van Iderstein 1

Tyler van Iderstein

Chelsea Lynn
English 134-58
12 November 2012
Losing the Freshman Fifteen
As Cal Poly freshmen start college, they also start learning how to make their own food.
Campus Dining is there to help, providing food to ease the transition. In an ideal world, this food
would teach growing adults to eat fresh, nutritious foods. However, the current dining system is
providing little assistance in that direction. VG Caf and 19 Metro Station are the two places
freshmen eat the most, therefore they should be the places that see the first change. To promote
the health of freshmen, Campus Dining should provide more fresh food at VG Caf and 19
Metro Station.
Campus Dining has expressed its commitment to fresh food; its website says that fresh
foods are brought in from local and regional sources to create meals that are colorful and
nutritious (Campus Dining). Since Cal Poly is set in the heart of Californias Central Valley,
Campus Dining has easy access to farms, ranches and orchards, resources most universities dont
have nearby. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables is available, giving students and cooks alike
the chance to add color and nutrition to their meals. This reputation has given Cal Poly a name in
the agriculture and food worlds, and could benefit freshmen in their everyday life.
At the two freshman dining facilities, the lure is the variety of food. 19 Metro Station is
known for its large buffet and dessert bar. Meals are similar to what students are accustomed to

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at home, including grilled cheese, pasta and Chinese (Campus Dining). VG Caf prepares global
foods to order. Sandwiches, burritos and many other items are available (Campus Dining). Both
have a full salad bar always stocked with toppings and vegetables. As advertised at both places,
there is something for everyone; freshmen have no trouble finding a meal that suits their tastes.
And yet, a balanced meal is challenging to come by. Other than the salad bar, there is
very little fresh food available at 19 Metro Station. The entre line provides no less than five
meat preparations, yet only has one vegetable option most days (Campus Dining). At the salad
bar, many of the ingredients are canned; likewise the one fruit tray has canned or unripe
offerings. The availability of fresh fruits and vegetables is outweighed by other foods, oftentimes
leaving students without a vegetable on their plates. A similar fate awaits those at VG Caf. The
a la carte-style dining gives students the option to get something new every visit, including more
fruits and vegetables than 19 Metro Station. In fact, there is an entire section dedicated to graband-go fruit cups. The catch here is their price; students pay more for less fruit than they would
at the campus markets. When an entre is purchased, it takes up most of the meal credit, leaving
little left for cantaloupe or carrot sticks. Students are discouraged from buying the fruit and leave
with chips or candy instead, which can have lasting effects on the student.
Without fresh food, the first effect students feel is sickness. Numerous studies have
shown that a lack of vital nutrients is linked to decreased immune function. Five researchers
from Washington University School of Medicine detail the interactions of nutrients, minerals and
the immune system. When essential nutrients are not replenished by eating proper foods, white
blood cells do not function properly, leaving the body susceptible to attack. For example, a
Vitamin A deficiency led to a complete loss of one white blood cell type (Gordon 330). This has
devastating effects on freshmen living in the dorms. Living in close quarters facilitates the spread

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of many illnesses, such as the cold and flu. Students that do not receive essential nutrients are
more likely to get sick, preventing them from attending class and exposing those around them to
the illness. Missing a class impairs academic performance and wastes the money parents pay for
tuition. This problem is not completely unavoidable, but proper nutrition can mitigate the
problem.
Providing fresh food will also improve academics across campus. As one Canadian
research team said, few studies have been conducted on this connection even though it is
frequently mentioned (Florence 209). Their study on fifth-graders found a strong correlation
between the quality of food students ate and their performance on standardized tests, upholding
this claim (214). In fact, the students with the best foods available at home were forty percent
less likely to fail the tests than those with the lowest quality foods (212). Given age differences
and other factors, these results are not directly applicable to Cal Poly, but the correlation is true.
If Campus Dining followed this example, it would have lasting effects on the school, improving
health and performance for all students and boosting top academics even higher.
However, the long-term effects on student obesity would be more drastic. According to
the Centers for Disease Control, a government health organization, obesity is an epidemic
affecting two-thirds of US adults (Keener 4). At Cal Poly, the rate isnt much better. Less than a
third of students are overweight their freshman year, but by senior year, half of male and a third
of female students are overweight or obese (Adams 5). With obesity rates climbing throughout
school, something must be done. Students are leaving Cal Poly overweight and at risk for other
health problems. Over time, this costs them more in healthcare than food at Cal Poly. In reality,
obesity can be curbed by proper nutrition. Any weight loss program will tell you that diet is the
most important behavior to change. Adding fresh foods to the menus at VG Caf and 19 Metro

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Station will give students a healthier, more active life and teach habits that will benefit them in
the future.
Students that learn to eat fresh fruit soon will directly affect the nations biggest killer:
cardiovascular disease. Every 39 seconds, someone dies because of it (Salt Stats 1). The best
way to prevent this disease is to lower sodium intake drastically. Without realizing it, most
consume more than twice their recommended limit each day (Salt Stats 1). This leads to an
increase in high blood pressure, obesity and death by heart disease. Obesity is already a problem
on campus and it isnt hard to ignore. High blood pressure, however, is harder to catch. A student
research group found that over sixty percent of Cal Poly normal or underweight students have or
are at risk for having high blood pressure, let alone the overweight (Adams 5). If this rate is so
high, why is nothing being done to prevent high blood pressure? Giving students a chance to
change their diet would affect them more than anything else the school can do. Replacing foods
high in sodium with fresh options will certainly lower the number of students at risk for heart
disease and death drastically in the future.
Cal Poly is preparing students for the future, but the freshman food system has flaws that
lead it in the other direction. A diet lacking nutrients will affect students for longer than the day;
years later it could be the reason they are in the hospital. Students are losing out on valuable
opportunities by not having fresh food available to them. Campus Dining should reevaluate the
menu based on its long-term effects and provide more fresh food. Imagine the day when students
wont have to be warned against the Freshman 15.

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Works Cited
Adams, Matthew R., Jackson, Katrina J., Zbin, Andrew J. Investigating Relationships in the
FLASH Pilot Study for Stride. Senior Project. California Polytechnic State University,
2010. Web.
Campus Dining. Cal Poly Corporation, 2012. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
Florence, Michelle D., Mark Asbridge, and Paul J. Veugelers. "Diet Quality And Academic
Performance." Journal Of School Health 78.4 (2008): 209-215. 12 Nov. 2012. Kennedy
Library.
Gordon, Jeffery I., et al. "Human Nutrition, The Gut Microbiome And The Immune System."
Nature 474.7351 (2011): 327-336. 12 Nov. 2012. Kennedy Library
Keener, Dana, et al. Recommended community strategies and measurements to prevent obesity
in the United States: Implementation and measurement guide. CDC.gov. United States
Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
2009. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.
Ross, Nancy J. Bringing You Fresh Food from Local Farms and Our Garden: A College Class
Designs a Program to Meet Peer and Institutional Needs. Journal of Nutrition Education
and Behavior 37.2 (2005): 102-103. Kennedy Library.
Salt Stats. CDC.gov. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2009. Web. 7 Nov. 2009.