ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 TAG: 9608270148
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 34 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: HAL SHEIKERZ STAFF WRITER
Beer, pizza, Raman noodles, soda, Taco Bell burritos, coffee, fries and quarters.
These are staples of a college student's diet. (The quarters pay for soda and candy from vending machines.)
It's no wonder the first year is dubbed "the freshman 15.'' Anyone whose diet consists of high-fat, high-calorie and cholesterol-filled meals three times a day should expect a few extra pounds.
Jennifer Wilson knows. The Virginia Tech senior said she gained 15 pounds during her first year of college.
"I had a meal plan, so meals were always right there for me," Wilson said. "Now I live off-campus, and I never want to cook, so I don't eat." She sticks to bagels, granola bars and coffee most of the time.
Stacey Meels agreed with Wilson. Now a sophomore, she recalled the three meals a day she ate during her freshman year. That's something she didn't do when she lived at home during high school.
"I went to Hokie Grill and had cheese sticks all the time," she said. "I'd heard of [the freshman 15], but I didn't want to believe it."
The good news is that as students get older and move off campus, their diets get better. Sean Christian, an engineering graduate student, said he tries to eat healthier than he did as an undergraduate, but it's still hard.
"I try not to eat as much meat as I used to, especially before exams. It gets me tired," Christian said. However, he still drinks a lot of coffee. "Four to five cups a day at minimum."
Amy Meade, a senior at Radford University, said not eating at the dining halls has helped her shed the 20 pounds she gained her freshman year. Meade said that once she moved off campus and "stopped eating fattening stuff that's cooked in oil," she lost weight.
While students eat anything and everything during college years, certain foods and restaurants are associated with specific events. For example, after a night of partying, nothing tastes better than a greasy burger loaded with extra ketchup and mustard. But where do you go for that at 2 a.m.?
Or where do you go on Sunday morning for breakfast - Southern style with grits and biscuits? The 24-hour guide at the left should help.
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM Staff. Some fuel only Mill Mountain Coffee &by CNBTea can provide. Graphic: Chart by staff: Food fuel.