Nutrition
on decline, CSULB offers help
By
Karla Casillas
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
In the midst of uncertainty about food and the concern with obesity, students
at Cal State Long Beach are offered many options to answer their questions
and satisfy their needs.
Obesity and being overweight are two of the top health issues for college students.
Some others are bone health and eating disorders.
Many factors contribute to the high numbers of Americans who are obese and
overweight. According to Gail Woodward-Lopez from the Center for Weight and
Health at UC Berkeley, “Changes in society make cheap, empty calories
available.”
Because people eat more when food is cheap and nutritious food tends to cost
more than junk food, students are more likely to make unhealthy choices when
deciding what to eat.
Fast food has gone through a dramatic change in the past 40 years. Not only
is more food available for less, but portion size is also bigger now than it
was 40 years ago.
“
In 1960 a hamburger was one ounce. Today, it’s six ounces,” Woodward
said. “Drinks are also considerably larger. A drink in the ’60s
was eight ounces, now the standard drink is 24 ounces.”
“
It’s cheaper to get the biggest size,” Woodward said. “If
it’s only 20 cents more, why not?”
Heidi Burkey, Health Resource Center office supervisor, thinks CSULB offers
students a wide variety of foods to choose from, but also said the price of
food is a factor in bad eating choices.
“
Students on a fixed budget are more likely to choose cheaper food,” she
said.
Amber Jacobs, a third-year English literature major, eats a variety of foods
on campus. She goes from Taco Bell to the Beach Hut for salads. If healthy
food like salads were cheaper, she said she would purchase it more often.
Other students feel the same way. Jaemee Bautista, a second-year student, and
Vincent Richards, a second-year theater major, said they would also buy healthy
food if it were cheaper.
“
It depends on how much [money] I have on me,” Richards said, who usually
eats at the Nugget or chooses El Pollo Loco’s dollar menu.
“
It’s a matter of making choices,” Burkey said.
The Health Resource Center offers students free nutrition counseling to help
them make those choices. The one-hour sessions are private face-to-face consultations,
said Burkey. Students can go in and discuss their eating habits and any concerns
they may have about their health.
Burkey said students can learn a lot from the sessions. Students are welcome
to attend the sessions as many times as they want. They can go to room 268
at the Health Resource Center and sign up for the counseling.
Taking control of eating habits depends on the person.
Students need to learn about good nutrition and exercise, Burkey said. Fad
diets don’t give the same results good nutrition does, and the few pounds
that are lost at the beginning can easily be gained back, she said.
CSULB offers students many options to improve their nutritional decisions.
There are a wide variety of P.E. classes available for students and the Health
Resource Center is open to all students with any questions.
The health status on CSULB campus is diverse, said Burkey, but according to
the 2004 CSULB Health Risk Behavior Survey by the Health Resource Center the
overall health is good at the Beach.
The Survey states “58 percent of students are within the recommended
normal weight range” and 50 percent exercise regularly. The recommended
amount of exercise is three to five times a week.
A survey by the National College Health Association reports similar findings.
54,000 college students were surveyed across the nation. Thirty five percent
reported participating in vigorous exercise for 20 minutes a day.
More students need to eat the five recommended servings of fruits and vegetables.
The NCHA survey showed that 59 percent
of students eat one or two vegetables and fruits a day.
Research shows millions of Americans are at risk of chronic diseases like diabetes,
heart disease, some cancers and arthritis because they are obese or overweight.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate about 112,000 deaths
in the United States are obesity related.
According to Woodward-Lopez, 60 percent of people in California are overweight
and 22 percent are obese. The state’s rate is similar to the rest of
the nation.
Woodward-Lopez recommends choosing healthy food and getting rid of the fear
of food to improve health and weight-related issues.
“
It’s important to not be afraid of three meals a day, don’t be
afraid to be fat. Enjoy eating,” she said.
She said to eat fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low fat meat and dairy
and keep everything else minimal. Physical activity is also a must. Woodward
recommends getting involved in the community and working with others to make
changes.
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