Are you eating enough Fruits and Vegetables?

Growing up, we often hear our parents say “eat your fruits and vegetables.”  As kids, it’s common that most of us were picky and didn’t like the idea. Our parents would nag at us and wouldn’t be satisfied until we ate it. Now as college students, our parents aren’t around to tell us what to eat. We’re on our own and have freedom to make decisions for ourselves on what we eat on and off campus. Most of us happen to choose unhealthy foods to eat.  This causes us to miss out on plenty of nutritional benefits that fruits and vegetables contain.

Depending on our class schedule, some of us have only a short break and need to grab something quick before our next class starts. Other times we get so busy ans stressed out that we even end up skipping meals. This is a common thing that happens to us time and again. In an article from Science Daily, college students are not eating enough fruits and vegetables:

“The study by Oregon State University researchers surveyed the eating habits of 582 college students, a majority of which were first-year students. The study, now online in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, compares male and female students, but found that both were not getting the proper amount of fruits and vegetables. Male students had about five servings a week, slightly higher than female students who self-reported eating about four servings of fruits and vegetables. We found that students skipped meals fairly frequently, which could account for some of the lack of fruits and veggies," said Brad Cardinal, a professor of exercise and sport science at Oregon State University and one of the study's authors. Still, even accounting for fewer meals consumed, the students were on average not always eating even one serving of fruits or vegetables per day, far below the USDA guidelines.”

I admit that I personally did not choose to eat healthy foods that incorporated fruits and vegetables when I started attending SFSU. I mostly ate Chinese food or pizza since it was premade and quick to get.  I ate these foods for lunch for an entire semester and as a result I gained weight. The following semester, I changed my eating habits and included fruits and vegetables in every meal. I started bringing healthy food from home, rather than buying food on campus. I brought fruit like an apple or banana. When snacking, I ate a small bag of grapes, cherry tomatoes or baby carrots. If I did buy food on campus, I went to the salad bar. Only eating a salad and stocked up on veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, and edamame. Not getting any of the hot savory cooked foods.

When I would stand and wait in the long line at the salad bar, I would look around at the students sitting at nearby tables. I saw that most of them bought burgers and fries. I also examined the other students ahead of me in line to see what they choose. I notice that most of them got a small portion of salad to make room for the savory foods. They stocked up on fried shrimp, shepherd’s pie or the very popular chicken fingers. I witnessed it for myself that college students aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables. I’ve only seen a few female students eating fruits and vegetables.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Fruits and Veggies Matter website states that,

“Fruits and vegetables can protect your health. Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that may help protect you from chronic diseases. Compared with people who consume a diet with only small amounts of fruits and vegetables, those who eat more generous amounts as part of a healthful diet are likely to have reduced risk of chronic diseases, including stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.”

chart from fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov

From health.gov, “Consume a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables while staying within energy needs. Two cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables per day are recommended for a reference 2,000-calorie intake, with higher or lower amounts depending on the calorie level.”

                Some of us aren’t aware of what one serving looks like, here’s a chart to help you understand

             Not everyone needs the same serving amount of fruits and vegetables. It depends on your age, sex, and level of physical activity (the amount of time spent doing an activity). To find out how much fruits and vegetables you need, visit this link.

We college students spend a lot of time studying for quizzes and exams. Snacking on fruits and vegetables is inexpensive. It’s a better choice than eating chips, cookies, and candy. Some of us are allergic to certain fruits and vegetables but we’re not allergic to all of them. We’re capable of eating different kinds. Taste the rainbow and eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables.