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      College food

      Choosing a college? Well, you may want to look more closely at what’s being served. Not just in the classrooms but also the cafeterias.

      What you eat and drink in college can make a big difference during college and well beyond. College may be the first time that you are away from Mommy and Daddy and are making decisions about what to put in your mouth on your own. It is when you are potentially programming some of your habits for life. You may also still be growing in college, which makes good nutrition especially important. According to a study published in the journal Preventive Medicine, overweight and obesity rates increase by more than 15% for first-year college students.

      Healthy may not be the first thing you think of when you picture college eating. Instead, it may be late-night takeout, food from bags, ketchup as a vegetable, cereal for dinner and Nutella on everything. Oh, and when the cafeteria’s vegetable-of-the-day is mushroom, it may actually be “mush” served in a room. The same study found that 95% of college students fail to eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, and more than 60% report not getting enough physical activity.

      That is why the Healthier Campus Initiative appeared. As science has shown, once your eating habits are established, changing them can be very difficult. Yes, knowledge and a diploma aren’t the only things that you can get for life from college. That means that collegiate eating and drinking could be contributing to the continuing obesity epidemic and the host of diet-related chronic diseases that keep growing in many countries.

      College applicants seem to become more and more aware of this. Back when I was applying to college, the only thing I knew about college meal plans was that they involved meals and a plan. Oh, and that they could be quite costly. By contrast, a survey conducted in 2015 showed nearly 1 in 5 potential college applicants indicated that a college’s health and wellness offerings were “likely” or “extremely likely” to alter their decisions of whether to apply to that college. And 23% felt that access to such offerings would be “absolutely essential when deciding where to apply.” Among female high schoolers, 51% deemed it either absolutely essential or very important. Modern kids are smart.

      Therefore, take heed, colleges and universities. They say that a way to one’s heart is through the stomach. This may apply to the brain as well and the checkbook for college tuition. If colleges want to attract the best and brightest, they may want to make sure they are serving the yummiest and the healthiest.

      Of course, not all campuses around the country have joined the Initiative yet. That doesn’t mean that all other campuses are serving just hot dogs. However, you may want to be vigilant about what colleges and universities are serving. For example, ask to see their menus and accompanying nutrition information. This should include ingredients and frequency at which they are served. An apple a year will keep no doctor away. Determine what food is available off-hours or away from the cafeteria. This should include water fountains and healthy vending machines. Know who is supplying the food and from where the food comes.

      Certainly, college food is not the sole cause of the epidemics of obesity and other diet related chronic diseases that certain countries are facing right now as there are a lot of other factors involved, including economics and family traditions. But it may be a contributor. After all, college years may be very important in forming habits we keep through our whole lives.