Latson discusses healthy living

Nutritional educator Deanna Latson came GC&SU last week to discuss healthy living among college students. Latson is an internationally recognized speaker and travels the world to encourage people to educate themselves on the right types of food to eat.

Russell Auditorium was filled with GC&SU students learning about how to “Eat Right. Feel Good. Look Great.” Latson stressed the importance of making educated decisions about the food people put into their bodies.

“Statistically proven, right now, the habits that you establish are going to determine how you look and feel later in life,” Latson said.

Apparently, college students will admit that they are not the healthiest of eaters.

“We’re always on the go, and we don’t have time to fix healthy stuff,” said transfer student Erin Sewell, a music therapy major.

College students are in a transition phase of moving away from their mother’s kitchens and into a new eating environment. For most students, the cafeteria is their ultimate meal provider.

Freshman Patty Maron said she feels like Jared from Subway because all she eats in the cafeteria are subs. She said that instead of gaining the “Freshmen 15,” she might be losing weight.

“The food in here is disgusting. The only thing I eat in here is the sub(s),” Maron said.

Latson offered advice for students who complain that GC&SU’s cafeteria does not have enough healthy foods. She encouraged students to voice their opinions.

“Cafeterias are only going to change if students demand it or parents demand it,” Latson said.

Having seen hundreds of cafeterias around the world, Latson said that location has a lot to do with how healthy the food is.

“I think that students on the West Coast and East Coast are exposed to more healthy options, and they know they exist, and therefore, they demand it. Students in the Midwest and the South and other places aren’t exposed to so many healthy choices,” she said.

Latson mentioned St. Mary’s College in upstate New York, which has two cafeterias, one that serves vegetarian and organic foods and another that serves regular food. She said that it is possible that more universities are catching on to this health trend.

“There is enough healthy food,” said Sodexho employee Jane Mbatie. “I think it depends on how (people) are brought up and whether you take your health as a priority.”

Latson said that healthy living is a personal choice on how you choose to treat your body.

Still, those who blame their unhealthy eating habits on the dining hall say that the hours are not sufficient. The cafeteria closes at 7 p.m., and some students say that’s why they turn to fast food for a hunger fix. Many restaurants are open later, and drive-thrus are sometimes open all night.

Latson spoke about her reliance on fast food when she was in college and even claimed that McDonald’s was her personal chef for three years. On average, she ate there four to five times a week.

But in her lecture last week, Latson said, “Fast food is the bottom of the barrel junk food. It doesn’t get any worse.”

Latson believes that not enough people know what is actually going into their bodies. She thinks that people are being educated by doctors and by the media. Latson said that even doctors know very little about nutrition. She said that, on average, American doctors spend 10,000 hours on medical training and only 2.5 hours on nutritional training.

“If you walk out of here with one thing only today, let it be this: Just because food is on the shelf does not mean it is safe for you. It is your job to learn what is safe and what is not,” Laston said.

Laston also said that hundreds of medical doctors and researchers believe cancer is directly related to pollutants, chemicals and toxins that we consume or put into the environment. More than 70 percent of what ails us today is directly related to what we eat.

Art major Jennifer Wilkerson said, “They’re not educated about exactly what is put into processed food.”

Latson believes students have gotten lazy and developed rotten habits. She said that a lot of college students today would rather spend money on alcohol than on healthier foods.

Latson admitted that healthy food is more expensive, but she said that it’s worthwhile to invest in it now.

“People end up spending a ton on healthy stuff later on, when they are dying,” Latson said. “Then they’re willing to dish out left and right.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 14 2005. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry