Instant Meals: College Students are at risk of Getting Chronic Diseases
A study conducted in Australia showed that college students who eat instant and energy-dense meals are increasing their risk in getting chronic diseases which includes heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Dr. Danielle Gallegos and Kai Wen Ong surveyed over 800 college students who eat instant foods for their lunch or snack. Dr. Gallegos said, “There seems to be an acceptance out there that getting by on less nutritious food is a typical part of being a university student, but a diet of baked beans and instant noodles is not good enough when health and academic results are at stake.”
A year prior to the survey, one fourth of the students who participated in the study/survey reported experiencing “food insecurity”. 6% of them were repeatedly hungry.
Dr. Gallegos presented her study in the National Conference of Dietitians in Melbourne, Australia. She cited that low-income group of people which also includes the college students which is more vulnerable are usually the victims, those who can’t buy or afford healthy and expensive foods are either overweight or underweight.
Dr. Gallegos also said, “Two thirds of the food-insecure students in our study ate less than two servings of fruit per week and 4% had no fruit at all.”
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