Gaining the freshman 15 in college

 Gaining the freshman 15 in college can be a scary thought for many incoming freshmen. But it’s not unavoidable. It all depends on the choices we make. Gaining the freshman 15 in college really stems from the lack of better choices of food that we choose to consume.

            On many campuses the convenience of vending machines with yummy snacks offers an alternative to going to the cafeteria to buy something healthy to eat. Instead of cookies and chips, try a piece of fruit with yogurt instead. Fast food restaurants commonly locate close to many campuses providing a cheap and tasty opportunity over a nice balanced meal that one can prepare for oneself controlling what ingredients to include or not. It’s true that many fast food restaurants have many different salads on their menus that seem to be a quite healthy choice to make, however, the killer is in the salad dressing you put in. These dressings commonly are high in fat, as we know it, the more dressing, the tastier our salads are to our taste buds. So next time, take it lighter with the dressing.

            For many freshmen who go away for college, it proves to be a stressful experience. Being exposed in a totally unfamiliar environment, far away from home, even homesick can make one use food for stress relief or to heal their emotional ups and downs. These occasions contribute to gaining the freshman 15 in college put on by many students, who for many of them for the first time, have full and total control over themselves with no supervision from a parent or guardian. An occasional treat to remind us of our lovely homes that we miss so much is not a crime, but proportion is the key. If it happens to be a tasty cheesecake that reminds you of your beautiful home and family, don’t down the whole cheesecake by yourself, buy a small slice, or share with your dorm buddies. They miss their homes too. Gaining the freshman 15 is also facilitated by the large amount of alcohol consumption by many college students especially in parties and other social gatherings.

            Another convenience provided by many campuses is the ease of transportation by the elevators and escalators. Instead of taking the stairs, many college students turn to our escalators and elevators. Adequate exercise is also essential for a healthy body to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Not only a balance meal, but ample exercise can help prevent gaining the freshman 15 in college.