Fast and easy -- but fat and greasy

Colin Dean Smith

Fast and easy -- but fat and greasy
es, I'd like the super McArtery-Clogger with some strips of pig and sliced yellow mold placed on top. Could I also have a container of potato strips bathed in an unhealthy vat of animal lard, as well as a large container of carbonated growth-stunting liquid refreshment. Now could I get all this at Super-Big size as to maximize the damage to my arteries and veins?"
"Oh, you mean the Number 5."
We all know of the convenience -- how easy and simple it is to walk in to a counter and be given a `meal' almost immediately. Fast food, while all nice and dandy, is a symptom of our disregard for the health of our bodies.
The eating habits of Americans have been on a downward slide for quite awhile now. Stress and procrastination, two words which most college students know quite well, are just two of the factors which have led to the eventual decay of eating habits -- especially those of college students.
The increase of poor eating and an unhealthy diet stems from society and the difficulty to find time to eat. With time, we would all probably stop our lives to fix a healthy meal at home. But, whether due to time constraints or for reasons of convenience, the average student will spend $7,000 over a lifetime buying items from vending machines, according to recent statistics from a handy almanac, "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader."
Students today neither have time to stay healthy, nor feel any concern over their eating habits; this disregard for health is what might eventually lead to heart-attacks and other health-related illnesses. While a cholesterol level of 420 might have been considered normal or even healthy by 1966 standards, today a level of 200 for the average college student is pushing the limits of good health.
Some people may attempt to remedy the problem by saying, `Well, the situation is getting better and current foods are getting healthier and healthier. Simply take a look at healthy items such as tofu or yogurt.'
But when asked, the majority of Americans name tofu and yogurt as the foods they hate the most --the two healthiest parts of this entire correct-eating campaign! What is the point in providing healthy foods if the average person dislikes them?
It gets worse, though. The culprit lies not in fast food alone, but in snack foods; you know, those foods we all snarf down while watching the latest flick on the tube. Never mind the fact that the average student burns more calories sleeping than watching television -- eating buttered popcorn, drinking soda or sucking down those plain M&M's simply adds to the couch potato experience.
While some students may wish to do something better with their health, snack and fast foods are simply so convenient that college students are almost forced into purchasing them. Students, as is true with America as a whole, are hooked on junk food. While everyone seems to know about the dangers of poor dietary habits, $86,849 is spent on plain M&M's on an average day, and it's not for the small chocolates' healing powers.
With the stresses of late nights and the ever-increasing demands on the average college student, the need for quick food will, at least for now, reign supreme, while good health habits fall to the wayside. With no time for exercise, sleep or the ability to eat properly, you and I will continue to extract as much caffeine from our lifetime allotment of 556 sodas as is humanly possible.
The whole idea of eating right does not revolve around the idea of the products we currently eat getting better or healthier, it revolves around the average student (that means you and me) taking a stand against unhealthy foods.
Yes, the fast food divorce will be painful and ugly, but your heart and arteries will thank you -- trust me.

Colin Smith is a freshman majoring in architecture.