The fear of the 'Freshman 15': Attaining nutritional literacy
For generations of incoming college students, the notion of the “Freshman 15” has been feared.
“The belief that college students gain 15lbs during freshman year is widespread, yet the evidence for this is limited,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
More likely, poor nutritional habits, stemming from a lack of nutritional knowledge and resources, are what perpetuates the idea of the dreaded “Freshman 15.”
Nutritional literacy
“Lack of nutritional literacy among first year students is a huge contributing factor for poor nutritional health,” said Dr. Keith Whitworth, who teaches health, medicine and illness.
But for many, like Preston Miller, a senior kinesiology major, the transition to college-living makes healthy choices hard to find.
“A challenge that I faced when I came to TCU was not being able to find health places to eat outside of the BLUU," he said.
TCU’s newly recruited dietitian, Maddie Jacobs, helps students navigate this transition and support students in their nutritional health journeys.
“Some of the biggest issues I see first-year students facing are navigating mental health and food and learning how to discern nutrition facts from fiction,” Jacobs said.
College students can turn to social media as a resource for nutritional literacy. Unfortunately, some spread inaccurate nutritional information.
“One of the main goals of my Instagram page, @thehealthyfrog, is to help students find trusted sources of nutrition information,” Jacobs said. “Registered Dietitians (RDs) are experts in food and nutrition, so they are the best people to talk to for trusted nutrition advice.”
She also recommends incoming students prepare themselves for nutritional independence before college starts.
“Familiarize yourself with cooking and reading recipes while still in high school,” Jacobs said. “If someone in your family enjoys cooking, try joining them in the kitchen and preparing food with them.”
Learning healthy habits that students can use in college and for years to come is Jacob’s mission.
“If you have questions about navigating dining, food allergies, or general nutrition advice, I always love meeting with students and helping them achieve their health goals,” she said.
The Unhealthy Default Reality
Despite the resources available, the widespread availability of fast food and the convenience of DoorDash or Uber Eats leads to the increasing temptations to choose unhealthy foods.
This is known as the Unhealthy Default Reality, which is “the combination of automatic choices and dominant social norms that make unhealthy choices vastly easier to make then healthy ones,” according to The Healthy Deviant.
In 1989, The Slow Food movement originated in Italy, following the increased popularity of fast food. By focusing on locally grown and nutritionally rich food, this world-wide movement raised awareness to the decreasing interest in a healthy diet.
“My advice to students would be to go the store and get healthy snack options so you don’t have to resort to unhealthy options,” Felicity Holdsworth, a junior communications major, said.
The Nutritional Impact
Ultimately, the impacts of positive nutritional habits stretch beyond avoiding the “Freshman 15.”
“Benefits of a healthy diet include not only improved academic success but also physical, emotional and psychological aspects,” Whitworth said. “Healthy eating habits can also have ramifications on one’s social life,”
He added that there is significant research to shows eating with others is very important and can improve all aspects of one’s health.
Sophomore biology major, Creighton Wilkerson, said, “I brought my nutritional habits from home to school, but I was also given the opportunity to share my passion of food with many of my friends.”
Wilkerson said he learned how to barbecue from his dad and brothers in high school.
“Teaching my fraternity brothers how to cook is one of my favorite memories,” he said, and added that he even grills for the Delta Tau Delta tailgates.
“Our mental health can have a profound impact on our nutritional status, and vice versa, so I always encourage students to utilize the multitude of wellness resources available at TCU and think about their health as a machine with many moving parts,” Jacobs said. “If one part is in need of maintenance, it will start to impact the functioning of the whole machine”.
With the correct preparation and utilizing resources that TCU provides, incoming students can avoid the stress associated with the “Freshman 15”.
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