Matthew Flynn

Professor Shuman
ENC3250.028S23
3/5/23

College Students Have a Hard Time with Eating Healthy

A special period of life is college. Many people associate their college years with newly

discovered independence, the beginnings of new friendships and experiences, and truly the

exploration of finding out who they are. There are several benefits to enjoy at this time, however

college can also surprise students in the amount of difficulties and challenges they must face.

A healthy eating pattern that incorporates a variety of nutrient-rich foods and beverages is

what it means to eat healthily. Also, it implies consuming the appropriate number of calories

which is made possible by not eating too little or eating too much food, but finding that perfect

amount that helps you get through the day with energy. Healthy choices that are good to choose

from are whole fruits, veggies, whole grains, proteins, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and oils. While

maintaining these in every meal, you want to restrict certain substances and nutrients such as

sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats. You can manage your weight and reduce your chances

of developing some chronic disorders by developing wise food choices. Eating well can lower

your risk of developing elevated blood pressure, certain cancer kinds, heart condition, diabetes

type 2, and obesity and becoming overweight (Eat). “Almost 60% of college students say they

don’t get enough exercise, and a startling 95% of them don’t consume the recommended quantity

of fruit and vegetables (five or more servings a day)” (Erin Spain). This is a crucial issue to
highlight since almost 100% of students are failing to reach a healthy diet, which again can lead

to numerous chronic diseases.

The University of South Florida is just like the other universities around the United States

who struggle with food insecurity and making healthier food decisions. It is not unexpecting that

many of the students at USF, a major metropolitan campus with a sizable proportion, come from

low and middle-income homes, and experience food insecurity (Florida). Locally, students find it

extremely hard to enjoy a variety of different foods at the dining halls, and healthier alternatives

that check the boxes for their nutritions. Often limited options can cause boredom and discontent

with the cuisine that is offered. Then the lack of freshness, where the dining hall's food can

quickly lose its appeal and become unappetizing if it isn’t freshly made and served. At USF, the

dining halls typically employ cheap ingredients to save money, which then affects the flavor and

quality of the food as a whole (Flynn). A survey was conducted to see from a selected group of

students at USF, how many times they would attend the dining halls in a typical week of school.

As shown, the majority of the students in the selected group (31 students) attend the dining halls

only 10-15 times a week. This is a crucial issue because in a normal healthy diet, people
consume 3-5 meals a day, 7 days a week (Eat). Even at the minimum of 3 meals a day, that's a

total of 21 meals in a week which is still greater than the average number of times a student is

attending the dining halls. Then to extend on the answers given by the students for that question,

I followed up to better understand the specific reasons as to why they were not attending the

dining halls more often.

As shown in the graph, the majority of students answered that more options and a variety of

choices to choose from each day would be the ideal thing to change. Second to that response was

the inclusion of better ingredients and products to make the overall quality of the food better.

The main reasons that college students have a hard time with healthy eating are as follows:

➔ There aren’t enough options

◆ The lack of variety and limited options can lead to boredom and dissatisfaction

with the food that is available. Eating the same type of food everyday will quickly

change a student’s appetite for a meal (Flynn).

➔ They’re adjusting to a new lifestyle

 ◆ Many students find that transitioning to college means adjusting to an entirely

new lifestyle as they learn to balance their newly acquired independence and

obligations (Erin Spain). So those used to their parents cooking them meals each

and every day, then getting to a period in their life where they have to fend for

themselves now, can be hard to adapt to

➔ Time Management / They’re too busy / Time Consuming

◆ It might be simple to feel anxious and overwhelmed with so many classes,

assignments, extracurricular activities, and social engagements to juggle. Then on

top of managing all that each day and week, a student must find time to eat.

Dealing with long lines at the dining halls, and shortages can cause students to

either resort to easier, unhealthier options, or just in general skip a meal (Sullivan)

➔ Affordability

◆ College is very expensive, with tuition, housing, books, and then on top of that a

meal plan unless you choose to buy groceries and find the time to cook the meals

yourself (Sullivan). Students are forced to make the decision of spending loads of

money on a plan that restricts them to either a limited number of swipes they have

or only things available in the dining halls on certain days, on the other hand

taking the path of finding time to make meals each and every day after grocery

shopping is brutal.

Other reasons college students have a hard time with healthy eating can resort from:

➔ Struggles with Mental Health / Body image

➔ Alcohol / drug use affecting their diets

➔ Negative influences of social networks

 ➔ Can’t cook or find the time to eat

When a group of students were surveyed from University of South Florida, the quality of the

food was put to question based on a rating scale (1 Being awful - 5 Being Great) (Flynn).

The majority of the votes landed in the 2/5 option which goes to show that the dining halls on

campus at USF suffer from finding tasteful and essential ingredients in making their food worth
eating. Students were then asked to generalize whether USF needs to make improvements,

results are clearly showing that something needs to change (Flynn).

Possible solutions:

➔ Talk to the personnel at the dining hall:

◆ Try talking to the staff if you’re not pleased with the food to see if they can make

any adjustments or modification

➔ Explore new options:

◆ If you’re constantly getting tired of the food, see what other choices are accessible

to you. “Trying a new food item or meal that you’ve never had, might broaden

your perspective on what you eat. Most of the time, USF’s offers rotation menus

and unique events” (Sullivan).

➔ Other alternatives:

◆ Even though it might be a lot of work, trying the path of buying groceries and

making your own meals is something different than the ordinary dining hall

meals. It will help you build a new skill in cooking, and might satisfy your needs.

Other alternative solutions could resort from:

➔ Don’t be scared of frozen / canned food

➔ Keep track of your caffeine / avoid alcohol, drugs

➔ Never leave without a snack in your backpack for in between classes

➔ Plan meals ahead and ensure you have enough time for a meal
 Overall, maintaining a healthy diet while attending college might be difficult, but it’s

crucial for students to put their health and wellbeing first by choosing as many healthy food

choices as they can. Students who want to learn more about good eating habits may find it

helpful to seek out services like nutrition classes or even counseling.

Citations:

May 6, 2014 | By Erin Spain. “College Kids Need to Change Unhealthy Ways.”

NorthwesternNow,22Feb.2023,https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2014/05/college-kids-

need-to-change-unhealthy-ways#:~:text=A%20shocking%2095%20percent%20of,moderat

e%20exercise%20for%20at%20least.

“Eat Healthy.” Eat Healthy - MyHealthfinder, Office of Disease Prevention and Health

Promotion,5Mar.2023,https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/health-conditions/diabetes/eat-heal

thy#:~:text=Eating%20healthy%20means%20following%20a,too%20much%20or%20too

%20little).

Florida, University of South. “College Students Struggle with Food Insecurity.” Welcome

to the University of South Florida, Jacquelyn N. Heuer, 19 June 2020,

https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/hub/college-students-struggle-with-food-insecurity.aspx.

Flynn, Matthew C. “USF on-Campus Food.” Google, Google,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1hKFZww69W_qpyj0lZYND62qIfmHFaBDi9ka6HEXff

Xg/edit?pli=1#responses.

Sullivan, Jolee. “12 Reasons College Students Have a Hard Time with Healthy Eating.”

TastingTable,TastingTable,30Jan.2023,https://www.tastingtable.com/974938/reasons-why-c

ollege-students-have-a-hard-time-with-healthy-eating/.