America is obsessed with food. We’re obsessed with localizing, Jamie Oliver-izing and de-obesify-ing our nation’s food intake.
Many people are even documenting their every meal, blogging about it and uploading pictures of their half-eaten cheese biscuit on Flickr.
With all the hubbub about American diets, it’s obvious most of us (we’re looking at you, college student) eat poorly. After all, America is the home of Big Boy, the Kentucky Fried Chicken Double Down and Jared from Subway.
Why else would Jamie Oliver race across the Atlantic to save Americans’ health and revamp our cafeterias in his “Food Revolution” campaign?
And for Marquette students, trying to eat healthy is even more problematic.
We have limited access to fresh fruit and healthy restaurants, and gyros and burritos are our Friday night mainstays.
If we are what we eat, then we’re screwed.
To illustrate what we put in our stomachs (and take part in the showcase-what-you-eat-to-the-public trend), the Tribune’s editorial staff took pictures of their food consumption.
We figured we don’t eat much differently than the average college student (albeit more late night Diet Pepsis and Easy Mac).
The result? In between shining moments of strawberries, mushrooms and baked chicken with peas, we’re inhaling Jimmy John’s, seafood Subway sandwiches, chocolates, Reese’s, Cokes, some unidentifiable leftovers from Easter, Easter candy, hot dogs, chips and boatloads of other crap.
These are all fine and dandy, but by putting a camera to your chow, you realize what you’re shoving down your gullet.
A free hot dog, processed foods, soda, candy — these cannot be the primary food groups in a college student’s diet.
Now, many college students are much healthier, eating granola and carrots and other such delicacies.
And for others with limited budgets, saltines and Ramen might look like the best bet right now. But take a look at what you eat.
Are you noshing on pitas from the pita truck or gyros from the gyro cart, and drinking your third Coke Zero one too many times?
Fresh fruit, local ingredients and farmers’ markets go so far.
Let’s get caught up in the Jamie Oliver-izing, in the over-emphasis of what we devour.
You don’t have to post every Wheat Thin you crunch on Facebook, but start writing down what you consume, and you’ll be amazed.
After all, we are what we eat.
