Starting college soon, guys? Better watch what you eat!

By Dr. Michael J Rovito

The beginning of the Fall semester is exciting. Everyone can agree on that. You’ll have new friends, new parties, new classes, new relationships, and new experiences. However, something lost in the hurricane of activity any given male college student will endure is PROPER NUTRITION.

I have the privilege of teaching Nutrition and Health and I get a mix of majors taking my course. Therefore, it’s interesting to see the variety of opinions on what eating healthy means to college students, but more pertaining to this particular post, college men.

I’ve come to notice a pattern of where college men go wrong in terms of nutrition. There are 4 main pillars: 1) protein, 2) supplements (which relates to protein), 3) exercise, and 4) calorie control. These 4 pillars definitely overlap so please stay aware of that as I outline them below.

Protein: Guys, you’re getting too much. Chances are you have no problem eating half of a meat lovers pizza for dinner while also having a large meat-filled sub for lunch and some sort of protein-packed breakfast. Let’s pretend you eat like this 5 out of 7 days a week, that’s well above and beyond what your body really needs in terms of protein intake. You should aim to get about 10 to 35% (40 to 70 grams) of your daily body’s energy needs from protein not the 50 to 70% (90 to 150 grams) that is common among college men. Getting too much protein can have long term affects on your body including heart disease (from all of the saturated fat-laden red meat), bone mass loss, and kidney failure. Coupled with protein supplements, you can actually develop protein poisoning if too much is taken for too long.

Supplements: If you eat a healthy, well-rounded diet, there is absolutely no need for healthy, active college men to take supplements. Unless there is some medical reason you need to take them, STEER CLEAR. You are wasting your money and possible damaging your body. There are fat and water soluble vitamins. Water soluble ones (Vitamins B and C) are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream. If too much is taken, your body excretes it very easily. I would venture that out of every 10 dollars spent on B and C supplements, you flush away 6 to 7 dollars worth making your urine the most expensive in town. The fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D, and K) are stored in your fat when there are excesses in your body and not easily excreted. You can actually suffer from vitamin toxicity if too much is taken. Vitamin D is the most toxic of vitamins.

Exercise: Gentleman, gentlemen, gentlemen….you need to move your body! Work out! Run! Climb steps! Do something! The freshman 15 is a real phenomenon. In order to burn off those extra calories, you need to work out. But if you do work out, mix it up. Benching, squatting, leg press, and bicep curls are great, but does not qualify for a complete workout if you are doing only them. You need to do some cardio. Start off small. Run a mile then progress upwards as your endurance builds. The first 10 miles are always the hardest, but give it time, you may actually start to like running. I promise.

Calorie control: For every extra 3500 calories you consume, you put on 1 pound of body fat. Think about what you eat in a given day. Does that food provide more than the 2500-3000 calories an average college male needs in a given day to live? Probably. Now, couple that with the alcohol you drink in a given week. How many calories are you actually consuming? The average beer has 150 calories. The average long island iced tea has 700 calories. Do the math.

College can be a great experience but you need to be smart about how you treat your body. You are not superman. You can harm yourself. Watch what you eat and drink, please. Move. Be active, but don’t act like Superman. Be smart about what you consume. Your body will thank you later in life. Trust me.

Have a great semester!

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Blurb about today’s Guest Blogger:

Michael J Rovito received his M.A. in Geography and Ph.D. in Public Health from Temple University in Philadelphia. Michael currently is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Temple University. His research specializes in health behavior change, men’s health, and audience segmentation. His most recent research developed the “Control Identity” Personality Typology that aims to assist health education and intervention efforts for tailoring messaging strategies. Michael is a Fellow of the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making, the Albert Schweitzer Foundation, and the Information Technology in Society Research Group. His interests include military and World War II history, outdoor sports, and political strategy.