The dreaded “Freshman 15″ is a standard battle that many students struggle with on college campuses. Some speak of it as though it’s a scary cautionary tale passed down from generations of college victims and some say it’s a myth. But where does the truth lie? In the food or in the students? With obesity rates growing higher in America, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showing the rise of obesity and overweight issues, reaching an alarming 70.7% between 2013-2014 in adults 20 years and over. This 70.7% includes college students, approximately 5.2 million of them, who suffer weight gain. Most of them blame it on the food, unwilling to reveal the real issues that may lie deeper than just the food, turning it into a public health issue. Some dietitians believe that there’s definitely more to it than just overeating. Stephanie May, Stony Brook University’s Registered Dietitian believes, “When it comes to gaining weight there are many factors that come into play. There is the stress of moving away from home, most likely for the first time, connecting with your roommate, making new friends, balancing classes, completing assignments, and studying for exams. On top of that students are also involved in various clubs, teams, and organizations.” Stress eating may be a common thing in college but does having an all-you-can-eat meal plan help combat that? Stephanie May states how the sit-down, buffet style meal actually gives students more flexibility to choose what they want, “What I like most about the dine-in program is the ability to make your own plate.” Daniel Walmer’s article “How Colleges are Fighting the Freshman 15” somewhat disagrees, stating how healthy food choices aren’t really a thing, and that some students aren’t given much of a choice. In the article, registered nutritionist Angie Dye, states how one-fifth of her clients are college students, “Many of them want to avoid weight gain but always receive food from their parents and are only learning to make responsible decisions like choosing wheat bread over white bread,” One of her last comments states how the “all-you-can-eat style of most campus cafeterias doesn’t help.” Some Stony Brook students feel that it’s your own responsibility and that you have to have a certain type of discipline not to eat everything in sight once you walk into an all you can eat set up. But with an all-you-can-eat meal plan, does overeating and wastefulness come into play? Devanshi Bhimjiyani, SBU Sophomore Computer Science major and tennis athlete, admits that it was hard at first, “With all-you-can-eat, I used to overeat like crazy; there’s pizza, there’s pasta, there’s dessert and it’s one of the first things you see. After a while, when I got some discipline, I decided to make my own plate. Now I’m making really healthy dishes, which I couldn’t before dine-in. Because before, if I wanted one thing from one station and another thing from another station I would have to get a whole other combo and waste food and money.” Like most people who love food, often their eyes are bigger than their stomachs. Does this kind of plan set up better options for students? Some research presented in the “How Colleges are Fighting the Freshman 15” shows that about “70 percent of Auburn University students who were tracked throughout their four-year college career from 2007 to 2011 gained weight. The average weight gain was more than 11 pounds. A 2011 Oregon State University study, meanwhile, found that students do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and consume a higher-than-ideal percentage of their calories from fat.” So does the catchy phrase meet up with its unacquainted accuracy? Seems as though it mostly comes down to the individual student, not the type of meal plan they have, but through mindful and healthy choices. Stephanie says that “When it comes to the ‘Freshman 15’ eating mindfully is key. All too often students find themselves up late, stressed, and snacking on foods that are high in sugar or choosing fried foods.” In her September issue of the “Healthy Choices Made Simple Nutrition Newsletter,” she admits that a majority of students gain weight their freshman year but it normally ranges from 3 to 10 pounds and that simple steps like not skipping breaking and smart snacking can help you maintain or lose weight.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stony Brook chapter.