Eating for Optimum

Today, we face dietary choices and nutritional challenges that our grandparents never dreamed of­ exotic foreign foods; dietary supplements; artificial sweeteners; no-fat, low-fat, and artificial-fat alternatives; cholesterol-free, high-protein, high-carbohydrate, and low­calorie products-thousands of alternatives bombard us daily. Caught in the cross fire of advertised claims by the food industry and advice provided by health and nutrition experts, most of us find it difficult to make wise dietary decisions. Just when we think we have the answers, a new research study tells us that what we thought was true probably wasn’t.

A study of more than 2,000 college student dietary practices has indicated that students often face considerable difficulty planning their own menus for eating healthfully and having the resources to prepare balanced meals. While this study provides a somewhat gloomy forecast of college student eating habits, a subsequent study of approximately 1,300 students and their nonstudent counterparts indicated that college students and graduates tended to practice more healthful habits and made more healthful food choices than did nonstudents in their area. Many of the eating behaviors from both of these studies appeared to mirror eating patterns and behaviors that these students learned in their homes.

What Do You Think?

Tim is an avid fitness enthusiast who runs 5 to 10 miles daily, lifts weights 3 to 4 times per week, and constantly talks about his quest for the perfect body. He criticizes anyone who puts mayonnaise or butter on bread, eats any form of meat, and/or eats any kind of fast food. He constantly worries about his food intake and the “fuel” that is supplying his body.

Do you consider Tim to be a healthy person? How would you assess Tim’s dietary behaviors? What factors may have contributed to his attitudes and beliefs? What aspect of his behavior would you want to change? Why? If you were to describe someone with healthy eating behaviors, what would that person be like? What kind of person do you like to associate with when it comes to eating behaviors?