Freshman fifteen
Encyclopedia
The Freshman fifteen refers to an amount (somewhat arbitrarily set at fifteen pounds) of weight often gained during a student's first year at college
.
The expression is commonly used in the United States
and Canada
. In Australia
and New Zealand
it is sometimes referred to as First Year Fatties, Fresher spread, or Fresher Five, the latter referring to a five kilogram gain.
The purported causes of this weight gain are increased alcohol intake and the consumption of fat and carbohydrate-rich cafeteria
-style food and fast food
in university dormitories. Many dining halls in United States universities are all-you-can-eat style and offer copious dessert choices. In addition, lack of sleep may lead to overeating and weight gain, because it lowers the level of leptin
. Other causes include malnutrition
, stress
, and decreased levels of exercise. All of these factors can affect each person in a different way. Studies confirm many of these causes. Colleges and universities have recently been cracking down on this common problem and are trying to educate people on how to prevent it. This problem has grown so much that students are focusing on how to stop the freshman fifteen before it even happens.
Despite how commonly the Freshman 15 is asserted, an Ohio State University study showed that the average college student gains only two to three pounds in their first year. Additionally, it showed that college students did not gain any more weight than non-college students of the same age, and that the only factor the did increase weight gain was heavy drinking.
The dining halls at colleges try to make dining at school convenient and comfortable. The most common dining halls found at universities or colleges around America are buffet
, food court
, or cafeteria
style eateries. Dining halls can provide a wide variety and bountiful options of food. They can also provide a place where students can endlessly indulge in high calorie foods such as pizza
, fried food, and ice cream
. Food court style dining halls connect students with commercialized restaurants such as Taco Bell
, McDonald's
, and Burger King
. When exposed to these fast food restaurants, students are generally more likely to choose them over healthier options, which leads to weight gain, especially if fast food restaurants are more prevalent on campus than other restaurants. A study done on 60 students at Cornell University
showed that 20% of the weight gained by the test subjects was due to the fact students were eating at all-you-can-eat dining halls. Other factors included snacking, eating junk food, and meal frequency, which all contributed to the variation in weights that resulted.
College dining halls appeal to some students and repulse others, and this is especially problematic in the first year. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health determined that “regular family meals provide an opportunity for the role modeling of healthy eating patterns and social interactions among family members, and may thus help to reinforce healthy eating patterns and prevent disordered eating behaviors.” Thus, parents determine when, where, what and how their children eat. Away from home, often for the first time, students have no parental monitoring of their eating habits and have to discover, or rediscover, what good eating patterns are. In the process, students can overeat as well as under-eat as they seek a balance.
In parental-supervised eating, teenagers typically ingest the proper amount of calories. The average 18-year-old-male is 68 to 70 in (172.7 to 177.8 cm) tall and weighs between 160 pound. The average 18-year-old-female is 64 in (162.6 cm) tall and weighs between 125 pound. According to a calorie counter used at the Baylor College of Medicine, an average 18-year-old-male who is rarely active needs to consume approximately 2676 calories per day to maintain his weight. Similarly, an average 18-year-old female who is rarely active needs to consume approximately 1940 calories per day to maintain her weight. When weight change occurs, college students are either digesting over or under their daily need of calories per day, and this is one cause of the freshmen fifteen.
In parental-supervised diets, students also usually ingest the proper proportion of foods from the different dietary groups; once removed from the parental dinner table, many college students do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. This is because when students go off to college, they face an independence that they usually have not experienced before. Many have to learn how to go out and feed themselves instead of having their parents cook for them. Research has shown that over 60 percent of college students commonly ingest sugary and fatty foods like chocolate and potato chips over fruits and vegetables. Ursell, Amanda. Presently, sugar accounts for approximately 20 percent of an American’s diet, which equates to about 90 pounds of sugar per person per year. This explains why a study, conducted by Stephanie Goodwin of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, states that three out of four students don’t eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, denying students key vitamins C and E, as well as fiber.
Students may also reveal such eating disorders as binge eating
, Bulimia, and Anorexia nervosa
.
can be caused by a number of things including inadequate or unbalanced diet
, problems with digestion
or absorption, or certain medical conditions. Hunger
is a main cause of malnutrition because if it is not satisfied then malnutrition is sure to follow. People suffer from hunger because of a lack of food and the nutrients which accompany food in the short term. If hunger proceeds for an extended period of time there is a good chance that it will lead to malnutrition.
