Home or bust May 4, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in On-campus dining.Tags: college students, home, home-cooked food
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The end of the semester is officially here… and Stars are packing up to hit the road and head home.
There are a lot of things to miss when you’re away from home for a long time. But one of the things that seem to be most important to students is the food.
While the caf offer a variety of food throughout the year, there’s something about your parents’ home cooked food that can’t be matched.
Jeanette Sealey, dance management freshman, is headed home from Guthrie, Oklahoma. She is most looking forward to eating her mom’s waffles and macaroni and cheese.
“The caf just cannot make mac and cheese like my mom,” she said.
Carlos Kitchen, nursing senior, is headed home to Detroit Michigan after graduation. He is also looking forward to a plate of macaroni and cheese to celebrate.
“My mom and girlfriend both use 3 cheeses in their macaroni,” he said. “Plus it’s homemade, which is always better.”
Joy Watson, biomedical science freshman, is going to hit the road and head back to Tulsa. Check out the video and see what food she’s most looking forward to eating when she gets home.
We can’t forget students who are staying on campus this summer. For the Star who is looking for good food they can eat on campus, check out Laura’s Dorm Room Cookbook for ideas of good food to make on a tight budget with limited resources.
Sobering statistics on college drinking April 22, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in drinking.Tags: college students, drinking, sttistics
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If there are a few types of food you can be sure to expect in college, here they are: chips, pizza and alcohol.
None of these things are particularly healthy, but they’re engrained into college culture anyway. Consuming these foods and drinks is fine in most situations, even the ever-imfamous alcohol. Most people frown on college students drinking alcohol. but I think it’s fine as long as it’s legal, doesn’t go against you or your family have for you, and done in moderation.
But the fact of the matter is that moderation seems to be a hard concept for students to grab.
About.com’s Young Adults Guide reported that 73% of college students drink at least occasionally. This number was taken from a survey done over 30,000 undergrads on 53 U.S. campuses in 2005.
If you’re anything like me you’re thinking “what’s the big deal with an occasional drink.” My answer: nothing. But this survey showed that binge drinking is all too common among drinkers.
The survey found that the average male freshman drinks over seven drinks per week. The average female drinks over three.
These students have also let their drinking get in the way of making good choices. 31% of students surveyed said they have missed class due to drinking. And over 70% said they have had unplanned sex while under the influence, sex they wouldn’t choose to have sober.
This doesn’t mean that all students should never drink. It just means that being in college doesn’t justify developing an ugly habit that could follow you through life.
Statistics don’t lie.
Change your eating habits with 85 cents or less. April 18, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in Uncategorized.add a comment
If you’re anything like me, you have a hard time making it to morning classes.
I somehow made it to class at 7:15 each morning in high school. But these days I have to pry myself out of bed to make it to class at 9 a.m. There’s something about being in college that makes hitting the snooze button so appealing.
With this morning routine I find myself running out the door each morning with a growling stomach most morning. At best I’ll grab a bottled water or juice, and plan on grabbing something to eat from the vending machine.
Little did I know that a lot of those vending machine snacks can wreak havoc on my day. Some can not only fill me up with empty calories, but also overload me with sugar, only to have me crash around noon.
But Fitness magazine’s list of the Top Ten Vending Machine Snacks helps. It gives a comprehensive list of the calorie and fat content of some of the worst vending machine foods like Doritos and Pop Tarts, and the top ten healthiest snacks like Baked Lays and Peanut M&M’s.
Take a look, so the next time you’re in a time crunch you’ll know what to munch on.
OCU International April 4, 2010
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If there’s one thing better than having a diverse group of people at OCU, it’s getting to share diverse foods with your fellow stars.
Last Thursday, Multicultural Student Affairs rounded up Stars from all over the world to share their foods and their cultures with the campus.
Students talked about preparing the food. Some easy, some a little more difficult. But all of it was made right here on campus.
Looking for some international recipes that you could try? Try the links below to find cool and easy recipes!
http://www.recipesfoodcookinginternational.com/simplerecipes.html
Dorm Room Diets March 25, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in On-campus dining.Tags: college student, dorm room, food, sheray franklin
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Remember those seemingly pointless rules your parents set when you were growing up? You know, like “no snacks before dinner” and “don’t eat too much sugar or you will rot your teeth.”
They may have been annoying to hear, but it turns out those rules can be helpful. The EDU in Review has an Ultimate Dorm Room Diet Guide inspired by your parents’ rule that can keep you from gaining weight in college.
The list includes tips like keeping candy bars and sugary snacks “out of sight, out of mind,” and teaming with roommates or friends for accountability. The list also recommends not to drink alcohol… but gives you tips for afterwards, just in case you do.
There’s also a link to the best dorm-room snacks and fitness gadgets, and a mini-fridge guide. Check it out and let me know what you think.
Also, check out this video featuring Sheray Franklin, dance management freshman, talking about her dorm room diet.
Check it out!
