On the days when 8 a.m. class awaits it’s likely you’re guilty of skipping a well balanced breakfast and stopping in at the campus Starbucks before speed walking to class. Considering the never ending lines at all hours chances are many Kean students are skipping healthy meals for Carmel Macchiatos and cranberry scones.
Most college students don’t get the nutrition they need, especially girls. Between classes, work schedules and college social life, stopping to properly re-fuel is not a top priority (unless of course it’s the type of re-fueling requiring an assortment of Ben & Jerry’s and the Twilight Saga).
According to a study done by Oregon State University in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior (check the study out here!) college students are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, a major part of a healthy diet. The study found that on average students were not even eating one serving per day, a drastic low compared to the recommended five servings a day. Students were also found to be skipping meals frequently.
Males only ate five servings of fruits and vegetables per week and females ate four servings per week. Females were also found to have a lower fiber intake than males even though they displayed better eating habits like skipping less meals and reading food labels.
Both males and females were found to be consuming 30 percent of their calories from fat per day, far exceeding the recommended 30 percent per week by the American Dietetic Association (Their website has some great information and healthy options!).
“I eat really healthy because I buy apples, grapes and other fruits and always have them in my fridge, but I do think it’s not made as available to students so they don’t usually go out of their way,” said Kellie Moran, a junior communication major at Kean.
She also added that she believes salad or fruit should always be included in any meal bought from the school cafeteria to encourage students to eat healthier.
Being faced with busy schedules might affect students’ ability to eat properly, but the study also stressed that nutrition awareness is being neglected at lower levels of education.
For having a four acre garden on campus at Liberty Hall, Kean students might be expected to have encouragement to consume more fruits and vegetables. According to the Kean exchange website, the Liberty Hall garden will soon be used as a site to teach young children about healthy eating, proper diet, growing produce and cooking.
While Kean is taking a step to educate young children on proper nutrition, many of its students are still too preoccupied with iced coffee and fries from the Cougar’s Den.