Malnutrition can affect people of every age. Though infants, children, and adolescents suffer more from malnutrition because of their need for critical nutrients for their normal development. Older people may have problems because of aging or illness. People of college age have issues with malnutrition as well, though it may not be as severe as with the younger kids or the elderly.
In people in their undergraduate years of study at a four year university, malnutrition can occur due to negligence of eating and even their diet.
. When moving from the structured environment to a more casual schedule, eating patterns can become rather irregular. Finances often become an issue when it comes to the type of food which is consumed and when it is consumed.
Many college students have a limited money supply because of the overall expense of college. A part time job may be an option, but students may not have enough time to hold a part time job. Therefore, when buying food, students will often buy as little as possible or as cheap as possible. This may include many low nutrient microwavable dishes. These types of food alone will not provide all of the nutrients necessary to fuel a person for a day. This lack of variety in the diet of a college student is not helpful in preventing malnutrition.
In addition to irregular eating habits, some college students spend a lot of time consuming alcoholic beverages. Many go out to parties or drink with friends on a regular basis. Alcohol can interfere with nutrient absorption. The vitamins and minerals consumed from alcohol and from food consumed with alcohol have a good chance of not being absorbed. People who drink large amounts of alcohol have a good chance of becoming malnourished or losing an unhealthy amount of weight because of the absorption blocking qualities of alcohol.
, weight
, age
, and several other factors, which differs from person to person. When a person takes in more or less calories than that set limit, weight is either gained or lost. Alcohol provides a large amount of calories in a small quantity of liquid, which tends to lead to unwanted extra calories.
When drinking alcohol on a regular basis, certain vitamin
and mineral
deficiencies can follow. Examples of these deficiencies are as follows:
These deficiencies can lead to weight issues caused by malnutrition. When consuming alcohol, these vitamins and minerals must be replaced. Oftentimes this is how certain cravings arise.
The researchers found that as the alcohol quantity increased, the Health Index scores declined. As the frequency of alcohol consumed increased, the Healthy Eating scored declined. Diet quality was the poorest among those who consumed the largest quantity of alcohol. Care packages filled with unhealthy treats, sent usually by parents, was found to be the leading cause of weight gain. Those who drank less alcohol in an infrequent time frame had the best health index scores overall.
. Cortisol has been tested to slow down the body's metabolism
. Other studies have shown that when people are stressed, they have cravings for foods that are high in calories such as sweet, salty, and processed foods. Not only do people crave bad food when they are nervous or stressed, but they eat large quantities of it through continuous snacking even though they might not be hungry. Therefore an increase in weight can be seen in freshmen students even though they are eating normally.
A study done by Jatturong R. Wichianson and colleagues at the University of Southern California
showed a direct relationship between eating late at night(Night eating syndrome
) and stress levels with college students. They used a standardized test to measure both the levels of NES and perceived stress each student had. The results showed that students that had higher levels of stress were more likely to have Night eating syndrome due to the inability to adapt. This study shows that students who were not able to deal with stress appropriately were more likely to use late night eating to solve their issues.
. Their goal was to determine if college students did truly gain weight their freshmen year. Test subjects were made up of male and female freshmen college students who lived on campus. They took an online survey to answer questions about their eating patterns, social behaviors, as well as weight. The purpose of this was to discover if the individuals showed signs of body image issues or eating disorders.
125 freshmen were eligible for testing and the average age was 18.4. The results showed that about half of the test subjects gained weight. The men gained an average 3.7 lbs and women gained an average 1.7 lbs their freshmen year. These results disproved their hypothesis that the women would have a larger weight gain than the men, but this stays consistent with other studies done on the hypothesis. Even though only 5% of the test subjects showed a weight gain of 15 lbs or greater the authors of this study concluded that the freshmen year in college has potential for weight gain and can even lead to obesity later on in life.
To avoid putting on that extra weight in the first place, nutritionists suggest, setting boundaries in order to keep the calories at a sufficient amount. It is also suggested that a person should make sure that they burned off any extra calories as well. That is what would inevitably lead to unhealthy weight gain. Nutritionalists also suggest avoiding junk food. It is regularly available and makes for a convenient, satisfying snack
. A small snack on rare occasion can be acceptable as part of a good diet, but it is recommended that snacking should not become a regular event.
