2008 Woodie Awards
You are what you eat
Chris Yow
Issue date: 11/10/05 Section: News
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Pizza, beer, late-night snacks, fast-food living - these are things that usually come to mind when anyone talks about the average diet of a college student. This is where the infamous "Freshman 15" gains its foothold in the mythology of college life.
But is that really the way it is? Are all college students really fast-food junkies?
Well, the answer depends on who you ask.
In a 1997 edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, college students and college graduates are touted as being healthiest among young adults. The study compared three groups: college students, college graduates, and non-students - all between the ages of 18 and 24.
"According to self-reported heights and weights, female nonstudents were more often overweight than students or graduates," states the study.
So maybe hiking up three flights of stairs in Stone Center to get to your Spanish class is worth it.
"I've lost weight since I got here because of Southerners and walking to class," said Hannah Lafollette, a student at Jacksonville State University.
Edric Byrd, another member of the Marching Southerners, works out at band practice on a daily basis and whenever he isn't practicing with them, is "really into sports."
"I just found out that they have intramural basketball. I'm thinking about getting into that," he said, emphasizing that he would only be able to play basketball if he decides not to march indoors.
The Journal of the American Dietetic Association's study is refuted by a 2003 article in the Journal of American Collegiate Health that studied 18-27 year olds using body mass index, a formula based on a person's height and weight, to determine if they are overweight. They only found 21.6 percent of participants to be overweight using BMI directly, but the researchers were concerned about the content of the average collegiate diet.
"More than 69 percent of the participants reported less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and more than 67 percent reported fewer than 20 grams of fiber per day," the study found.
But is that really the way it is? Are all college students really fast-food junkies?
Well, the answer depends on who you ask.
In a 1997 edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, college students and college graduates are touted as being healthiest among young adults. The study compared three groups: college students, college graduates, and non-students - all between the ages of 18 and 24.
"According to self-reported heights and weights, female nonstudents were more often overweight than students or graduates," states the study.
So maybe hiking up three flights of stairs in Stone Center to get to your Spanish class is worth it.
"I've lost weight since I got here because of Southerners and walking to class," said Hannah Lafollette, a student at Jacksonville State University.
Edric Byrd, another member of the Marching Southerners, works out at band practice on a daily basis and whenever he isn't practicing with them, is "really into sports."
"I just found out that they have intramural basketball. I'm thinking about getting into that," he said, emphasizing that he would only be able to play basketball if he decides not to march indoors.
The Journal of the American Dietetic Association's study is refuted by a 2003 article in the Journal of American Collegiate Health that studied 18-27 year olds using body mass index, a formula based on a person's height and weight, to determine if they are overweight. They only found 21.6 percent of participants to be overweight using BMI directly, but the researchers were concerned about the content of the average collegiate diet.
"More than 69 percent of the participants reported less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and more than 67 percent reported fewer than 20 grams of fiber per day," the study found.