I used to think the whole “America is fat” thing was just a stereotype. Then I spent the summer traveling abroad. When I returned, I was devastated to notice how poorly our nation’s eating habits compared to other countries. We are indeed an obese nation. We tend to ignore data, perhaps because we don’t understand the implications of it.

 During the last 30 years, the percentage of  American children with obesity increased from 5 percent to 25 percent. To quote WebMD, “Because of rising obesity rates among young people, more and more baby boomers may outlive their children.”

 Turns out the convenience of fast food and soda is costing us more than dollars.

 Of course, I agree that sodas are harmless in moderation; it would be silly to prohibit them on campus and nearly impossible to enforce. However, I do propose that the University stop selling these products on campus.

 It shouldn’t forbid them, but shouldn’t promote them either.

 Studies confirm the addictive properties of sugar, equating the craving and reward induced by sweets on a level with addictive drugs. In fact, a clinical psychologist at the Oregon Research Institute, Eric Stice, determined that sugar has addictive properties similar to that of cocaine. 

The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar per day—three times what we need—according to the National Center for Health Statistics.  

 Add a giant corporation such as Coca-Cola and American Beverage Association to the mix, and with the lobbying power they posses, it’s alarming the influence they have on campuses across the United States. It is clear they are benefiting monetarily from this relationship, but are we equally benefiting with regards to our health?

 Not to mention our “healthy” drink options are deceiving. Did you know Naked drinks are actually produced by PepsiCo? Take a look at sugar content in the next fruit juice you buy. It may shock you to find that Minute Maid drinks can contain up to 70 grams of sugar, way over the daily intake recommendation from the World Health Organization. The WHO currently recommends that sugar make up only 5 percent of your daily calorie intake. 

 Here at NC State, University Dining is attempting to be more proactive and trying many different tactics to get us to eat healthy. But is this enough? It’s one thing to educate the already educated, but completely different to make a university a living example. I’m talking about role modeling. We may be at the top of the list, but why stop there? Someone may read this and think, “So what? Our campus doesn’t have to change. If this movement of cutting junk food is going to happen, let it happen elsewhere.” Well it is already happening, just not in the United States.  Universities in England, Germany and France have already taken measures to get soft drinks and junk food off their campuses. The U.S. is lagging in the movement.

 It’s easy for a college campus to function in a bubble of progress, disconnected from surrounding communities. Nevertheless, we are affected because our entire country struggles with issues of poor nutrition and weight gain. I’m not asking the school to take the junk out for our sakes. That isn’t enough. It’s too egocentric and too nearsighted. This is not just our future, but future generations. Our kids. Think about it. There are 34,000 students on our campus, more than 2,000 faculty members, and tens of thousands of employees. NC State contributes significantly to the future generations of North Carolina and the U.S.

 This is our chance—now while we’re young in college—to set up a better future for them, if not for ourselves. Why not become examples of healthy eating? Start a campus community garden. Educate about portion sizes. Grow food from the ground up.

 Prepare food differently. Install juicers on campus for natural ingredients. Partner with local farmers and sell their products instead. These are suggestions, but success depends on breaking the sugar-junk food love-hate relationship.

 Yes this will be challenging; it goes against the grain of current society. Yet there is hope. We not only have the ability, but the opportunity, to overcome and raise awareness to spread awareness beyond ourselves, and start anew.