Cook up some benefits…
By: SENTORA RODRIGUEZ, Ranger Reporter:
College students tend to be associated with poor eating habits. According to GrubHub, an online and mobile food ordering company, students are less likely to include healthy substitutions when placing their order. Pizza, Pad Thai and General Tso’s Chicken top GrubHub’s list of popular entrees.
Not all Amarillo College students are following this trend of unhealthy eating. In fact, students are choosing the healthier option, cooking at home. Kati Alley, nursing instructor, said what a student eats determines how a student’s brain functions.
“If a student is feeding the brain nothing, or junk, it is not able to work to its full potential,” Alley said. “A healthy diet will give the brain its required nutrients and fuel and will enhance a student’s ability to learn.”
Alley said a healthy diet should consist of protein, fruits and vegetables. When planning healthy meals, stick to a budget at the grocery store, according to Carley Schuna, a writer for livestrong.com.
Jayline Rodriguez, a nursing major, said her mother plans and cooks her meals for her at home. “It saves money,” Rodriguez said. “Most kids in college spend money that they don’t have on food.” Rodriguez noted that cooking also has health benefits. “That’s where the freshman 15 comes in, eating out.”
Not all students have the luxury of their parent’s home-cooked meals. Kien Phan, a computer science major, likes to cook Asian food at home because he doesn’t want to go out all the time.
“You could save money cooking at home if you know how to buy your stuff from the store,” Phan said. “It’s also healthier to cook at home.”
Cooking at home also seems to be saving students money. Alley said fast food is probably cheaper, but the health benefits of eating better outweigh the price of the food.
Alyssa Murphy, a nuclear medicine major, said she likes to cook at home because she is on a budget.
“I like eating vegetables; I have been craving them a lot, but mostly we eat burgers and steaks.”
…or grab a quick snack
By: Matthew Hunt, Ranger Reporter:
Webster’s Dictionary defines a vending machine as “a coin operated machine for selling merchandise,” but to Amarillo College students, these machines mean a whole lot more.
College students are some of the busiest humans. To function properly, their human bodies need about 2,000 calories per day. That means eating about nine sandwiches, or 20 apples.
In reality, most do not have the time to sit down and do this. For some people, even catching three separate meals can be difficult. Luckily, AC provides for them one of the quickest ways to get food: the humble vending machine.
An efficient option. Let’s face it: going off campus for lunch is fun, but it can be expensive, unhealthy and even dangerous. That’s why the quicker vending machine lifestyle is preferable to some students.
“You don’t always have time to leave, but it’s easy to go to the commons and get chips or something,” Khoa Nguyen, a nursing major, said. “It’s good to have options.”
Healthy choices available. Vending machines usually carry an array of “fast snacks,” including candy, chips and sodas. While these may not be that healthy, they are usually sold in small portions, making it harder to overeat. The CUB also has one of those “real food” vending machines, which carries items such as green apples and burritos.
These machines provide foods with more nutrients, which can give you more energy and brainpower.
Welcome to the machine. While the vending machines on campus are handy, there is always room for improvement. Kenbyrei Freeman, education major and former daily vending machine user, said “the machines are kind of expensive. The ones at my job are about 40 cents cheaper, and that can make a difference.”
Clearly students pay for convenience. Could these machines be price-gouging hungry students with inflated costs?
Another drawback is when the machines take your money but give you nothing in return. Oscar Marquez, an education major, reported that the machines “sometimes don’t work.”
Only time will tell if these disturbing trends will continue, but for some students, using vending machines will continue to be a daily thing. No matter how you look at it, students do benefit nutritionally from them being around. Vending machines at AC help students with a full plate, get full.
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