HEALTHY LIVING

Freshman 15

Help students eat a healthy diet for good grades

The “freshman 15,” a common phrase used to describe the weight gain of many college freshmen during their first year, can be a real thing. That’s not to say that everyone gains exactly 15 pounds. Actually, some students may gain more or less or not gain any weight at all. The reality is that the freshman 15 is common enough to have earned this nickname. As the eating and exercise habits affect academic success, it is important to know what brings on the freshman 15 and how junk food consumption and unhealthy eating relate to grades.

Since there is more focus placed on grade point average and academic performance in college, it is important to explore how lifestyle habits, especially eating behaviors, can influence a student’s academic success. As students enter college, their health-related habits often change as they adjust to the new environments and lack of parental guidance. It is well known that university students are far from reaching the public, national and global health recommendations when it comes to dietary habits. Research on this topic has made it clear that dietary patterns and proper nutrition should be a priority for students. Unfortunately, studies have shown that negative behaviors tend to worsen as students progress through college.

There are several factors that contribute to weight gain in the first year of college. First is establishing new

eating habits. College campuses offer unlimited choices of fast food, chips, soft drinks, calorie-loaded beverages, desserts and pizza at 3 a.m., as well as very limited cooking facilities. Second, eating while studying late at night develops bad habits of snacking on junk food. Most students don’t study during class but find themselves staying up late to study or party, and that’s when hunger pains appear. Late-night cravings could lead to overeating and binge eating, which contribute to weight gain. Eating snack foods is very convenient any time of the day. It is easy to get into a routine of regular snacking, consuming burgers, fries, chips and soft drinks. Emotional eating is a fourth common HEALTHY LIVING reason for weight gain among freshmen

BY JULIE HUDSON facing the challenge of new environments and routines, difficult classes, new relationships and perhaps homesickness. Fifth, it is true that many college students drink alcohol and so do the freshmen. Alcohol is very high in calories and contributes substantially to weight gain. Finally, lack of exercise also could lead to weight gain. Walking from class to class might feel like a workout, but the reality is that it’s not enough. For most freshmen, the demands of college life are challenging, and exercise falls low on the priority list. But regular workouts are a great way to relieve stress and could help fight off the infamous 15.

A lifestyle of junk food and fast food could bring about negative health effects. While most fast food establishments list the number of calories for each menu item, calorie counts are only part of the equation when considering food health. Fast food is typically high in sugar, salt, saturated fats, trans fats and processed preservatives and ingredients.

These foods often cause a spike in blood sugar. This can make people feel tired and actually promote hunger in a shorter amount of time. Consuming high levels of salt could lead to fluid retention and high blood pressure. Increased inflammation is a side effect of eating fast food, which does not typically contain fresh fruit and vegetables. That makes it challenging to meet the recommended amount of five servings a day. It also is very difficult to reach the recommended fiber intake on a fast-food diet.

Fast food is highly palatable, which means it activates the reward center in the brain. This trains the palate to prefer these highly processed foods.

Studies on college students show that poor eating habits negatively affect academic performance. Healthy dietary patterns have shown greater academic success, and eating breakfast is the No. 1 factor in academic success. Eating a healthy breakfast increases glucose levels, which leads to improved memory, recall, attention span and better test grades. Studies found that students who ate breakfast before exams had higher grades, and those who fasted in the morning experienced inability to recall and remember lectures and lists.

Food insecurity is a topic not to be forgotten as well. Rising food costs and inaccessibility of well-balanced meals leads students to choose fast food and soft drinks. Students facing food insecurity have reported an inability to concentrate.

Although more studies need to be performed on college students to fully learn how academic performance is affected by eating habits, it’s clear that healthy eating behaviors positively impact academic performance.

Freshman 15 is very real and remains a challenge for new college students. Studies have demonstrated that students who eat breakfast at least five days a week report much higher-grade point averages than students who eat breakfast three or fewer days per week. Fast food consumption has shown to negatively affect student success. Students who eat fast food at least seven times in a week have lower grades than students who eat fast food fewer than four times a week or not at all.

If you know and love a student heading to the new adventure of college this fall, visit this article at lakemagazine.life and send the link to that freshman. Then, follow up with a conversation and help the student develop healthy eating habits for good grades.

Julie Hudson is a certified dietician at Lake Martin Wellness Center in Dadeville.