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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2001
Many University of Kansas students spend their breaks between classes at the Kansas Union in search of a quick snack, which can result in eating unhealthy meals.
Fast lives and fast food often find college students breaking the TRADITION OF NUTRITION
Story by Louise Stauffer Photos by Aaron Showalter
some are eating it for taste, some are eating it for nutrition, and some are
eating whatever takes the least amount of time. But almost everyone is eating lunch every day.
Rea Tarr, New York City graduate student (above, right) eats her daily salad at the Kansas Union last week. Tarr said she never tires of salads, either bringing one from home or buying one from the Union.
Whether it's at Wesco Terrace, Kansas Union, a residence hall cafeteria or out of a paper sack, most students eat a mid-day meal. What's in it—and whether it's good for them—is the question.
Several students eating lunch on campus were asked to describe the contents of their lunches.
Andrea Hanka, a dietician who
works in the energy lab at Robinson Gymnassium, was asked to comment on the nutritional value of the student's lunches. Hanka also provided tips on how to eat a healthy lunch.
Sarah Hull, Augusta freshman, and Sam Sphar, Leon sophomore, laughed when asked to describe the contents of their lunches purchased at the cafeteria in the Kansas Union. They acknowledged that the lunches lacked nutritional value. Their plates had a combination of Pizza Hut breadsticks, a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza, rice with soy sauce from the new cafeteria's Pepper Sticks Grill, Skittles candy,
and Mr. Pibb and water to drink
"Unless they are getting their five servings of fruits and vegetables somewhere else, the lunch is not nutritious enough." Hanka said.
Hull and Sphar said they did not eat in the Union cafeteria every day.
noodles, and a can of tuna.
"Sometimes I go home and make lunch, or else I just wait until dinner," Sphar said. He said a typical lunch made at home would include pasta, such as Lipton
Hanka, who also has a master's degree in nutrition, said Sphar's home-cooked lunch of pasta and tuna sounded like the best choice for a lunch.
"I eat cereal and fruit there, but not the already cooked stuff," Hull said.
Hull, who lives in Corbin Hall, said that when eating at the Gertrude Sellards Pearson-Corbin cafeteria for lunch, she never ate the prepared food.
"That lunch has a lot of saturated fat," Hanka said. "Eating like that every day could lead to a weight problem. It is not heart-healthy."
"Tuna is great if it's packed in water, Hanka said. "It is low in fat and high in protein."
Rastad Al-Zahrani, a freshman from Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, was eating a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza and Burger King french fries for lunch
protect
While some students choose to eat unhealthy, some eat that way because they think they have no other option.
Al-Zahrani said he ate lunch with those types of foods every day because he could not find foods he liked from his homeland.
"At home I do not eat like this, but here I do," Al-Zahrani said. "At home I eat fresh foods."
Mery Wijata, a Jakarta, Indonesia
junior, had a lunch of ramen noodle soup and a salad with tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli in Wescoe Terrace.
Hanka rated this lunch as pretty good.
"Ramen noodles aren't the healthiest things in the world," she said. However, she approved of the salad. "Just make sure that salads have a light dressing, or vinegar and oil."
Hanka said it was what students added to salads that made them unhealthy, such as high-fat cheese or salad dressing.
Rea Tarr, New York City graduate student, was eating a salad at the cafeteria in the Kansas Union.
"I usually have a salad every day for lunch." Tarr said. Tarr said that if she didn't buy a salad on campus, she would make one at home.
"The turkey and macaroni salads probably have a lot of mayonaise in them," Hanka said.
Some students, such as Ira Allen, Dryden, N.Y., senior, shake things up by varying their daily lunch choices.
Tarr's salad, which included lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, chicken, turkey and macaroni, was rated a "pretty good" choice by Hanka. Hanka said to increase the nutritional value of the salad, Tarr should substitute raw vegetables for the turkey and macaroni salad.
"It's entirely random each day." Allen said, "Sometimes it's pizza, sometimes it's a salad, sometimes it make a sandwich at home." Allen was about to eat a king-size Snickers as an "after-school treat." He said the bagel and chips he had earlier in the day weren't enough to satisfy him.
Many students choose to pack a sack lunch at home with items they buy at the grocery store.
Hanka said the reason Allen was craving the Snickers bar was because his lunch hadn't been nutritious and filling enough.
"Foods such as carbohydrates leave the stomach earlier. He should try adding peanut butter to that bagel," Hanka said.
Hanka recommended foods such as Ultra Slim Fast bars or energy bars for students who eat on the go. She also said that juice boxes, fruit, baby carrots and peanut butter sandwiches were good for a packed lunch.
"The less processed fast food, the beter." Hanka said.
"I usually bring a protein bar or a tuna sandwich to campus for lunch, or else I go home." Oliva said.
tell. Harah said.
Dan Oliva, Blue Springs, Mo. senior,
had the right idea when he was shopping at
the Hy-Vee at 3504 Clinton Parkway.
Oliva said he was usually a very healthy
eater and stayed away from the candy
and junk food aisles in the store.
Paige Brown, Amarillo, Texas, freshman, was shopping for groceries at SuperTarget on 3201 Iowa Street. Brown, who lives in Naismith Hall, said she made a big effort to buy healthy foods.
"Growing up, I ate really healthy. My mom was really strict about that," Brown said.
Because Brown plays for the KU women's tennis team, she has access to a nutritionist, whom she has visited for advice. Brown said she tried to buy low-fat foods, and bought foods such as cereal and fruit.
Hanka said foods such as cereal are smart choices because they are usually fortified with vitamins and minerals. But she also said to watch for high-calorie content in some types of cereals.
All students aren't as disciplined as Brown when grocery shopping. Troy Ouich, Hutchinson junior, said he didn't always try to eat healthy foods.
"I eat a lot more ramen now than I did at home. There's no more food cooking here," Ouich said. He said when he cooked, it was usually something that took less than five minutes to prepare.
Hanka said that whatever students chose to eat for lunch, it was important not to skip meals.
"Sometimes I make an attempt," Quich said.
Ouich said his eating habits had changed since moving away from home. However, when shopping at Hy-Vee, Oich was picking out fruit in the produce aisle.
"If you skip a meal, you run the risk of getting really hungry and pigging out later on."
Contact Stauffer at 864-4810
Rashad Al-Zahrani, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, freshman, eats a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza and Burger King french fries for lunch at the Kansas Union last week. Al-Zahrani said he ate fast food often because KU didn't offer the foods he liked from his homeland.