Weight gain a heavy issue for students
Tips for avoiding the infamous ‘freshman 15
KIM MISUTKA THE GATEWAY (UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA)
EDMONTON (CUP) — First-year university students — or all university students for that matter — tend to gain weight during the academic year, but according to experts, preventing the freshman 15 is no different than following what you’ve been taught your entire life: make healthy choices and get adequate exercise and sleep.
Althea Livingston, food ombudsperson at a University of Alberta residence, explains that being away from home is new to many students, and in an environment with no restrictions on food, it’s easy to gain weight.
“For a lot of people it is the first time on their own, and they think it is kind of exciting to be able to buy whatever they want,” Livingston says. “You have to sort of think about it though. Yeah, it is fun, but do I want to suffer the consequences of eating junk food for a whole year?”
According to Livingston, it isn’t impossible to eat healthy while living in residence, but people need to be careful about what they’re consuming. She advises staying away from deep-fried foods and watching portion sizes.
“A lot of the entrees are pretty big and a lot of people don’t know you can order half-orders, or just get sides or a vegetarian option,” Livingston says.
Kim Flatt — a vice-president of U of A student-run volunteer kitchen Health Nuts — says the freshman 15 can be avoided with the right mindset.
“It’s easy not to notice you’re gaining weight until your clothes start getting tight,” Flatt says. “Even then, between academic, work, social life, etc., health isn’t always a top priority.”
“But living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t need to take a lot of time. It can be as simple as getting off the bus a few stops early, taking the stairs to class instead of the elevator and packing a lunch instead of grabbing a burger.”
And, though going out is a part of the university way of life, a couple drinks too many could lead to more than a hangover.
“Often students don’t realize the amount of energy they may consume in a night out at the bar. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram so it is quite energy-dense. Top it off with some pizza and chicken wings, you’ve probably consumed enough energy to constitute an entire meal,” Flatt says.
Charlotte Varem-Sanders, a registered dietician with U of A’s Athletic Nutrition Services, explains that putting on a couple pounds is a lot easier than most people realize: “3,500 calories extra intake will help you gain one pound. This can add up slowly.”
In addition to being conscious of what you put inside your body, Flatt stresses that staying healthy is a lifestyle choice, and points out that there are many resources available on campus to help students stay on track.
“Campus recreation intramurals and programs are an excellent opportunity to stay active and meet new people,” Flatt says. “Healthy eating is a matter of choice, and can mean planning ahead for meals during classes, what groceries you need, etc.”
Calorie Counter
Many students don’t know how many calories are in the foods they consume day-in and day-out. Here is a handy list of foods commonly eaten by university students, along with the calorie counts of each, so you know what is tipping the scales. So eat, drink and be wary.
Total calories
Pizza:
14” pepperoni pizza
2,647
Beer:
Heineken Premium Light Beer
99
Beck’s Dark Beer
150
Budweiser
145
Corona Extra
147
Corona Light
105
Molson Canadian
150
Stella Artois
135
Samuel Adams Light
124
Mike’s Hard Lemonade
240
Smirnoff Vodka Ice, Triple Black
253
Fruit:
Medium banana
105
Medium apple
72
Large orange
86
Tomato
22
Peach
31
50 blueberries
39
Tim Horton’s:
Chocolate chip muffin
430
Low-fat blueberry muffin
290
Subway:
Chicken breast on Italian bread (6”) 330
Meatball marinara on Italian bread (6”)
560
Miscellaneous:
1 Figaroo Fig Bar
150
1 McDonald’s hamburger
260
1 can Coca-Cola
140
1 hot dog with bun, ketchup
365
2 tablespoons peanut butter
188
1 medium baked potato
161
—All information above collected from www.calorieking.com.
