Maintaining a healthy balance between academics, social life, and maybe even a job isn’t easy. Finding time to squeeze in a call to our mothers, or perhaps watch last night’s missed episode, can be a challenging task of whim over will. However, through all of our busy schedules, a vital aspect of our daily lives is frequently ignored—our diet.
Late night Pub runs, Glar’s unlimited pizza bar, and the daily stress of college’s expectations can lead any student into a minefield of dietary choices. Before college, many of us can admit that our diets were a bit more balanced. Perhaps each meal included a fruit, vegetable, or maybe a glass of water instead of a soft drink. Yet, as college began and we took our first steps into Englar Dining Hall, our healthy diets may have been put on the back burner.
Recent studies have shown that college students do not even eat one serving of fruits and vegetables a day. This lifestyle continues after graduation, with many adults failing to meet the recommended average of four to five servings a week. In addition, the average human is required to drink 96 ounces of water per day. Unfortunately, only about a quarter of this amount is met, causing undesirable symptoms. By continuing these negative trends, our bodies and minds will soon fall to fatal effects such as fatigue, dehydration, and obesity.
So how can you start building a new healthy lifestyle? Englar Dining Hall provides multiple healthy options each day to add to your plate. By replacing the “trendy” foods, such as pizza and chicken tenders on Thursday, with one of Ms.Bobbie’s famous salads or hummus from the vegan bar, our bodies will receive the crucial fuel it needs. In addition, stop by the hydration station to fill up on some fruit infused water and meet your daily recommended ounces.
The Pub also offers some quality food as well. Various types of sandwiches are available as meal exchanges. Yogurt, juices, various salads are offered at a reasonable price to keep you focused and full all throughout your day. Make sure to also pop into the Green & Go for more healthy options, such as trail mix and meal substitute bars.
While maintaining our GPAs is crucial during our college careers, so is properly fueling our bodies. We often forget the impacts of our dietary choices on our overall attitude and stamina throughout our daily schedules. By making small choices each day to improve our health, we can begin to lead a healthier lifestyle, especially through the options provided by our college.
