Food and drink is the fuel of our mind, brain, and bodies – so it would make good sense to feed the body good food and drink especially during ones college years as it is a time of great potential – for mental, physical, and spiritual growth. Yet, it is clearly evident by simply observing the eating habits of students around college campuses that good nutrition is not always the first priority. On campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I find the food options at the food courts very limited in terms of fresh healthful choices. There are many fast food options like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, as well as Chinese take out, Starbucks, and a handful of other small take out shops. There are some healthful vegetarian stalls located around the campus that offer tasty and healthy fare, though overall the majority of options at UH lean more towards the fast food type fare.

Although I am by no way a nutritionist, I have observed that a large portion of students drink too much soda, energy drinks, and refined carbohydrates such as muffins, chips, and other pastries. It is my belief that if students just take the initiative to change a few habits – big results can happen. If for example, a student stops drinking five or six sodas a week and instead drink more fresh water per week, that student will take in around 1200 less calories and 90 less teaspoons of sugar per week. In addition, that student will stop taking in such acidic drinks which are not good in general for the body, and instead be taking in more alkaline water that has a cleansing and regenerative effect on the human body. Next, if a student skips the 600 calorie muffin full of nothing but sugar, empty carbs, and trans fats and replaces with say a whole wheat muffin with peanut butter, fruit jelly, and a banana, that student should be able to avoid a rapid drop in blood sugar and instead be vitalized with prolonged energy as well as consuming much-need nutrients.

Despite the lack of much healthy eating options on campus, the real problem lies with how students view nutrition and make their food choices. This could be possibly attributed to the fact that many students have hectic schedules with not much time to plan and make healthful dishes or find businesses that serve healthy food that is tasty. With that in mind, I don’t expect that my article will cause a student to greatly overhaul their diet, but I hope that this article will shed some awareness about the issue and perhaps influence a student to make small changes in their diet that can really make a difference in their health and performance at school.

~Jennifer Tsukamoto