When kids go away to college as freshmen, on average, they consume more calories in alcohol than they did in high school. They also modify their caloric intake from other foods in an attempt to compensate, suggests one study out of the University of South Florida, published in the Journal of American College Health this summer.
This happens more in women than in men and more in students who board with friends than in those who board with students they don’t know. But it happens.
As a result, college freshmen tend to eat a less nutritious diet than they did as high school seniors. A few develop symptoms of precursors to eating disorders, but not many.
First, the issue: Students in college report a general dissatisfaction with their bodies and a drive for thinness. They reported engaging in exercise and dietary restriction as calorie control strategies and “tended toward calorie restriction activities during drinking episodes,” according to the study. The report’s authors said it had implications for health initiatives aimed at college students and suggested the importance of considering both social and cognitive factors.
This is compounded by the fact that most dorm rooms don’t have a kitchenette, and students are reduced to using microwaves to heat up food, which is largely processed and low in nutritional value.
Well, just in time, the Baltimore Post-Examiner has come to the rescue, with some practical, down-to-earth advice, in a blog post by Sally Michaelis. Not all of these recipes are nutritious, but they all work in a residence hall.
And don’t let her title fool you—So easy, a freshman can do it – or how to impress a date in your dorm room while keeping your pants on: It’s got nothing to do with pants. It’s mostly about making tasty food that you will actually eat while you’re in college. We know college freshmen probably engage in other activities as well, but this blog is probably not the place to discuss those.
Bon appetit!