Another aspect of maintaing a proper diet many college students can fail to recognize is the importance of eating breakfast daily. A well-balanced breakfast kick-starts a person’s metabolism and allows them to burn more calories in a day. Instead, college students are commonly found eating late at night when their metabolism has slowed and fewer calories are burnt. This adds up especially when consuming alcoholic beverages.
However, cutting down on snacking is not the only thing which is suggested. When trying to prevent the freshman fifteen, nutritionists recommend students consider the calories in alcohol: alcohol is generally packed with unwanted calories. Not only will alcohol damage the liver if consumed in large amounts, but it will also set the body up for a major weight issue. In order to solve this problem, it is said that keeping the nights of binge drinking to a minimum helps drastically. Experts say an occasional beer or glass of wine
with friends is fine. However, one should keep in mind what the empty calorie
s do to your body. Regular exercise is important to maintaining a healthy physique and a substantial diet. The exercise will burn off those unwanted calories and help to keep a healthy body weight. College campuses usually provide plenty of gym equipment and some even provide work out classes such as aerobics
, hip hop dance
, zumba
, spinning
, and many more. Even taking a walk outside will help. Biking, running, walking, or anything to get the body moving will help to decrease the amount of unhealthy calories consumed.
is a big part of the process. Once the gym is found experts say students should try to build a workout schedule. Working out three to five days a week will help fend off the freshman fifteen. Some students say that it is difficult to keep up with this workout regimen on their own. It is recommended that a student find another person to work out with to keep them motivated.
Studies show that having someone to work out with will help to keep the student accountable for getting their workouts in. The other person will also make sure that their partner gets a quality workout. If a buddy is not an option for any reason, it is suggested that a student look into alternative ways of working out. Campus gyms often offer classes such as yoga
, Pilates
, or spinning for free. These can make working out easier on the student since it is with a group of people. A class can also help to make working out more fun and less of a chore. Intramurals
and club sports can also have the same effect by burning calories in a fun team-based environment throughout the week.
When going out to a party or hanging out at a bar
, many students just sit in a corner or at the bar, sipping on a drink. By not moving around, all of the calories from the alcohol are just being taken in. Nutritionalists suggest avoiding sitting around and to get up and dance
. Dancing is a great aerobic exercise and burns a lot of calories. If there is no option to dance, nutritionalists recommend a light beer as a healthier option. Also, binge drinking is an easy way to consume unnecessary calories. Experts say that a simple way to cut calories is just cutting back on the excessive drinking. When hanging out in the dorm with a group of friends, many students just sit around watching television
.
Experts suggest trying to find more active things to do. For example, students might consider looking up dances or exercise videos online to be done with friends, or play Nintendo
Wii
. Joining an intramural team is a great way for students to stay healthy. An easy way students can burn calories in the dorm is by doing activities with friends. It keeps the body moving and can be more fun. Also, one of the easiest things to do to get a little bit of exercise is to avoid the elevator
s. Taking the stairs
is a simple way to burn some extra calories. Just by staying active, avoiding the freshman fifteen can be a breeze. An active person does not even have to stress all that much about counting calories because just by going through a normal day, those extra calories will be burnt off.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
.
The expression is commonly used in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
it is sometimes referred to as First Year Fatties, Fresher spread, or Fresher Five, the latter referring to a five kilogram gain.
The purported causes of this weight gain are increased alcohol intake and the consumption of fat and carbohydrate-rich cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
-style food and fast food
Fast food
Fast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a...
in university dormitories. Many dining halls in United States universities are all-you-can-eat style and offer copious dessert choices. In addition, lack of sleep may lead to overeating and weight gain, because it lowers the level of leptin
Leptin
Leptin is a 16 kDa protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism. It is one of the most important adipose derived hormones...
. Other causes include malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
, stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
, and decreased levels of exercise. All of these factors can affect each person in a different way. Studies confirm many of these causes. Colleges and universities have recently been cracking down on this common problem and are trying to educate people on how to prevent it. This problem has grown so much that students are focusing on how to stop the freshman fifteen before it even happens.
