by Keri Burson
Daily Lobo
While many freshmen have prepared themselves for the stress and hustle associated with college life, some don't realize they might end up with a little more than they expected - around the waist.
The infamous "freshman 15," or the 15 lbs. students are rumored to gain their freshman year, is caused in part by students making unwise food decisions, said Sarah Byrd, a nutrition peer consultant and UNM senior. Often, college is the first time students completely control their food choices.
"It's a crucial point where they are beginning to build their own habits, so it's important to make the right ones," Byrd said.
A study conducted by David A. Levinsky, professor of nutritional sciences and psychology at Cornell University, shows that the all-you-can-eat buffets many colleges offer their students can contribute to weight gain.
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"(Levinsky) notes that various studies show that humans tend to eat the amount of food they are served, and when students take large portions, they are apt to consume them," the university's Web site states.
Carole Conn, a registered dietician and assistant nutrition professor at UNM, said living on campus is not the problem - bad dietary choices are.
"If you live off campus you can still go way overboard on what you eat," Conn said. "I don't think it's a particular danger to live on campus; you make your own food choices either way."
Eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and watching portion sizes, especially at fast food restaurants and buffets, will help students maintain their weight, Byrd said.
Foods that have more water such as salads and soups, Conn said, are less likely to contribute to weight gain than heavier foods.
Other causes that lead to weight gain are stress, time constraints and an overall change in lifestyle, Byrd said.
"College students' lives are busier than ever," said Rachel Armenta, a senior nursing major. "Even if a student knows how to cook they tend to do it less because it's much quicker to grab fast food or ready-to-eat processed foods, which tend to be much higher in fat and calories and lower in nutrition."
Typically, female freshmen are more prone to weight gain than males, even though the women are eating the same amount of calories, Conn said.
"A woman of the same height and weight as a man will tend to gain more on the same caloric level," she said.
The reason, she added, is that men tend to have more lean muscle tissue and less fat, which helps them burn more calories.
Weight loss is not the only reason to eat healthy foods, Byrd said. Other benefits of a healthy diet include stress management and disease prevention. Diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular illness and diabetes are all related to diet, she said.
The Student Health Center offers free appointments for any student interested in speaking with a nutrition peer counselor. Students can call 277-0851 for an appointment beginning Sept. 15.
