Healthy Foods & The Cost of Trying to eat Healthy (Brae Foust)
Why does it always seem like getting fit is impossible, not just for college students, but anybody in general? Not only does it feel like that, but why does it also seem like getting fit also costs a new mortgage payment on the house just to eat right? Is this a reason for obesity numbers to skyrocket amongst young people? These are just a few questions I stumbled upon while researching about healthy foods and why it feels impossible to get or consume. Wondering myself why a trip to McDonalds to get a couple McDoubles feels better and easier on the wallet than making, or even purchasing, a meal better suited for the human body.
In this article, we will be looking at a different variety of sources revolving around healthy choices for, mainly college students, but also for the public in general, including a testament from a fellow student and her struggles with healthy eating, hindsight from a restaurant owner serving up some healthy dishes, and other articles, including those researched from across the globe, about changes in eating behavior for students as well.
Jennifer Hilger, Mannheim Institute of Public Health, Social and Preventive Medicine from Mannheim, Heidelberg University in Mannheim, Germany, decided to look at some common barriers to healthy eating for young adults in her article ‘Eating behaviour of university students in Germany: Dietary intake, barriers to healthy eating and changes in eating behaviour since the time of matriculation.’ In her findings, she discovered that ‘The main barriers to healthy eating were lack of time due to studies, lack of healthy meals at the university canteen, and high prices of healthy foods.’ Now keep in mind that this was done with a pool of a little under 700 students in Germany, but it was still staggering to me that these issues are not just local, but global.
Personally, I read this article and felt as if this was speaking towards me and telling me that I wasn’t alone. It’s tough to find time in this world, in general, to make a commitment when we are almost too busy to even try to stay fit. Nayeli Soto, a student at West Texas A&M, goes into detail on this same topic as well in an audio interview I did for this piece. But again, this seems like it’s hurting mainly young, college students. Now why is that?
Giovanni sogari, Catalina Velez-Argumedo, Miguel L. Gomez, and Christina Mora decided to look specifically at the problem with eating habits in college students in their article, ‘College Students and Eating Habits: A Study Using An Ecological Model for Healthy Behavior.’ Thru focus groups and peer research, they determined almost matching results from Hilger’s report. However, they also found out that ‘Parental food behavior and friends’ social pressure were considered to have both positive and negative influences on individual eating habits.’ So along with time restraints and with high priced food, we can also add ‘peer pressure’ to the mix of problems related to difficulties to eating healthy.
With all of this data, it feels as if this an open-shut case as to why young people are eating badly: time problems, too expensive, and social pressures. But could there be another reason? Is there something else making it feel impossible to eat healthy? Could it be supply and demand issues that we face daily, or the fact that our resources can only go so far for this country? Well that’s what Derek Headey and Harold Alderman decided to look into with their research post ‘The High Price of Healthy Food... And the Low Price of Unhealthy Food.’
In their research, they wanted to focus on what are known as relative Caloric Prices, or RCPs, of key foods by region. Basically, looking at food prices in certain areas of specific food items, such as eggs, milk, and sugary snacks. What they found out was remarkable.
What they determined was that ‘As countries develop, their food systems get better at providing healthier foods cheaply, but they also get better at providing unhealthier foods cheaply. Hence the problem in less developed countries is that poor people also live in poor food systems.’ Long story short, the way we produce foods and produce is much better gives equal opportunity for unhealthy foods to improve.
I am a college student myself, I am obese for my height and age, and I want to eat healthy and start dieting, especially since I recently became a father. But after reading and researching these topics and talking to many interesting people and hearing their opinions, I feel almost depressed and hopeless to even try. I feel like I already have too much on my plate in life, with a job, being a full-time student, and adding being a parent, it feels too much of a hassle to even attempt to get back into shape.
My word of advice for some that are struggling, including me, would be to recognize that getting healthy is a commitment. It is a time and money commitment that you will need to accept to achieve your goals. Wake up early and do some jogging, think about what meals you can prep rather than stopping at Wendy’s, get a friend to help you out and become your workout buddy. It’s not impossible, it’s just choices you have to make to improve your lives healthier. I can’t make you eat the broccoli, but I can say that purchasing those green trees at an extra cost is an investment for your future.
Headey, D., & Alderman, H. (2019, July 24). The high price of healthy food . . . and the low price of unhealthy food. https://www.ifpri.org/blog/high-price-healthy-food-. . .-and-low-price-unhealthy-food
Hilger, J. (2017, November 11). Eating behaviour of university students in Germany: Dietary intake, barriers to healthy eating and changes in eating behaviour since the time of matriculation. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666316307462
Sogari, G., Gomez, M., Mora, C., & Velez-Argumedo, C. (2018, November 23). College Students and Eating Habits: A Study Using An Ecological Model for Healthy Behavior. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/12/1823/htm
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