California Baptist University offers students an all-you-can-eat buffet in the Alumni Dining Commons, quick snacks at Wanda’s Cafe and filling to-go meals at Brisco’s. But with all this “good” food offered on campus, students find themselves wondering if this “good” food is good for their bodies, or if it would be healthier to just eat at home.
Some students, like Kristina Regier, said that they eat healthier outside the eating facilites on campus.
“I eat healthier at home because I feel like I have more time on my hands and don’t have to grab whatever is accessible because I’m on the run,” Regier said.
Another reason students feel that they eat healthier at home is the simple fact of picky tastes. The ADC may not serve what the student likes very often, so they don’t eat as much. Despite the great variety the ADC may have, some people are just creatures of habit and don’t like eating different foods.
An argument regarding why eating at school could be healthier, according to some is that, at home, students are out-and-about and never think about stopping to eat. When they do, it’s fast food because it’s easily accessible and quick.
But because CBU requires residents to have a minimum amount of meals per week, a wasted meal swipe is wasted money, so they have incentive to stop and eat somewhere on campus in order to “get what they paid for.”
Others say that they eat healthier at CBU, because at home there are more junk food options. Many students grew up with working parents who only had time to cook a microwaveable or “ready to serve” meal.
Not only is time a factor in why students change their eating habits between school and home but they also change the things that they eat.
Some students feel that, at home, their parents buy a lot of junk food. So now that they live on their own, they can make healthier choices due to the fact that they have so many different choices.
Others, however, think the opposite. Their parents are health-nuts and the options in the campus eateries just don’t compare to “mom’s cooking.”
“I eat a lot more consciously at home. My mom buys healthy foods, I have time and I watch the way my brothers eat and say, ‘Ew. I don’t want to be like that.’ But here, I always eat stuff at work or go through a drive-thru on my way to work and get junk food,” Regier said.
While in college it is very important for students to take care of themselves in every way, and eating healthily is a big factor, sometimes even more so than any other time. Balance classes and jobs to have more time, eat a balanced meal while in the ADC, not just a waffle or pizza and take full advantage of mom’s cooking on the weekends
