The Panther

It is officially American Health Month. Yet, for many college students February is just another month to indulge in fast food, causing weight gain and bad habits that are hard to reverse. The American Heart Association has reported that new mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates heart disease overall age-adjusted death rates are down by 25.8 percent respectively from 1999. However, the outcome statistic is lower for the African American population with a decrease of 23.8 percent.

Healthy food choices are far from the thoughts of penny-pinching, snack-grabbing, money cautious students who are simply too busy to prepare home cooked meals. Let's be sensible, who can really eat beef stroganoff, in class? While Sodexho closes its doors by 7 p.m., the Grill simply diminishes all food points in a few weeks. Many students then attack the Wal-Mart in Hempstead for its non-refrigerated items such as peanut butter and jelly, fried potato chips, soda, candy and the all-mighty, pocket-ready, hand-dandy, Little Debbie snacks. Stores might as well sell high fructose corn syrup, tons of added sugars, hidden trans-fatty acids and many grams of saturated fats. Wait, stores are selling those items. They are just packaged in neatly wrapped little boxes and bottles. Did they trick you? How cute.

Who can blame students for purchasing these items? For college students, financial factors definitely pose a barrier when there is a need to adopt a healthier diet. Findings in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association indicate that many high energy-dense foods are not only the least expensive, but also most resistant to market inflation. The research also concluded that obesity rates may be correlated with the sharp price increase for low-energy-density foods. What does this mean for college students? Paying six dollars for three pounds of apples is not exactly a priority on their list. Students simply can't afford it, especially when three pounds may only equate to six apples and a short shelf-life. Buy a big box of 12-count Debbie snacks, totaling over 2,500 calories and you're set for a week.

Despite the known health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, fewer than 5 percent of Americans meet the 2005 Dietary Guidelines according to reports by the American Dietetic Association. So, what options do students have? First, no one said it would be easy, nor cheap. You can begin by:

- Aiming for the freshest of whole, canned, frozen or dried fruits & vegetables.

- Granola bars, air-popped popcorn, trail mix, oatmeal, nuts or seeds are great dorm room or backpack snack items.

- Grilled or baked chicken breast, whole grain breads and cereals, low fat milk and dairy products, and canned tuna are great substitutes for fried, refined, whole milk, saturated and trans-fats foods.

- Purchasing whole foods at the lowest cost per pound.

Additional information may be gained by contacting the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org or call the Owens-Franklin Health Center at (936) 261-1402 or

e-mail: Nick@nicksdietetics.com

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