day to study her diet, and compares the foods that she eats with a recommended diet. She shares information that college students might not be aware of as they head off to college.

McKenna is interested in expanding her blog and looks to continue writing about nutrition at Endicott. As long as students are willing to talk to her about their experiences and ways of life at school, she will listen, with her camera in hand to document the stories.

From listening to a few vegetarians on a campus full of meat eaters, to giving some simple tips for shopping, McKenna includes it all on her blog “What’s in a College Student’s Refrigerator?” 

"Chicken Nuggets are Made from Chickens?"

“Eliminating meat from my diet has actually made me become a faster runner.” Grace is a freshman at Endicott and runs cross country for the school. She has been a vegetarian for two years, and she explains how it wasn’t as hard of an adjustment as many people might think. “I mean, I think it’s different for everyone, but I enjoy eating salad and soup everyday.” There aren’t many options in the dining hall for vegetarians, but Grace likes the salad bar and doesn’t get tired of the food that she eats everyday. In her refrigerator, Grace always keeps fruit such as bananas and apples, and yogurt. Chickpeas are a good source of protein, which Grace is sure to include in her salad every day. Dried fruit is an essential in her dorm room, and she is always sure to have protein bars. “Protein is important in a diet, but you don’t need a lot, so to make up for the meat and fish that I don’t eat, I make sure I get other sources such as protein bars or fruit.” You can tell the difference between Grace’s side of the dorm refrigerator compared to her roommate’s. Becoming a vegetarian didn’t change Grace’s lifestyle very much, but she has noticed her diet is overall healthier, she doesn’t have those unhealthy snacks that other college student have, such as cookies or Pop Tarts. “I’m an athlete so I have to be healthy, but that’s not the only reason why I eat healthy, I enjoy eating this food, it makes me feel better, and I found it helps my performance.”

Grace

“I was in McDonalds with my mom ordering chicken nuggets when I was about seven years old, and I asked why they were called chicken nuggets. When my mom told me they were made from chickens, I freaked out.” Three years later, Ash made it official, she was a vegetarian. Since then, she hasn’t eaten any sources of meat, fish, or gelatin. There is a section in the dining hall at Endicott that is “especially for you”; this is where Ash likes to go for lunch and dinner. She makes her own meals by adding vegetarian chili and cheese, and putting it on bread, and calling it her meal for the day. Similarly to Grace, Ash enjoys eating this kind of food, she doesn’t find it too difficult, but admits the dining hall should have more a variety for vegetarians. When I asked her about shopping for her refrigerator in her dorm, her roommate chimed in about how she always eats raisins. She laughs and says, “raisins are good, I also have an obsession with apples, I will always have apples in my refrigerator.” Ash eats whole grains pasta often to make up for the protein she doesn’t receive from meat, and when she is running to class, she will take a protein bar with her, just like Grace.

Ash

Rachelle is a freshman at Endicott as well, and she does not eat meat, but she does eat fish. She does not check to see if there is gelatin in certain foods like Ash does. “I stopped eating meat when I was thirteen. I don’t know, I am just a strong supporter of treating animals well, and I’m just doing my part by eliminating meat out of my diet.” Rachelle thinks that it can be hard to find a meal that she likes in the dining hall, and her refrigerator always has fruit. She says that when she is home from college, its actually harder, because when she goes to her friend’s house and they have burgers for dinner, she has to refuse, because she doesn’t eat meat. “I hate being rude, but I’m not going to eat a burger just to avoid awkwardness. When I look at a burger, all I see is a cow.”  

Rachelle

All three girls share similar diets that are not like most college students’. It seems to be a pattern that since they don’t eat meat, it is important to get protein through other sources such as pasta, rice, or protein bars for snacks. Being a vegetarian for these three proved to be caused by the desire to live a healthier lifestyle, as well as their concern for animals. It takes a lot of determination to stick to a vegetarian diet that most people cannot even begin to imagine themselves on. Grace, Ash, and Rachelle are three college students at Endicott College who demonstrate healthy diets, and overcome certain obstacles to stay true to what they believe in, even on a college campus surrounded by temptations. 

A College Diet

     It is one thing to recommend what college students should eat, but it is another thing to actually see their diet. Does the dining hall provide a good variety for a student’s diet? Do college students pay attention to what they eat on a daily basis, or is nutrition at the back of their mind as they concentrate on schoolwork? These are questions that people often don’t know the answers to. My roommate’s name is Maria, a freshman at Endicott College, who allowed me to follow her for the day and record her eating habits. By taking pictures of the foods she consumed throughout the day, I can review her diet to what is recommended for a college student to eat.

            Although she snacks and eats a cookie or two throughout the day, Maria proves to have a healthy diet. She is aware of the necessary food groups on the food pyramid, and chooses food that would be beneficial to her. Not everything she eats during the day is recommended, however, for a student living on campus, some of the eating habits seem to be comparable to other students’ diets. Throughout the day she eats foods that are from her dorm room as well as foods from the dining hall.

            Maria’s day started out with Minute Maid cranberry apple raspberry juice from our very own dorm refrigerator. The juice contains sugars, but also nutrients to get the body going in the morning, just what she needed through math class. When she gets back from class at almost eleven in the morning, she picks up a box of apple cinnamon Cheerios from under her bed, and eats a couple of handfuls as she gets ready to walk out the door again. Maria looks down as she opens a Kellogg’s Nutri Grain apple cinnamon bar and laughs, “wow, I never realized how many apple flavored foods we keep in here!” Already there is a pattern of apple-flavored products, but it does not mean Maria is getting the necessary nutrients that an apple would provide for her.

