Unhealthy Eating Trends

College students show trend of unhealthy eating habits

It’s a Friday night and you’re looking to eat something delicious, probably fried and greasy, and that doesn’t break your bank. It’s a good thing your in Athens because Court Street alone offers about 22 different options. Or maybe you’re a first year going to the dining hall. It’s an all you-can-eat free for all of fried foods, array of desserts, and the greasiest stir-fry around.

Students come to college each year and fall easily into the routine of unhealthy eating. The feared freshman 15 proves true for many of them, and others say they constantly feel they have to watch their weight.

“Gaining the freshman 15 was what I feared the most coming into college,” says Chelsea Pogue, a freshman in her second quarter at Ohio University.

The abundant restaurants and easy access to getting food on campuses nation-wide make it easy for students to develop these habits. The majority of restaurants on campuses sell greasy pizza or French fries.

Students have convenient access to all the restaurants. Out of the more than 30 restaurants in Athens, about half of them have delivery options. Restaurants also have very late hours every night. They also all take credit cards which is a convenient payment method for just about anyone.

“We get the most business between the hours of 11PM and 1AM,” says Jordan Stuckey, a worker at D.P. Dough located on Richland Avenue. This late night access is a big contributor to unhealthy eating habits.

Students also utilize the late night hours to get “drunk food.” After a night of drinking, students are able to order any kind of food they want on the weekends until the late hours of the night.

“Almost everyone who orders from us are kids from Ohio University,” said Stuckey of the customers of D.P. Dough.

Dining halls offer a wide variety of foods, but are still unhealthy choices. Students load up on carb-filled meals. Dining halls also offer a buffet-style eating environment and encourage multiple servings of food. They also offer an array of desserts for students to choose from.

“Shively has a lot of food to pick from, which is great for variety, but then I see kids just keep coming up and getting food and they don’t stop,” says Mike Calderone, a worker of Shively dining hall.

Students do buy food often but the foods they are permitted to cook in their rooms are usually frozen or microwavable foods. The student markets of Ohio University offer a wide variety of frozen meals.

Out of 20 Ohio University students interviewed, 13 of them said they ate out more than 7 times per week. Late night food proves to be one of the biggest unhealthy contributors; 15 of the students said the majority of the food they ate from restaurants was after 9PM.

Athens does provide students with a few healthy options. There are a few restaurants that use fresh foods and offer alternate choices to greasy, fried foods. Casa Nueva, of East State Street, offers foods from local farms and organic options. The Athens Farmer’s Market permits local farmers to sell produce and other fresh food options.

“I would shop at the farmer’s market if I had the ability to actually cook the food,” said freshman Kayla Carpenter. “We can only microwavable food in our dorms.”

Along with these common issues, students combine unhealthy eating habits to poor exercise habits. According to the National Youth Risk and Behavior Survey, 20 percent of college students are overweight and 40 percent are attempting to lose weight.

“When I go out on the weekends and end up eating out a lot, I always feel I have to work out a lot to make up for it,” adds Carpenter. Students shouldn’t feel pressured to have to work out or watch what they eat because of their eating habits.

“I think students eat out at these restaurants because they don’t have much money, and these food places are cheap and convenient, so why not eat there,” said Mike Hastings, a junior studying Nutrition.

So what’s the solution to kicking the greasy pizza eating at 11PM routine? It’s probably different for everyone, but you can become consciously aware of the unhealthy habits, and go from there. Some students simply don’t know these are unhealthy habits or don’t know places to go that have healthy options.

Casa Nueva located on Court Street and Della Zona located on West State Street both serve organic and fresh foods from local farms. Salaam, located on Washington Street, also offers locally grown options with a Middle Eastern-Indian taste. The Athens Farmer’s Market is open every Saturday from 10AM to 1PM and located on East State Street.

Next time you go to order some Hungry Howie’s or stop by the Burrito Buggy on Court Street, think about what better options you could be having. Find out what restaurants offer organic, fresh, and healthy foods near you and begin a new habit–a healthy habit.

GAMMA Movie Night during Sibs WEekend

Ohio University Student group, GAMMA, joined with UPC to show movie on Sibs weekend and gave out free food at the Sibs fest at Baker on Saturday evening.

GAMMA, Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol, is a leadership program specifically for fraternity and sorority members who agree to be advocates of health-related issues for their chapter members. Sororities and Fraternities alternate weekends to work the GAMMA stand in Baker passing out free food and drinks to people attending the movie they put on with UPC or passerby’s.

This weekend was Sibs Weekend at Ohio University, and sibs from all ages were in attendance at the Sibs Remix in Baker University Center. GAMMA and UPC joined to show the newly released “New Moon” movie from the Twilight Saga for $1 a person. GAMMA gave out free food including popcorn, nachos and cheese, and refreshments.

