Erin Fischer discusses her struggle due to the lack of healthy options on campus.
I’m in eating disorder recovery. I also haven’t yet lived on campus for the two required years, which means that I’m stuck in the dorms (I’m a senior because of the college credits I acquired in high school).
That makes the dining system here even worse for me than it is for most, and we all know the system is bad as is. My boyfriend came to visit me at Ohio University for the first time last weekend and commented on how few healthful options there are.
Let’s start with the “markets” — they’re really just glorified convenience stores. The shelves are lined with sugary drinks, candy, chips and frozen dinners. There’s a small section of salads and a small amount of fresh fruit available, but it’s slim pickings. The healthful food that is available is also often very pricey; a large boxed salad costs $6.25, for instance.
Then there are the dining halls. Yes, there are some healthful options that exist (like the salad bars), but with frozen lettuce that’s been in a freezer for weeks, it’s questionable to know how healthy it actually is. Not to mention it’s hard to make healthy choices when you’re surrounded by pizza, doughnuts and ice cream.
According to the OU Culinary Services website, cereal is one of the “healthy” options available at all dining halls — when did processed sugar become nutritious? Some of the other options listed are low fat muffins, the pasta bar and canned fruit; which is packaged in “light” syrup. None of these options on the “healthy” list sound very healthy to me, and believe me it’s not a long one.
One of the hardest parts about having to use a meal plan are the time restrictions. The dining halls have very limited hours and the only places on campus that are open late are the markets and the Grab n Go’s (although those aren’t even open on weekends). Last year, I was on a really bad sleep schedule and wouldn’t eat dinner until about 10 p.m., which meant I had to go and buy junk food at the market. That’s the other thing, having an eating disorder makes it hard for me to not gravitate toward all of the processed food when I’m surrounded by it. At least at traditional grocery stores I can stick to the perimeter, but that’s not really the case here.
I’m trying to maintain the healthier lifestyle that I’ve cultivated during the summer, but OU’s poor dining system makes it very difficult. I love to cook and prepare my own meals, but even that isn’t possible here — only two of the dorms on the entire campus (Bryan and Voigt) have community kitchens, and I don’t live in either. Yes, I still have the urge to engage in behaviors (and am not 100 percent recovered), and when I’m in situations where it’s hard to avoid processed junk food, often times I can’t resist. It makes it very challenging to try and find some balance when food usually leaves me feeling in chaos.
Recovery is still possible, but Culinary Services could at least make the process a hell of a lot easier.
Erin Fischer is a senior studying women’s and gender studies. Email her at ef102312@ohio.edu