Despite how commonly the Freshman 15 is asserted, an Ohio State University study showed that the average college student gains only two to three pounds in their first year. Additionally, it showed that college students did not gain any more weight than non-college students of the same age, and that the only factor the did increase weight gain was heavy drinking.
College meal plans
Often, the typical freshman has just graduated from high school and commonly begins college using a predetermined college meal plan. College meal plans are designed to give students a wide variety of options. The most generic meal plans include a set amount of meals per day, so many per week, or so many per semester. In addition, plans may include extra money that can be spent on snacks or other meals. The meal plan was designed to give students a structured diet that allows them to decide what they want to eat and when they want to eat it. Therefore, students can eat several meals a day or less than three meals a day. The meal plan was designed to benefit the student but it can be abused.Dining halls
Buffet
A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...
, food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
, or cafeteria
Cafeteria
A cafeteria is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a school dining location is also referred to as a dining hall or canteen...
style eateries. Dining halls can provide a wide variety and bountiful options of food. They can also provide a place where students can endlessly indulge in high calorie foods such as pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
, fried food, and ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
. Food court style dining halls connect students with commercialized restaurants such as Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, and Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
. When exposed to these fast food restaurants, students are generally more likely to choose them over healthier options, which leads to weight gain, especially if fast food restaurants are more prevalent on campus than other restaurants. A study done on 60 students at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
showed that 20% of the weight gained by the test subjects was due to the fact students were eating at all-you-can-eat dining halls. Other factors included snacking, eating junk food, and meal frequency, which all contributed to the variation in weights that resulted.
Eating habits
In parental-supervised eating, teenagers typically ingest the proper amount of calories. The average 18-year-old-male is 68 to 70 in (172.7 to 177.8 cm) tall and weighs between 160 pound. The average 18-year-old-female is 64 in (162.6 cm) tall and weighs between 125 pound. According to a calorie counter used at the Baylor College of Medicine, an average 18-year-old-male who is rarely active needs to consume approximately 2676 calories per day to maintain his weight. Similarly, an average 18-year-old female who is rarely active needs to consume approximately 1940 calories per day to maintain her weight. When weight change occurs, college students are either digesting over or under their daily need of calories per day, and this is one cause of the freshmen fifteen.
In parental-supervised diets, students also usually ingest the proper proportion of foods from the different dietary groups; once removed from the parental dinner table, many college students do not eat enough fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. This is because when students go off to college, they face an independence that they usually have not experienced before. Many have to learn how to go out and feed themselves instead of having their parents cook for them. Research has shown that over 60 percent of college students commonly ingest sugary and fatty foods like chocolate and potato chips over fruits and vegetables. Ursell, Amanda. Presently, sugar accounts for approximately 20 percent of an American’s diet, which equates to about 90 pounds of sugar per person per year. This explains why a study, conducted by Stephanie Goodwin of Virginia Polytechnic Institute, states that three out of four students don’t eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, denying students key vitamins C and E, as well as fiber.
Students may also reveal such eating disorders as binge eating
Binge eating
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is sometimes as a symptom of binge eating disorder. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food...
, Bulimia, and Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
.
Causes
MalnutritionMalnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
can be caused by a number of things including inadequate or unbalanced diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, problems with digestion
Digestion
Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into smaller components that are more easily absorbed into a blood stream, for instance. Digestion is a form of catabolism: a breakdown of large food molecules to smaller ones....
or absorption, or certain medical conditions. Hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
is a main cause of malnutrition because if it is not satisfied then malnutrition is sure to follow. People suffer from hunger because of a lack of food and the nutrients which accompany food in the short term. If hunger proceeds for an extended period of time there is a good chance that it will lead to malnutrition.
Malnutrition can affect people of every age. Though infants, children, and adolescents suffer more from malnutrition because of their need for critical nutrients for their normal development. Older people may have problems because of aging or illness. People of college age have issues with malnutrition as well, though it may not be as severe as with the younger kids or the elderly.
In people in their undergraduate years of study at a four year university, malnutrition can occur due to negligence of eating and even their diet.
College diet
For many college students, diets can be quite irregular. Meals are often skipped and weight and food intake management is often hectic or even non existent, because of the disordered schedules which tend to change daily as well as every semester depending on the class load. College students must deal with many different changes in living conditions when it comes to dining. Most students are used to a structured eating pattern developed in their parent's householdHousehold
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
. When moving from the structured environment to a more casual schedule, eating patterns can become rather irregular. Finances often become an issue when it comes to the type of food which is consumed and when it is consumed.