While waiting for the movie, students and their sibs could participate in many other activities at the Sibs Remix fest. They could make their own t-shirts with paint, glitter, ad every craft supply under the sun. There were carnival games in Baker Ballroom, followed by a light show dance party. A popular attraction was the free photo booth. There was a constant line and many students came back for a second round of goofy photos.

This weekend, Delta Zeta was the sorority working the GAMMA event. Carrie Augenstein, risk manager of Delta Zeta, said, “I think GAMMA is a great way to advocate managing alcohol in a smart way. It gives students who choose to drink the opportunity to eat food, and it also gives students and alternative to drinking–going to a cheap movie.” Allison Lekich, Delta Zeta academics chair added, “Plus, it’s always fun to come out and support something with your sisters, because we make it a great time.”

The movies that GAMMA helps put on are a change from the previous GAMMA after hours program. In the past, GAMMA would only give out free food. Now, they have a movie, too. “I think this will get more students to come around for food, and to do something other than go out and drink. It should create a greater awareness of GAMMA to our community, too,” said Lee Ann Kasab, GAMMA representative.

GAMMA and UPC will continue to work together to put on new movies for a cheap price on the weekends. The Greek community will also continue to volunteer at GAMMA events to hand out the free food and advocate safety in alcohol issues on OU’s campus.

Oh, Just a Ramble.

So, away from good ole' Athens, I sit at home. The second abrupt home coming I've had this quarter. Speaking of this quarter, I wake up at 9:30 am each morning asking when it is ever going to be over. I know most people don't like the snow and cold air, but I truly believe no one hates it as much as I do. Probably why this quarter obviously isn't my favorite.
Anyways, being at home. I'm surprised at how nice it feels. I'm not one to get homesick...at all really. But I've found myself enjoying Springfield this time. Seeing my brothers and sisters is nice, but they are so young that they don't understand the whole concept of visiting home, so then after my being there about an hour, they are all off on their own playing video games and ignoring my presence. It doesn't bother me.
Going to see my Dad, though, that's what gets to me. After being at college, I've realized how close and how much I really admire him. During my parents' divorce not too long ago, he became my friend, instead of the normal father figure that does the bills,etc. And our relationship has grown ever so much since then. We don't talk on the phone much [although I wish we did], but every time I come home, it's him I want to go see. I came home today and he was telling me all of his plans for the future and getting his Master's and PhD and I'm so proud of him. In my eyes, he IS the wisest, smartest man in the world and no one will ever compare.
I love you Dad.

On another note, (this is a long one)--We were driving today on the never-ending Route 50 and listening to Dave Matthews. So for an hour, I got lost in the wind from the window and the surprisingly enjoyable ear-shattering level of music, not noise, pounding from the speakers. This is why I love summer. That IS my summer. The hot summer air, the feeling of "chill"... I can't explain it. I really think summer makes me a 100% more happier person ( not that I'm ususally not happy). So now that today's 50 degree weather and Liz Mace's Dave Cd has teased me, I will be cursing the cold even more when it comes again!

I'm pretty sure this is a sign I will not live in Ohio. Or at least during the winter.

Celebrate we will
Because life is short but sweet for certain ❧

tic, tac, toe, nobody listened to Plumber Joe

Classy way to say ... Obama won that game..

the flock to athens

Fact: Halloween in Athens, OH is the third largest celebration/gathering behind Mardi Gras and New Years at Times square.
Fact: Nearly 25,000 people crowded the famous Court St this year.
Fact: A step up from last year, there were 53 party animals hauled in by the 5-O.

Yes, it's a fact. If you weren't a part of Halloween in Athens, you weren't a part of Halloween at all. Sarah Palin and Micheal Phelps around every corner. Court street, Washington Street, and every house party you walked into, you know you could find ghosts, ghouls, and drunken fools.
The second I stepped on Court St., I was on a mission to find the best character out there. I saw some real live bling walking around. The Heisman Trophy, self-painted all over in gold, caught my eye. Even the lame offices workers decided to make it out to the party. Dwight Schrute, from The Office, was spotted. And maybe I just liked that one because I like the show, but either way, he was legit. A few fellas even attempted to make some breakfast on their own "brick oven" right there on the cobble stone-- giant strips of bacon being flipped by the giant spatula. But I'd have to say the ones who topped it were pretty clever. I saw these gamers quite a few times that night. A life-size, 3-D, row of Tetris gets the gold medal in my book.

Overall, I'd say it was a true "howl"-o-ween with all the scary, interesting, and obnoxious costumes. But really, if your a bobcat or a real Athenian, the famous celebration was nothing out of the norm. Well, other than the sea of crazy creatures wandering on the main street.

Happy Halloween! Welcome, November, and say hello to Week 9!

Oh and happy elections!
Hope you all voted!