When I attended New Student Orientation (NSO) as a rising freshman in 2006, I was impressed with the quality of food in Fountain. I later told my parents I would be eating dining hall food all the time — this quickly changed. I cannot pinpoint when I grew a distaste for Fountain, but it was a gradual process involving many stomachaches and queasiness. It seemed crystal clear the food I experienced at NSO was very different, not in a good way, from the food served during the school year.
Although I’m not a fan of Fountain, I’d like to mention its few redeeming qualities. The menu is diverse enough to suit the dietary needs of vegetarian and vegan students. I always appreciated being able to get fresh fruit and my favorite menu item — chicken ‘n’ dumplings.
However, its drawback is its location on West Campus. It serves those residence halls well, but I’m less inclined to make the journey from Central Campus when I could just as easily go to the Wolves’ Den or Talley. This realization makes it known that students opt for the “better-tasting” meal in general. Perhaps this is an unfair generalization, but I know I don’t eat well-balanced meals like I do at home. It’s much easier to get food to go than sit down for a long-winded meal in an overcrowded, noisy dining hall.
Although our food options are often less than stellar, many students never exercise on a regular basis other than walking to and from classes. Limited exercise along with a poor diet is a deadly combination.
It’s startling to look around and see so many overweight and obese people, not just on campus, but in North Carolina. What was once a societal stigma over 50 years ago has become an accepted cultural norm. Americans are adding extra pounds to their bodies and inches to their waistlines every day. Diets are as big of an obsession as Grey’s Anatomy, but many leave no lasting, definitive changes. According to Be Active North Carolina, 16 percent of youth ranging from ages 6 to 19 are overweight, compared to 30 percent of adults aged 20 and older. These numbers represent a growing statistic that doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Are N.C. State students becoming fat because they eat at Fountain every night or splurge at Cook Out at 3 a.m.? Absolutely not. What remains consistent is students maintain poor eating habits while receiving minimal exercise. While there is never enough time in the day to get everything accomplished, your health should be a top priority.
We have no one to blame for our weight problems but ourselves — not McDonald’s for selling enticing Big Macs. The decisions we make today in regards to our health will not only affect us but the future of our children. Don’t be so selfish to think your attitudes and actions don’t affect others. If you get diabetes or heart disease one day as a result of being overweight, please remember your children will carry the burden of taking care of you when the circumstances could have otherwise been prevented.
College is your chance to form healthy patterns you will continue for the rest of your life. Consciously eat right, exercise often and know you have the power to be one less overweight American.
Are eating your way toward obesity? Tell us at [email protected].