Many college students have a limited money supply because of the overall expense of college. A part time job may be an option, but students may not have enough time to hold a part time job. Therefore, when buying food, students will often buy as little as possible or as cheap as possible. This may include many low nutrient microwavable dishes. These types of food alone will not provide all of the nutrients necessary to fuel a person for a day. This lack of variety in the diet of a college student is not helpful in preventing malnutrition.
In addition to irregular eating habits, some college students spend a lot of time consuming alcoholic beverages. Many go out to parties or drink with friends on a regular basis. Alcohol can interfere with nutrient absorption. The vitamins and minerals consumed from alcohol and from food consumed with alcohol have a good chance of not being absorbed. People who drink large amounts of alcohol have a good chance of becoming malnourished or losing an unhealthy amount of weight because of the absorption blocking qualities of alcohol.
Nutrition
The body has a certain number of calories that it needs to consume in order to maintain its weight. This is determined through heightHeight
Height is the measurement of vertical distance, but has two meanings in common use. It can either indicate how "tall" something is, or how "high up" it is. For example "The height of the building is 50 m" or "The height of the airplane is 10,000 m"...
, weight
Weight
In science and engineering, the weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity. Its magnitude , often denoted by an italic letter W, is the product of the mass m of the object and the magnitude of the local gravitational acceleration g; thus:...
, age
Ageing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
, and several other factors, which differs from person to person. When a person takes in more or less calories than that set limit, weight is either gained or lost. Alcohol provides a large amount of calories in a small quantity of liquid, which tends to lead to unwanted extra calories.
| Alcoholic Drink | Calories |
|---|---|
| Beer, lite, 12 oz. | 100 |
| Beer, regular, 12 oz. | 150 |
| Frozen daiquiri, 4 oz. | 216 |
| Gin, 1.5 oz. | 110 |
| Mai tai, 4 oz. | 310 |
| Margarita, 4 oz. | 270 |
| Rum, 1.5 oz. | 96 |
| Vodka, 1.5 oz. | 96 |
| Whiskey, 1.5 oz. | 105 |
| Wine spritzer, 4 oz. | 49 |
| Wine, dessert, sweet, 4 oz. | 180 |
When drinking alcohol on a regular basis, certain vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
and mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
deficiencies can follow. Examples of these deficiencies are as follows:
- Folate: Folate helps to create and maintain new cellsCell (biology)The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
. Alcohol interferes with the intakeIntakeAn intake , or especially for aircraft inlet, is an air intake for an engine. Because the modern internal combustion engine is in essence a powerful air pump, like the exhaust system on an engine, the intake must be carefully engineered and tuned to provide the greatest efficiency and power...
, absorption, transportTransportTransport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
, storage, and release of folate.
- Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12Vitamin B12Vitamin B12, vitamin B12 or vitamin B-12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is one of the eight B vitamins...
is required to make DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
and maintain healthy nerve and red blood cells. Alcohol has been shown to decrease the levels of B12.
- Vitamin A: Vitamin AVitamin AVitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
is needed for visionVisual systemThe visual system is the part of the central nervous system which enables organisms to process visual detail, as well as enabling several non-image forming photoresponse functions. It interprets information from visible light to build a representation of the surrounding world...
, regulation of the immune systemImmune systemAn immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
, boneBoneBones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
growth, reproduction, cell divisionCell divisionCell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells . Cell division is usually a small segment of a larger cell cycle. This type of cell division in eukaryotes is known as mitosis, and leaves the daughter cell capable of dividing again. The corresponding sort...
, and differentiationCellular differentiationIn developmental biology, cellular differentiation is the process by which a less specialized cell becomes a more specialized cell type. Differentiation occurs numerous times during the development of a multicellular organism as the organism changes from a simple zygote to a complex system of...
. Alcohol decreases the levels of this vitamin and increases toxicityToxicityToxicity is the degree to which a substance can damage a living or non-living organisms. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell or an organ , such as the liver...
when alcohol is consumed in large amounts.
