College students eat barely one serving of fruits and vegetables per day, rather than the recommended five, a forthcoming Oregon State University study reports. Men ate five servings of fruit and vegetables a week, while women ate four servings of fruit and vegetables a week, averaging out to less than one serving per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture dietary guidelines recommend three to five daily servings.
Brad Cardinal, a professor of exercise and sport science at Oregon State, conducted the survey.
"In general, across the country, students are not doing well in [healthy food choices] categories either," he said.
Cardinal explained college students do not receive the proper intake of fruits and vegetables for various reasons. "Some of it is making bad choices in dining facilities and making convenient choices ... and some of it is that students eat on campus or at fast food restaurants and the options are not as good as they could be or as convenient as they could be," he said.
University Dining Marketing Manager Nicole Jackson said the University leaves dining options up to students.
"We give you a choice on what to put on your plates," she said in an email. "We feel that as an adult, you deserve the right to make your own decisions when it comes to the food that you eat, as health and wellness is a very personal thing for everyone." Jackson added that University Dining offers many options such as employing a staff nutritionist, Paula Caravati, who is able to meet with students free of charge to design a healthy eating plan. It also encourages healthy eating by hosting Meat Free Mondays in dining halls, updating its nutritional data transparency, and adding vegan/vegetarian stations and fruit bars, she said.
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