Dear Mr. President of Grossmont college
I'm writing this letter as a student of GC to request something really important for our heath. First of all I am happy to be a part of the community and second I think GC is one of the best colleges in San Diego county.
The first semester was interesting to discover how it works about schedule, class, professors, classmates, studies exc.. but then when I start to be a veteran I understood that something was missing, something very important for our heath. It was " healthy food" in my opinion I really don't understand why GC in one hand it is ahead regarding the study programs but on the other hand it loses points regarding food for students, as though food for students is less important then programs studies.
I believe that food at college enviroment is very important because college send message to them to believe what is right to eat and second instead of leaving them to eating fast food, sugary or salty snacks, more vegetables should be proposed in season, raw fruits, less sweetened, less salty.
"According to the American College Health Association, the percent of overweight and obese American college students increased from 27.4 percent in 2006 to 29.2 percent in 2011. And one advocacy group predicts it’s only going to get worse. Trust for America’s Health released a report in September that predicts 39 states could have obesity rates above 50 percent by 2030."
I take myself as an example, sometimes I can't have breakfast because unfortunately I don't have much time in the morning, after one hour in class, hunger breaks out and my brain needs to eat something, but when I look around at the Griffin Center what I can buy to satisfy my hunger it is only pizza, hamburger, french fried, sandwich end a lot of snacks.
Every day I see young students eating this kind of food and all of this things makes me feel sad, often the students are already fat but they still doing what they think is right.
“I can’t even tell you how often my students came to class with fast food,” said Laurin (from Rasmussen College). “Many are coming from work, so they grab something quick on the way to campus or hit the vending machine.”
"That type of food may fill you up, but Laurin says it won’t help a student perform better in the classroom. Instead – junk food, combined with inactivity and lack of sleep result in decreased energy, which affects your ability to concentrate, think and retain information. If that’s not reason enough, all those bad habits can lead to obesity and a lower quality of life – now and in the future. It can also cost thousands at the doctor’s office."
Mr. President, I would like to ask you to consider a new nutrition project for students where are offered a new menu with more healthy food like fresh salads, much more seasonal fruits, whole wheat bread, cereals, egg exc.. In my opinion you should take away all the unhealthy snacks and start replacing them with this listed food. Most likely the students will be stunned by the choice, many will probably not understand why they are not used to eating this way, but I am sure that when they are hungry they will go to eat what is offered to them, as they eat junk food like this, they will eat healthy food, the only difference is that the latter is excellent for their health.
We need an actions to Prevent Obesity, I hope you will consider my request and I hope this can be useful to help young students to have a healthier lifestyle.
Thank you so much for your attention,
Yours sincerely
Luana Calo'
