By Nathan Jones

It’s common for college students to gain weight their first semester.

Students are away from home and are able to splurge on unhealthy foods and lack exercise.

Fries, burgers and many fried unhealthy choices are served on a daily bases on campus.

Tara Kazirim, manager of DSU cafeteria Conrad Hall said there are healthy options for students to eat.

“Well, we have a salad bar that replenishes throughout the day. We also serve healthy choices at our sandwich line and home smoke station. We also have our new smoothie line that will start next Monday,” Kazirim said.

Not, only does DSU’s Conrad serve healthy foods but, they include the vegetarian menu.

“We are vegetarian friendly here at Conrad,” says Kazirim.

Colleges also have other food franchises on campus. At DSU, there is a Subway that serves healthy sandwiches.

Young-White said the food at Subway is very healthy.

“Everything is fresh and you get a lot of vegetables with your sub. But, students usually want a lot of dressings on their subs which makes them unhealthy. So, I would suggest the dressings but, not as much of it,” said Young-White.

Marianne Carter, a registered dietician, gives students advice on what they should do to maintain weight.

“In the cafeteria, students can have as much as they want, and oftentimes leads to weight gain.” Carter said, “Students are often less active than they were in high school.”

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that we fit in a mini-mum of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.

This can be spread out, like being active for 30 minutes on five or more days per week. Being overweight can lead to medical problems.

“It’s a long list,” Carter said.

High blood pressure, type two diabetes, certain forms of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, arthritis, gallbladder disease- carrying excess weight increases your risk for all of the conditions.

Campuses may hold a health program that students may want to think about joining.