- Calcium: CalciumCalciumCalcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
is needed for blood vesselBlood vesselThe blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transports blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the arteries, which carry the blood away from the heart; the capillaries, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and...
and muscleMuscleMuscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...
movement, for the secretions of certain hormones and enzymes, and for sending messages through the nervous systemNervous systemThe nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
. Consumption of alcohol can cause a loss of calcium through urinary excretion.
These deficiencies can lead to weight issues caused by malnutrition. When consuming alcohol, these vitamins and minerals must be replaced. Oftentimes this is how certain cravings arise.
Unhealthy foods with alcohol
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's research, people who tend to drink the largest amount of alcohol have the poorest eating habits compared to those who do not consume much alcohol at all. Those who do not drink a large quantity of alcohol seem to have the best quality diets. In this study researchers compared the Healthy Eating scores of 3,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey with their overall consumption of alcohol. They used frequency, quantity, and average daily volume to measure the alcohol consumption.The researchers found that as the alcohol quantity increased, the Health Index scores declined. As the frequency of alcohol consumed increased, the Healthy Eating scored declined. Diet quality was the poorest among those who consumed the largest quantity of alcohol. Care packages filled with unhealthy treats, sent usually by parents, was found to be the leading cause of weight gain. Those who drank less alcohol in an infrequent time frame had the best health index scores overall.
Stress
It is normal for college students, especially freshmen, to feel abnormal levels of stress. This is more prevalent for freshmen because they are still transitioning from high school. College students can hold jobs while taking classes and may feel they have no time for studying. While freshmen might be stressed just trying to adjust to the college work load. There are hundreds of reasons for why college students get stressed, but, for what ever the reason is, it also can lead to weight gain. This is because when the body is stressed, it releases hormones such as adrenaline or more importantly cortisolCortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, more specifically a glucocorticoid, produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and a low level of blood glucocorticoids. Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis; suppress the immune system; and aid in fat,...
. Cortisol has been tested to slow down the body's metabolism
Metabolism
Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...
. Other studies have shown that when people are stressed, they have cravings for foods that are high in calories such as sweet, salty, and processed foods. Not only do people crave bad food when they are nervous or stressed, but they eat large quantities of it through continuous snacking even though they might not be hungry. Therefore an increase in weight can be seen in freshmen students even though they are eating normally.
A study done by Jatturong R. Wichianson and colleagues at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
showed a direct relationship between eating late at night(Night eating syndrome
Night eating syndrome
Night eating syndrome, or NES, is an emerging eating disorder diagnosis, which primarily characterizes an ongoing, persistent pattern of late-night binge eating....
) and stress levels with college students. They used a standardized test to measure both the levels of NES and perceived stress each student had. The results showed that students that had higher levels of stress were more likely to have Night eating syndrome due to the inability to adapt. This study shows that students who were not able to deal with stress appropriately were more likely to use late night eating to solve their issues.
Male vs female
Nicole L. Mihalopoulos and colleagues developed a study at a private university in the Northeastern United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Their goal was to determine if college students did truly gain weight their freshmen year. Test subjects were made up of male and female freshmen college students who lived on campus. They took an online survey to answer questions about their eating patterns, social behaviors, as well as weight. The purpose of this was to discover if the individuals showed signs of body image issues or eating disorders.
125 freshmen were eligible for testing and the average age was 18.4. The results showed that about half of the test subjects gained weight. The men gained an average 3.7 lbs and women gained an average 1.7 lbs their freshmen year. These results disproved their hypothesis that the women would have a larger weight gain than the men, but this stays consistent with other studies done on the hypothesis. Even though only 5% of the test subjects showed a weight gain of 15 lbs or greater the authors of this study concluded that the freshmen year in college has potential for weight gain and can even lead to obesity later on in life.
Calorie control
Snack
A snack is a small portion of food eaten between meals. The food might be snack food—items like potato chips or baby carrots—but could also simply be a smaller amount of any food item.-Snacks and health:...
. A small snack on rare occasion can be acceptable as part of a good diet, but it is recommended that snacking should not become a regular event.
Another aspect of maintaing a proper diet many college students can fail to recognize is the importance of eating breakfast daily. A well-balanced breakfast kick-starts a person’s metabolism and allows them to burn more calories in a day. Instead, college students are commonly found eating late at night when their metabolism has slowed and fewer calories are burnt. This adds up especially when consuming alcoholic beverages.
