| Students should think about what they put into their bodies |
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| Written by Jacob Becker, The Shorthorn columnist | ||||
| Thursday, 18 February 2010 05:31 PM | ||||
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If you knew what was in that, you wouldn’t put it in your mouth. In our daily lives of college, we are constantly learning more, despite our efforts to be mindless in front of the computer most of the time. Many mysteries of life are explained in the lab, in books and in the dorms. But one mystery remains for most of us and that is what we are eating on a day-to-day basis. We know the food brands for sure. From Pizza Hut to the infamous Ramen Noodles, our diet too often involves our minds digesting only the brand names, and leaving our stomach to sort out the rest. With all the talk on health care in the nation, I can’t help but wonder if there is as much concern given to your daily meal’s nutritional cost and benefits as health care reform. Despite political preference there is change everyone can believe in, change that is provided by your decisions each time you eat. According to the National Cancer Institute, obesity, high cholesterol and some types of cancer have all been directly linked to dietary choices. If more people put the effort into educating themselves on these outcomes, they would find they’ve taken a step we all can to better our health. And in turn, lose a little of the dependence for the debate on health care to end. According to The Fast Food Explorer, the Burger King’s Double Croissan’wich with ham, egg and cheese has 2,210 milligrams of sodium, which the Food and Nutrition Board suggests 2,400 milligrams per day for adults. One sandwich supplies almost the entire day’s sodium. A Wendy’s Triple cheeseburger with everything contains 60 grams of fat, Netrition.com recommends 65 grams per day, again most of the daily allotment in one sandwich. The idea that the average college student is too busy and can’t afford anything but fast food is a tired argument. Many fruits and vegetables for example are inexpensive and make a nice backpack snack. College campuses historically have been the place to ask why and push the envelope on what is accepted without question. We challenge politics, we defy social boundaries, but we often blindly forfeit the knowledge of what we put in our own mouths. It’s time we say enough of the old way of thinking and eating, so we can stand proud in front of our friends and say I know what’s in my mouth, do you? — Jacob Becker is a history freshman and columnist for The Shorthorn Views: 553 | E-mail
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