Limit intake of junk ‘food
By Co-News Editor Jessica Sanders
She is a senior news-editorial journalism major from San Antonio.

Hello. My name is Jessica. And I have an eating problem. Yesterday, I ate a breakfast bar, half of a donut, leftover Chinese food, a bowling-alley chilidog and potato chips. I didn’t eat a huge amount of food, but what I did eat didn’t do my body much good. The scariest thing is that my diet is pretty typical for a college student.

College is a great time to be free and make your own decisions, which is probably why so many of us survive on Ramen noodles and Twinkies. When there is no one to tell you to eat your veggies, it becomes convenient to forget all those healthy eating habits your parents worked so hard to instill in you. Suddenly ice cream becomes a suitable breakfast food and pizza at midnight serves as dinner. And we wonder where the “freshman 15” comes from.

According to a Cornell University study, unhealthy snacking, eating out and the consumption of junk food all contribute to weight gain among college students.

Even those of us who somehow avoid weight gain are still at risk for other health problems. It probably seems obvious that poor nutrition leads to poor health, but according to the Mayo Clinic Web site, conditions as serious as diabetes, cancer and obesity can result from eating junk long-term.

It’s true that junk food is irresistibly convenient. Many times, healthy food is just as accessible but not as visible. Candy and chips on display in Frogbytes, wrapped in flashy packages practically call your name and can make it easy to overlook the fruit by the cash register. Cheesecake spins alluringly in the dessert display at the Main, making the frozen yogurt in the next room a distant memory.

Turns out that sometimes the food Americans eat is not particularly unhealthy, but the portion sizes are so large that we take in much more food than we need. A serving of meat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is about the size of a deck of cards. I don’t know about you, but most hamburgers I’ve seen are a little larger than the USDA’s idea of a serving.

Don’t worry. You don’t have to give up that big juicy burger and eat rice and tofu. Try to cook for yourself more often. If you just need food fast, try heating up some soup or even macaroni and cheese instead of going through a drive-thru. It takes about the same amount of time and effort and saves you some money too.

When eating out, try opting for a smaller burger instead of the deluxe triple meat patty special. Again, it’s cheaper and healthier.

Instead of stocking up on a variety of chips and sodas as your snack supply, add some produce to the list.

Eating healthier isn’t an out-of-reach goal. It just involves a little adjustment. Start now, before your eating problem requires a 12-step program.