Freshman 15 Research Paper

One of the biggest fears of college students is gaining an excessive amount of weight. As most UMass students know, the school’s dining commons are currently ranked second in the United States by the Princeton Review. When I began attending school, the term “Freshman 15” was a common term that was often spoken about amongst my friends. The term “Freshman 15” refers to the amount of weight which is expected to be gained in the first year of college because of the easy access of food. I always looked at the “Freshman 15” as a myth before college. I wanted to learn more about UMass Amherst’s food. I wondered if it could be possible that UMass could be ranked as having one of the best dinning commons in the country and also have healthy
I asked my friend Danny Trinh in the Worcester Dining hall, “Why do you eat Pizza and Fries often, when you know that it is unhealthy?” He replied, “That’s all they have.” He said, because of the disgusting food, such as the red bean burger, he began leaning towards the good tasting unhealthy food. So what influences young adults and their food choices? Hebden states, “Taste was the most important influence on food selection, followed by convenience (availability), cost, nutrition/health value, smell and stimulatory properties (alertness).” Students like to lean towards food that tastes the best, therefore ignoring the health aspects which can impact them long term. It can be concluded that services should provide low-cost nutritious food that tastes good. During my time in UMass, my eating habits were bad, I would often eat foods high in cholesterol and fats, such as bacon and fries. Within 2-3 months, I had gained about 5 pounds. I had friends that gained more weight, and some that even lost weight. Ever since I began my research on “Freshman 15,” I learned ways to balance my diet, such as including more salads and