Dear Editor,
I think Topher McKim's Friday column - "Ball State's Health Zone doesn't help students ward off the 'freshman 15'" - was like an arrow headed in the right direction, but it totally missed the mark. There are many valid grievances against Ball State University's Dining Services, but McKim missed them.
He mentions that "junk food has never been more accessible - or unavoidable." As accurate as this may be, junk food is the most accessible, unavoidable food in America; he won't get away from that fact by graduating or transferring. Americans need to learn to be disciplined and develop healthy lifestyles, not whine when food places sell unhealthy foods. And imagine the complaints if Ball State got rid of junk foods! McKim claims "many students do not have the time to count calories or search for labeled foods," but I claim this is preposterous.
Simply for the intrigue of the challenge, I became vegan on March 20, and I have been surprised at how relatively "easy" it is - even on a meal plan. I'm not claiming it's as easy as eating anything I want, but Ball State has managed to provide many healthy alternate foods for vegans, vegetarians or those simply concerned with long-term health. Reading labels and learning what to eat as a vegan has required minimal research and minimal time.
The benefits are worth the effort: I have become fuller with less food during my days as a vegan. It has caused me to eat slower and to spend more energy caring about what I put in my body. It's nothing but pure laziness that brings students to choose those loaded nachos rather than to walk to the Noyer Complex dining facility for a fresh salad.
Issues McKim should have brought up were things like the low quality of fresh fruits and vegetables on Ball State's campus. If I can go to the store and avoid picking out overripe bananas and squishy oranges, why can't Dining Services?
Or he could have mentioned how much more expensive healthy foods on campus are than unhealthy foods. If Ball State really cared about its students' eating habits, it could come up with a way not to charge 99 cents for half of a sliced apple.
But even here, the expense of healthy foods has helped me to control the amount of food I eat. It is no secret Americans have ridiculously large portion sizes.
McKim, maybe you should try being vegan for a week - it isn't easy, but nothing worthwhile really is. There's your life lesson for the week.
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