Vol. 89 Issue 19
March 8, 2011
Healthy Fast Food On Campus
Nutritional Meals Under $10
Opinion: Hippie health
Not all of the speedy food options on campus have to be greasy and fried fast food; restaurants such as Togo’s, Juice It Up! and the LH Express Café in Langsdorf Hall are good alternatives. p. 5
A guide to cooking meals on a college student’s budget, featuring cookbooks and quick television shows to get you inspired p. 5
Don’t be another statistic. It is not enough to just think of your nutritional health; remember your sexual health. p. 4
nutrition The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
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HEALTH CONSCIOUS Iconic fast food chains are offering healthier alternatives to their oversized portions such as salads, grilled chicken and more JESSICA HERNANDEZ For the Daily Titan
Fast food has been one of the major establishments of the United States since the early 1950s. Hamburgers, fries and Coca-Cola are identified as the typical American meal. As soon as the first McDonald’s opened in 1955, the fast-food trend became prominent in American culture. Many changes have occurred since then, specifically the portion size and consumer caloric intake. The first burgers were roughly 333 calories and only 1.6 ounces. Now, fast-food chains such as Burger King and Wendy’s offer burgers with a weight of 12 ounces. Increases in the portion sizes have contributed to the nationwide epidemic of Americans being overweight and obese. As a response to the growing issue of obesity, in 2004, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock made the documentary Supersize Me, where he ate McDonald’s three times a day for one month. The shocking transformation of his health and weight consequently shone a negative light on the fast-food chain. After the release of the documentary, the renowned supersize menu was eventually phased out that year, and McDonald’s started to create and advertise their healthier alternatives on their menus. Healthy options at fast-food chains were not an unContact Us at news@dailytitan.com
precedented idea. One of the most powerful players in the fast-food chain industry, Wendy’s, has offered salads and small, side baked potatoes for years. McDonald’s even offered the McLean Burger in the 1990s and Burger King had the veggie burger. Regardless, the increasing awareness of nutrition has made healthy foods more iconic. “Making nutritional information for fast food items available and accessible is a good first step toward stemming the rising tide of obesity,” said Joshua Yang, assistant professor of health science at Cal State Fullerton. “But, (they) should be seen as only one component of a broad-based effort to improve people’s dietary patterns.” In 2004, three entree-sized salads were added to the McDonald’s menu with the choice of either a grilled or crispy chicken breast along with the seemingly healthy Newman’s Own all-natural salad dressings. In addition, Happy Meals were introduced with low-fat white and chocolate milk and apple dippers, and provided children with fun information about nutrition and physical activity. The New York Times stated these newly offered items “brought moms back” and was a luring component in assisting McDonald’s during the weak economy. See HISTORY, page 3
Being educated on the nutritional information of common fast food products can reduce health risks like obesity and heart disease MARGARITA CASTELLANOS Daily Titan
As consumers, we have a right to obtain information about the products we buy. We are provided information about the fuel efficiency of cars and what clothes are made of and how to care for them, but what about the stuff we put into our bodies? According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, American adults and children eat on average one-third of their calories alone from eating out. Nutrition information is needed to manage their weight and reduce the risk of contracting heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, all of which are leading causes of death, disability and high health-care costs. “I think it’s a good idea because it lets people take care of themselves, especially when it comes to their kids,” said Naomi Navor, 18, a psychology major. “But it also makes people self-conscious knowing how many calories everything is.” Without nutrition information it is hard to make a healthy choice at restaurants. Few people would guess that a small milkshake has more calories than a Big Mac. “The benefit of having nutrition information on the menus posted when you are ordering at restaurants is just for awareness and to inform people on the calo-
rie intake of the meal they are choosing to buy,” said Darany Hoang of the Student Health and Counseling Center. “People are not really aware of that information and that’s with my experience, because I see students one-on-one, and when they see what they are actually selecting, they sometimes are opting to select another choice, so I think that may help consumers or restaurants to make a better selection,” Wong said. Since 1994, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act has required food manufacturers to provide nutrition information on nearly all packaged foods. In February 2003, Democratic State Sen. Deborah Ortiz introduced a bill that would “require fast food and other chain restaurants that have 10 or more locations nationally and in California to provide nutrition information upon request, and also post a sign saying that such information is available.” The bill required “fast food and other chain restaurants that have 20 or more locations in California to post calorie information for all standard menu items on menus, menu boards and food display tags.” The policy also allowed for a range of nutritional information for combo meals that have options and side orders. See LABELS, page 3