How students stay healthy on campus

Abdullah Karabatek, Contributing Writer

Food is one of the top concerns among college students alongside mental health and stress, according to Medicat.

Only 17% of students reported eating three servings or more of fruit, and 29% reported eating three or more servings of vegetables daily, according to a study conducted by the American College Health Association.

Food prices increased 5% from 2022 to 2023 — fresh fruits and vegetables respectively increased in price by 0.7% and 0.9% that year, according to USDA. However, sugar and sweets increased in price by 8.7%.

Andrew Carr, a second-year art student, said he goes to the dining halls and shops for groceries. He said he focuses on protein so he tries to maximize the “cost per calorie.”

“I don’t worry about what I eat, I just try to make sure I’m eating enough,” Carr said.

Chris Chavez, a third-year student and member of the club soccer team, eats on campus with swipes. He said he likes to go to Panda Express and thinks Subway is the healthiest choice.

“If you want to eat healthy, you have the option to,” Chavez said.

Chavez said he eased himself into cooking for himself by making his own breakfast before getting access to a bigger kitchen.

“I would meal-prep some chicken, some rice, some vegetables and put that in Tupperware for a day or two of eating,” Chavez said.

Brendan Carreron, a second-year communication arts major, has a small meal plan and also eats at local restaurants. On campus, he tends towards Shake Smart, which he thinks is the healthiest.

“Every other place on campus is fast food,” Carreron said.

Carreron said he tries to prioritize nutrition over cost now, although he said choosing healthy food all the time “comes at a cost.”

“I switched up the way I ate over the summer because I started cooking for myself, I started watching what I ate,” Carreron said.

Ammar Mohiuddin, a third-year biology and bioinformatics student, also buys his own groceries and cooks for himself.

Mohiuddin said he puts in effort to have the recommended amount of three meals a day.

“I wake up an hour or more before my earliest class or whenever I am leaving to make sure I have time for breakfast,” Mohiuddin said.

The NCHA study found over 50% of students had breakfast almost every day. Mohiuddin said when he eats breakfast he leans towards fruit rather than a cereal that is high in sugar.

“The biggest thing for me is I avoid eating sugar, I am not really necessarily adding those unhealthy snacks,” Mohiuddin said. “I am just replacing them with an apple or banana, I feel it allows me to be full.”

Mohiuddin said by replacing snacks with fruit he also gets to save money.

When faced with the challenge of balancing nutrition with cost, many students turn to campus dining options like Shake Smart or Shafer Court, which offers several “mini-restaurants,” according to VCU Dining.

Second-year graphic design student Angelina Arias said she shops for her own groceries and considers how much she’s spending.

Arias said she uses her swipes at Shafer because it has “a bit of everything” and although she sees nutrition as a priority, her classes can cause plans for meals to fall through.

Arias said education on proper nutrition could also be another key component of incorporating proper nutrition into someone’s diet.

“I would also say I did not learn much about nutrition in my school,” Arias said.