Where everybody knows your name… pt. 2 March 5, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in healthy options, On-campus dining.1 comment so far
Where everybody knows you’re name… March 4, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in healthy options, On-campus dining.Tags: college students, food, Jesus Elizondo, Jevon Oliver, OCU, Shayla James, Sodexho
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After a long morning of class and schoolwork, Shayla James, accounting senior, heads over to the caf to take a break, eat and see other students.
“It’s definitely a place where you can go and kick back,” she said. “You can go and spend time with people you know, or meet new people.”
She’s been going to the caf since she was a freshman and has seen the environment and atmosphere evolve and improve.
“It’s bigger and brighter and more spaced out,” she said. “The food is definitely better.”
Sodexho has worked to improve the caf experience for students over the years, said Nirali Patel, Senior Service Manager.
She said they want students to feel like they’re special and make the caf as appealing as possible.
“Students are away from their families and homes,” she said. “I want them to feel comfortable, like they’re at home having lunch or dinner.
“I want them to feel like they’re coming into more than just a school cafeteria. We want them to feel like they’re entering into a restaurant.”
Patel said they want to provide students with gourmet food and try to be health conscious when making food choices.
“We try to keep students with special diets in mind, like dancers,” she said. “We try to have options for them.
“I think we’re doing really well, but I also think we can do better.”
Jesus Elizondo, political science junior, thinks one improvement that could be made is providing more organic food.
He said he gets concerned about what chemicals could be in the vegetables.
We get the same vegetables all year, whether they’re in season or not, he said.
He thinks having organic food in the caf could also help the community.
“It’s a good opportunity to help farmer around the area, or local businesses,” he said.
Space in the caf is also an issue, he said.
It’s a good opportunity to see friends, but sometimes it gets too crowded.
“But I guess that’s to be expected,” he said.
He thinks it’s nice that sometimes professors come to the caf and have lunch with students.
Patel, Senior Service Manager, said that she would also like to see more room, but there is no more room for seating. But the atmosphere and look has improved in the last few years in part because of Kelli Keegan, Director of Operations.
Jevon Oliver, biology sophomore, likes being in the caf.
“The atmosphere is pretty fun,” he said. “Sometimes you can stay for two hours.
“It’s a chance to see everyone.”
Students who want to keep up with what’s going on with the caf or Sodexho can visit Sodexho’s Twitter page, OCUeats, or the Sodexho web site.
Also, check out pictures of students in the caf.
For the love of french fries February 25, 2010
Posted by Ashley Knuckles in Uncategorized.add a comment
Think twice the next time you’re headed across the street for Arby’s’ famous curly fries.
It’s normal for college students to gravitate towards fast food. Our schedules are usually hectic, and things like nutrition and health can become less of a priority. I and a lot of people I know stop by local fast-food restaurants like Arby’s for snacks, not thinking about the effect it has on our health .
Apparently, these French-fries are one of America’s Worst French-Fries, according to Yahoo! Health.
While Arby’s is conveniently located and the food is good, it’s not good for you. A large order of curly fries has 640 calories, 34 grams of fat (5 grams of saturated fat), and about 1500 milligrams of sodium.
The article also features more of the worst french-fries in America, including Dairy Queen. But it also gives you options for more health-friendly French-fries options.
Or at least as healthy as french-fries can get.
The healthiest option according to the article? A small order at McDonalds.
Check it out here: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/46018/americas-worst-french-fries-and-what-you-should-eat-instead/
“I feel like chicken tonight…” February 21, 2010
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It’s the season for Lent, a time used by Christians to prepare for Easter.
This Lent season I’ve decided to stop eating red meat and pork. While this practice will not directly bring me closer to God, abstaining from some of my favorite foods will help me practice self-control. That self-control will inevitably become a habit, helping me in my religious practices.
It is also going to help my health, improving the whole “mind, body and spirit” balance that I feel is essential to being spiritually in tune.
I’ve learned very quickly that only eating poultry and seafood is a little more difficult and a lot more expensive than I anticipated. But over the last week I quickly learned some of the best places to go for budget-friendly poultry and seafood meals. Here they go:
- Wal-Mart. Love it or hate it, they’ve got the low prices game down. You can buy a rotisserie chicken from there for about $5 and eat it for a few days. Cut it up and make it into a stir-fry, eat it as is, or make it into a sandwich. Any way you make it, it’s worth the money!
- Alvins. Good ol’ Alvins… While my favorite BLT on pita is out of the question for the next 30 or so days, the chicken sandwich on ciabatta bread is just fine, and reasonably priced. They also have great soups like the clam chowder. Not to mention you can use your Stars Bucks!
- Asian Super Buffet. I’m not an expert on Asian food, but I do know that this place has a great variety at a very reasonable price. It’s at Classen Boulevard and 23rd Street. You can eat in for about $7, and choose from chicken, fish, shrimp, crab, etc. Grilled and steamed options are available for the health-conscious diner. Take-out buffet is available all day, and is only about $5 a pound. They also have mediocre sushi (but you get what you pay for, right?)
Try these places out! Tell me what you think!
