Stop Fattening me UP, UCSB!
“Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore…” - Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz
(the juicy juicy bits are towards the end…)
Currently I feel like Dorothy. No, I haven’t traveled to any alternate universes (yet) but I have in fact moved from Northern California to UCSB, which is pretty damn comparable. I could write an entire article about what it’s like to move from cow country to the land of blondes, beaches, and endless partying. Maybe I will do that at some point. But that’s not the purpose of this article.
I’d like to write about something that matters a little bit more: our diet.
You see, as someone who consistently tracks every single calorie that I eat and burn, I am experiencing great difficulty at UCSB because of the dining hall situation. There is zero attempt made by the Dining and Auxiliary Services at calculating any calories and sharing that data with the students, which for a guy like me, or anyone who is serious about bodybuilding or even their health in general, is a catastrophe. OK, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but you can clearly see what I am getting at here… It’s extremely difficult to be as consistent as you would like when you have zero insight into what exactly you are eating.
The FDA was created for a reason, and the work that they have done proves pretty damn valuable. One example is when the FDA began forcing large chain restaurants to publish health and nutrition facts. The documented effects of menu labeling on consumer and restaurant industry behavior suggest that menu labeling will likely encourage consumers to eat more healthfully some of the time, and the policy was likely an important first step toward improving the public’s eating habits (Jason P. Block, MD, MPH and Christina A. Roberto, PhD). In March 2014, the Food and Drug Administration released revised nutrition facts labels that present calorie content more prominently. The hope is that providing consumers with calorie information could increase awareness of food choices in the midst of an environment that often undermines healthy decisions through constant access to and promotion of unhealthy foods. As a side but just as importantly, the majority of consumers would like to know what they are eating. A nationally representative survey1 (N = 1817) found that 81% of respondents supported menu labeling in chain restaurants (Jason P. Block, MD, MPH and Christina A. Roberto, PhD). Think about that for a second…you can’t get 81% of Americans to agree to hardly anything, ever…so the fact that 81% of respondents supported the above mentioned actions is simply amazing, demanding, and insightful all at once. Another insightful study by Bollinger et al2 found a significant calorie reduction (6%) per transaction after calorie labeling compared with the period prior to labeling.
In addition to all of the above mentioned information, it is well known that most people exceed the recommended limits for saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars simply because they are not aware of what they are eating ( https://www.ift.org/career-development/learn-about-food-science/food-facts/food-facts-food-health-and-nutrition/new-nutrition-label).
All of this puts into question an even bigger issue than just a simple calorie count, which is that our schools should be providing a more in-depth analysis of the food that we eat (we want nutrient labels for our meals). Think about it, we pay a buck in order to eat here, yet receive only the slightest indication as to what it is that we're actually eating. OK sure, a label describing the name of the food (Southwestern Style Wrap, for example )is cool, but it just doesn’t cut it.
Sorry if you work at UCSB Dining and Auxiliary Services, because I’m about to make a suggestion that will complicate your life a little bit. You can take some comfort, though, knowing that this is the way it should be, I mean really, this is the way it should be. So here’s my proposal: rather than provide only the name of what it is that we eat, the students should be able to have access to more information, such as calorie counts, Macro and Micronutrients levels, chemical presence, etc. We want a nutrition label that has a serving size which correlates to what is being slopped on our plate. The “Freshman 15” (a well known inside joke that refers to the 15lbs many freshman gain when coming to UCSB) is not an inherent part of life, it is just an inherent part of malpractice on behalf of our lovely university system.
Another part of me wants to suggest that this has an even bigger implication in encouraging college age students to begin tracking their micro and macro nutrients, calories, and the like. Indeed, UC can actually go a long way in ensuring that the future of our nation is a healthy one. Helping students build better habits is an act of benevolence that current American Culture needs desperately.
And I swear to God, if they try to raise the operating cost because of this, we’re doing another dining hall strike ... .like the one that occurred last year which really upset business.
If you agree with me, let me know.
This isn’t just for me by the way. I know there’s a lot of people throughout the entire UC system that would benefit greatly from having this information, (that were entitled to, by the way).
Luv,
Neo
