It's Hard to Live Well
Gotta Love New York.
NYU is one of the best Universities in the Nation and because of that its also one of the most stressful. If any of you have ever been to University you know that the switch to there from high school, while incredibly subjective to the individual, is still drastic. Mom and Dad aren't there to help anymore which can be terrifying. I know for me personally it was terrifying. The whole purpose of starting this blog was so that you wouldnt follow in my footsteps and give in to the potentially horrible effects of what the standard collegiate student calls their diet.
A little Perspective.
I was about 18 years old and a built 175 when I left home to go to college. a Latino household that feeds you regularly and active lifestyle will do that to a young person, but when I came back from University I scared my parents half to death. in one semester I dropped to 159, and it wasn't from my "active lifestyle", because I didnt have time for any of that. I was too focused on trying to manage my hectic schedule. Often were the times that I would sacrifice meals just to finish assignments and I obviously lost an incredibly unhealthy amount of weight. Not good. That is why I am providing this blog for all of you: do not do what I did. Educate yourselves about food and how to eat healthily. Freshman 15 can go both ways, neither of them healthy.
Live Well: NYU
finally to the real article, I would like to start by telling you that NYU offers a huge campus, even city-wide, program that encourages all students to work out and eat healthily every day. Live Well is listed on NYU's website under Priorities which is a huge boon to the campus and student body. They actively are trying to lower their students BMI, Consumption of Soda, and Obesity.
The organization lists some startling facts on their website, All of which are backed up with about 24 different sources... these guys dont play around.
The page states that 24.3% of their students are overweight with 6% being considered Obese, which, for a city where people walk everywhere, seems a little high.
"On Average College Students eat at fast food restaurants about 1-3 times a week"
... Honestly I can't even criticize this one because I still do this...
Live Well finally states that, compared to other age groups, "Soft drink intake is highest among 19-39 year old's. That is the exact age group one would expect to be in college.
My point with these facts and quotes is that we are living in an environment where eating poorly is almost encouraged. Colleges do not provide any sort of healthy alternatives for students while were losing our minds about a term paper or a math test, so we turn to McDonalds or Redbull just to get us through the night. Oh and btw, if they say their dining hall is healthy, they're lying.
Conclusion
Live Well: NYU provides some terrifying statistics and horrible perspective on this formative part of our lives but its not to just scare the hell out of us. Its to raise awareness so that we can do something about it. Even knowing about how unhealthy this is can be an edge when feeding yourself. Just try to stick to the words of Micheal Pollan: "Eat Food, Not too much, Mostly plants"
Stay Concious and Ill get some more recipes to you soon.
-B
http://www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-wellness/live-well-nyu/priority-areas/nutrition.html
Communications, NYU Web. “Nutrition.” NYU, Live Well NYU, 2016, www.nyu.edu/life/safety-health-wellness/live-well-nyu/priority-areas/nutrition.html. Accessed 24 July 2017.