THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Another game, another rival
Kansas travels to Manhattan Saturday to play 11th-ranked K-State. GAMEDAY | 8A
Kansas officially became the 34th state in the Union 149 years ago today.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 121 ISSUE 87
HEALTHY LIVING
Counting up unseen calories
WENDY'S GRILLED CHICKEN GO WRAP
LEAN CUISINE SHRIMP AND ANGEL HAIR PASTA
BY SAMANTHA FOSTER sfoster@kansan.com
Alex Nelson, a junior from Lincoln, Neb., tries to keep her calorie intake between 1,500 to 2,000 every day. She said she watches her diet because she is on a blood thinner.
"I try to make sure I don't eat too many greens in one day. I try to keep it consistent," Nelson said. "I try to watch saturated fats and keep that low."
However closely Nelson counts her calories, she and other students may need to reevaluate how they calculate them.
A recent study published by the American Dietetic Association said the calorie counts on frozen meals in stores were not accurate. On average, the calorie counts are 8 percent higher than reported on the package. At restaurants that
offer reduced-calorie items, calorie counts were off by an average of 18 percent.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends a daily calorie intake of 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men. Adjust these to allow for an 8 percent package discrepancy and the recommended intake becomes 1,840 for women and 2,300 for men.
Although the disparity between the stated and actual calorie counts seems large, it does fall within acceptable guidelines set by the FDA. Packaged foods are allowed to be off by up to 20 percent, and the FDA does not have a limit on restaurant calorie counts.
Susan Roberts, a professor at Tufts University and one of the study's researchers, said the current standards were outdated.
"It's a hangover from 20 years ago when we didn't worry about what we ate," she said.
Roberts said the study's results suggest that people who were trying to keep track of their calorie intake should add an extra 8 percent onto the stated calorie count.
Laura Grace, a sophomore from Rossville, said she used the nutrition labels to help her choose between items before she bought them.
"I look at the calories labeled as guidance to what to buy," Grace said. "I still eat things that aren't healthy. I watch my portions, and the calories help me determine a good portion size."
Grace said she wasn't surprised by labeling discrepancies.
"I guess you can only take what food companies give you and have some trust in them," Grace said. "You can either choose to believe it or not."
While students such as Grace try to track calories, Scott Ogilvie, a sophomore from Basehor,
said he doesn't bother.
"I eat a lot of food but it's all healthy stuff."
Ogilvie said, "I just wing it. I know when something's bad for me."
Ogilvie is on KU crew. While he doesn't check nutrition labels he does avoid eating certain foods. "I try to stay away from desserts, anything with a lot of sugar or a lot of fat," he said.
Grace, Nelson and Ogilvie each said they combined efforts to eat right with regular exercise. Ogilvie said he could tell when he didn't have the right balance between eating and exercising.
"I just know when I'm eating too much and not working out enough." Ogilvie said. "I can kind of feel it."
The rest of us have to rely on faulty labels.
FINANCE
Tax credit motivates first-time homebuyers
Edited by Taylor Bern
BY JENNY TERRELL jterrell@kansan.com
Many recent graduates are enticed by the federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers, but purchasers need to be sure that they are financially stable before signing the contracts. This is of particular interest to recent college graduates that have to pay off their student loans.
"There are lots of little things you have to do that you don't think about at first — you have to get new locks," said Scott Bird, 2009 graduate.
A home stands for sale on Iowa Street in Lawrence. Many college students will face the stresses of buying a home after graduating college.
Bird purchased a house in June of 2009 and said his decision to buy a home was greatly influenced by the $8,000 tax credit from the federal economic stimulus package. Bird said the most
Lisa Huk, a 2009 graduate, and her fiance, Brandon Blawusch, are looking to purchase a home in Louisburg, and have been eying the market over the past nine months. Huk does not have student loans to pay back, but Blawusch does, which limits their housing budget to approximately $700-$800 a month. They have
Bird was glad that his parents were there to walk him through the process. Because Bird graduated with a degree in finance, he said he did feel like he was informed about loans.
challenging thing was finding the right house and determining what he really wanted.
Tanner Grubbs/KANSAN
"It's a lot to think about for a 22-year-old man," Bird said. "I never really cared about where I lived before."
discovered how hard it is to find a single-family home under those conditions. The shaky economy
also has the couple practicing caution when buying a house.
SEE HOUSING ON PAGE 3A
BY ALEESE KOPF akopf@kansan.com
HEALTH
The blood supply at the Community Blood Center has been steadily low for the past week. Stann Tate, director of marketing at the CBC, said the supply even reached critical shortage for two or three days in the past week.
The Community Blood Center is the agency that collects and distributes blood to more than 70 near-by hospitals, including the University of Kansas Hospital and the Lawrence Memorial Hospital. In order to effectively supply area hospitals, the center needs approximately 580 units
A shortage of blood donation, such as the center experienced in the past week, is a dangerous problem. The shortage prevents the center from maintaining its preferred two to three day supply of blood in order to meet the demands of the hospitals.
of red blood cells, which means 580 individual donations per day said Tate.
"We're sort of like a police or fire department." Tate said.
"We're there when you need us."
Just as police and fire departments require the correct personnel and equipment to respond to life-threatening situations, the center requires sufficient
SEE BLOOD ON PAGE 3A
index
Classifieds...7A
Crossword...4A
Horoscopes...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
All contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Famous author remembered
J. D Salinger, who wrote the famous novel "The Catcher in the Rye," died at 91. **OBITUARY | 3A**
weather
TODAY
24 6
Speak throne
SATURDAY
25 14
Partly cloudy
SUNDAY
31 22
Partly cloudy
---