However, cutting down on snacking is not the only thing which is suggested. When trying to prevent the freshman fifteen, nutritionists recommend students consider the calories in alcohol: alcohol is generally packed with unwanted calories. Not only will alcohol damage the liver if consumed in large amounts, but it will also set the body up for a major weight issue. In order to solve this problem, it is said that keeping the nights of binge drinking to a minimum helps drastically. Experts say an occasional beer or glass of wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
with friends is fine. However, one should keep in mind what the empty calorie
Empty calorie
Empty calories, in casual dietary terminology, are a measurement of the energy present in high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles, with most of the energy typically coming from processed carbohydrates, fats, or ethanol...
s do to your body. Regular exercise is important to maintaining a healthy physique and a substantial diet. The exercise will burn off those unwanted calories and help to keep a healthy body weight. College campuses usually provide plenty of gym equipment and some even provide work out classes such as aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
, hip hop dance
Hip hop dance
Hip-hop dance refers to dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were created in the 1970s by African Americans and made popular by breaking, locking, and...
, zumba
Zumba
Zumba is the largest dance fitness program in the world, based on a Latin-inspired dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez in Colombia during the 1990s....
, spinning
Indoor cycling
Indoor cycling, as an organized activity, is a form of exercise with classes focusing on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity and recovery, that involve using a special stationary exercise bicycle with a weighted flywheel in a classroom setting.- History :Group indoor cycling was...
, and many more. Even taking a walk outside will help. Biking, running, walking, or anything to get the body moving will help to decrease the amount of unhealthy calories consumed.
Regular exercise
As soon as students get to a college campus it is suggested that they try to spend some time getting acquainted with the area. Nutritionists say that finding the gymGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
is a big part of the process. Once the gym is found experts say students should try to build a workout schedule. Working out three to five days a week will help fend off the freshman fifteen. Some students say that it is difficult to keep up with this workout regimen on their own. It is recommended that a student find another person to work out with to keep them motivated.
Studies show that having someone to work out with will help to keep the student accountable for getting their workouts in. The other person will also make sure that their partner gets a quality workout. If a buddy is not an option for any reason, it is suggested that a student look into alternative ways of working out. Campus gyms often offer classes such as yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, Pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
, or spinning for free. These can make working out easier on the student since it is with a group of people. A class can also help to make working out more fun and less of a chore. Intramurals
Intramural sports
Intramural sports or intramurals are recreational sports organized within a set geographic area. The term derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls", and was used to indicate sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an ancient city...
and club sports can also have the same effect by burning calories in a fun team-based environment throughout the week.
Active lifestyle
The freshman fifteen can easily be avoided if an active lifestyle is maintained. This does not necessarily mean hitting the gym every day. Experts lists several small and simple alterations which can be made which enhance a persons overall activity. Walking to class instead of driving is one of the key alterations on the list. Walking in general is highly recommended for anyone trying to burn a few extra calories. Most college campuses are designed to be easy to walk, so this change is simple and effective.When going out to a party or hanging out at a bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
, many students just sit in a corner or at the bar, sipping on a drink. By not moving around, all of the calories from the alcohol are just being taken in. Nutritionalists suggest avoiding sitting around and to get up and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. Dancing is a great aerobic exercise and burns a lot of calories. If there is no option to dance, nutritionalists recommend a light beer as a healthier option. Also, binge drinking is an easy way to consume unnecessary calories. Experts say that a simple way to cut calories is just cutting back on the excessive drinking. When hanging out in the dorm with a group of friends, many students just sit around watching television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Experts suggest trying to find more active things to do. For example, students might consider looking up dances or exercise videos online to be done with friends, or play Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. Joining an intramural team is a great way for students to stay healthy. An easy way students can burn calories in the dorm is by doing activities with friends. It keeps the body moving and can be more fun. Also, one of the easiest things to do to get a little bit of exercise is to avoid the elevator
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s. Taking the stairs
Stairs
-People:* Scott Kannberg , guitarist of Pavement* A. Edison Stairs , New Brunswick politician* Denis Stairs , engineer, Montreal businessman* Ernest W. Stairs , New Brunswick politician...
is a simple way to burn some extra calories. Just by staying active, avoiding the freshman fifteen can be a breeze. An active person does not even have to stress all that much about counting calories because just by going through a normal day, those extra calories will be burnt off.