            According to “My Plate,” released in 2011, college students are recommended to consume one and half cups of fruit every day. An apple would be the healthiest form of an apple product. The flavor in the cereal is artificial; therefore, actual apple nutrients do not exist in the Cheerios. Some apple juice brands produce their juices with nutrients from apples, and others have artificial flavoring. Still, Maria received some of her daily fruit recommendation from drinking apple juice. The reason a raw apple would be more beneficial is because the skin, like most other fruit skins, contains flavonoids that help keep human skin strong and protected against ultraviolet light. Also, there are whole grains in the cereal that Maria consumed. Whole wheat and whole grains are sometimes difficult for college student to consume because of the limited choices they face in the dining hall, but they can usually be found in cereal products, such as Cheerios.

Sitting down for breakfast before class is something that rarely happens. Skipping breakfast is common for college students because they tend to wake up and head to class, not having time to go to the dining hall, so they grab something quick from their dorm room. We are always being told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but why? Breakfast should be the first thing students do in the morning; it gives us energy for the day ahead, like a natural boost. According to WebMD, for students who are concerned about their weight, it is proven that people who don’t eat breakfast actually have a harder time losing weight. This is because after skipping breakfast, people are more likely to eat more at their next meal, or worse, snack on unhealthy foods until then. Personally, I cannot remember the last time I sat down and ate breakfast before class. I can say with confidence that I have never made a trip to the dining hall before my eight a.m. class. College students tend to reach for the easy foods to eat on the go, such as Pop Tarts, that they can eat on their walk to class or during class. Maria’s eating patterns in the morning proves to be typical compared to other students’ on campus, however, her morning diet is not recommended because of the artificial flavors and skipped breakfast.

For lunch, Maria went to the dining hall. After circulating and taking a look at all of her options, she chooses the grilled cheese sandwich, French fries on the side, and a glass of skim milk. Of course, the meal wouldn’t be complete without a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. This is not a bad option because there are whole grains in the bread, as well as dairy, which is a necessary food group. As we sit down, Maria laughs and tells me, “I’m also going to get a salad because I feel like I’m being super unhealthy.” Maria has been watching what she eats for the past few weeks because she believes that she has fallen into the myth about the freshman fifteen. She wants to get back on track and eat healthy. “Ever since I was a freshman in high school, I’ve been on this yo-yo diet, where I lose weight, and then a few months later, I gain it back. I have noticed a change since I started living on campus, I have gained weight, and it’s now my goal to work it off.” Maria tells me that she is a picky eater, and the food that the dining hall provides is not as bad as other campuses she has seen, however, there are not many options that suit her tastes.

During the time frame between lunch and dinner, Maria snacks on a banana and peanut butter, and later she eats a Pop Tart. Both of these snacks she keeps in her dorm room for when she and her roommates are hungry during the day and aren’t able to go to the dining hall. By eating the banana and peanut butter, Maria was provided with a good source of protein from the peanut butter, as well as a good source of fruit from the banana. Snacks throughout the day aren’t a terrible thing. Snacks such as cookies or Pop Tarts contain empty calories, and our diets allow us to have 260 of these discretionary calories. As a college student, it is almost impossible to stay under the recommended limit. Even on a diet, Maria goes over her daily allowance. She says, “ it’s an adjustment going from living under my parents’ roof and being exposed to food that my mom brings home from the grocery store, to being exposed to vending machines and endless supplies of cookies at the dining hall, or smoothies in the café as I walk to class.” Maria is not the only one who faces these temptations. It seems to be a pattern amongst students living on Endicott’s campus. My other roommate, Kayla, says, “it’s just convenient to grab snacks as I leave the dorm, sometimes they aren’t always healthy or nutritious. The dining hall isn’t open at the most convenient times, so I can’t sit down and eat an actual meal three times a day, every day. I’ll be lucky if I can sit down and eat a meal once a day.”

Maria experiences similar difficulties sitting down to eat for meals due to her schedule. When she goes back to the dining hall for dinner, Maria choses the main event, which includes two slices of pork, rice, green beans, and cooked carrots. This meal is definitely a healthy meal because she is consuming many sections of the food pyramid. Throughout the day, Maria was missing an essential part of her diet, which were vegetables. Although she received a good portion of fruit, fruits and vegetables are two different food groups. “My Plate” recommends us to consume one and a half cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables per day. Maria does a good job of making sure she gets her necessary amount of vegetables at dinner. In addition, nutrition is not just about what we eat, but what we drink is also very important. Maria drinks water throughout the day, and at dinner she drinks a glass of skim milk. Dairy has its own food group, and it important to pay attention to the recommended value of three cups per day.

Although Maria might not have reached all of the recommended values for every food group, she does a good job of balancing her diet. As I recorded her eating patterns, it became evident that what college students have in their dorm room matters. It is common for students to grab a handful of cereal before heading off to their next class, or eat snacks throughout the day. The dining hall cannot always provide the necessary food groups that our bodies needs to be healthy, so it becomes the student’s responsibility to shop and make choices to give their bodies nutrients to stay energized during the day, and stay awake during class. Maria’s diet includes foods from each part of the food pyramid, which is a positive attribute to a her healthy diet as a college student.