INSIDE • Does Sugar Really Satisfy Your Body's Needs? • The Success Story of a Dieter Who Quit • Can Breakfast Make a Difference in Your Academic Performance? THE BOTTOM LINE Get Your Cholesterol Level Checked for Free! Come by the Student l lealth Center's Health Education Room on Tuesday mornings 9;30-11:00 (with your ID card m hand) and get your cholesterol level checked .it no charge. Oi call 346--H56 lor more information Food and Moods There will In- several workshops this quarter relating to the topic of f ood and Moods Check with Health Education at D6-4-IS6 lor more mlor (nation or LOOK INSIDE for a listing of upcoming workshops! Staying Healthy Drop by the i lealth Education Center for access to a variety of health books, or nuke an appointment with a Peer i teal(h Advisor who is eager to talk with you about your eoiiccrns or prob lems relating to health issues, lust call 346-4456. Don’t Let the World Get the Best of You II you arc having a diiVicult time ton trolling mood swings or depression, or it you just feel frustrated and alone, remember that there arc plenty of peo ple out there who care about you and arc willing to help. All it takes is a phone call Make the decision to help yourself by reaching out to a friend, counselor, minister, or support group. Peer Health Advising — It’s Great Fun and \£ry Rewarding To be a Peer Health Advisor, you must enroll in HEP 410 or 510 and apply through the Student Health Center s Health Education Program, so drop by the Health Education Room to pick up your application. In this two-quar ter course, you will gain practical expe rience in public speaking, learn how to facilitate and implement group discus sions. develop health promotion pro jects. and write an article for the Well Now. Call 346-4456 or 346-2728 for more information. Food and Moods: Why do we eat? By frnmftr AWA Do you ever find yourself putting food into your mouth without being aware of it? Do you cat to reduce stress or anxiety' wnat anout eating to avoid doing homework? Tver cat just out of boredom? Most people probably would answer "yes to at least one of these questions Whatever happened to eating to satis fv hunger? It appears that eating is a very psychological practice. There are many psychological rea sons why people cat. Some people cat for comfort. In a college environ ment, as a student, you may feel anonymous, lost, stressed, and hkc just another face in the crowd, so you turn to food, hood can be an easy alternative to love and security. Anxiety can be another factor con tributing to mass food consumption. It is easy to find yourself loading up on junk food to study for an exam. You may need extra energy and can fall into the trap of thinking that food will soothe your mind. Habit is another factor which influences eating. When you cat at noon or when you get home at the end of the day, regardless of whether you arc hungry, you arc guilty of habitual eating. Most people would reason that they choose particular foods to cat because they like them However, there arc numerous factors involved in our choice of foods. Three main factors that influence eating include: 1. Cometfuenees After Eating which include a change in preference for a food as a result of that food making a person ill in the past or changes in preference for food because in the past it has removed a nutritional deficiency in that person. For example, an anemic person might crave meat, beans, or spinach because they contain a great deal of iron. 2, Sdentifit Finding» this type of information about foods causing high blood pressure or reducing the chances of cancer causes people to opt for a healthier food choice. V Environmental Eat ton cost, availability and convenience of cer lain foods might deter us from one item, while attracting us to others. I sen though on the surface u might appear that people eat foods only because they like them, actually, people make many considerations before they make food choices. I hey ponder whether the food will nuke them feel sick or bloated. 1 hev "lis ten to their bodies," in the sense that they realize that their body is craving something that it really needs and try to fulfill that deficiency. ( lost, availability and convenience have a tremendous influence on food choice, l or example, we know that green vegetables and carbohydrates are a healthier lunch than a sweet roll and coflee; however, the nearest salad bar is a mile away and costs S-i.SO If you have IS minutes until your next slass and $1.~S in your pocket, you arc going to be tempted to opt tor the sweet roll and coflee. If vou think about the situation, vou may realize that a healthier alter native would be a bagel and a cup of tea, which would be equal in price and just as accessible as the sweet roll and coflee. 1 he salad bar might have been exacth what sou wanted, but with a busy college schedule and a small col lege budget, it was not a feasible option Nonetheless, dont throw can lion to the wind and don’t think that there aren i any alternatives when you are in this type of situation. I urn to / A / tN(», p*t2 Eating habits influenced by stress Hy noytr Wh)( follow* w 4 ’’dici" that wme college m»drn(\ may follow from time to nme, ope daily when they have paper*, pro* iccts. miaterms ami rinais. BtfAfaii 1/2 grapefruit 1 dice whole wheal toast 8 at. skim milk 1 unch 4 or. lean broiled chicken breast I cup zucchini — steamed I Oreo cookie Mtd afternuBa Snack Reel of ihe package of l )rros I quart chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream 1 jar hot fudge Dinner 2 loaves garlic bread large peppenmi and olive pizza large pitcher of Henry's 3 Snickers candy bars hntire frozen cheesecake eaten directly from the freezer Unfortunately, when stress-filled days confront us each quarter, we may turn to this type of destructive diet. We tend to eat much more healthily when we arc less stressed. As the day progresses and becomes more stressful, the worse our eating habits become. i rurc arc many itims rue ween nutrition and stress. I he l A I I feel mg (Tired All the Time) so often expressed hy students, executives, housewives, and laborers alike some times is the result of skipping meals, undcrcating. and eating low or quick-energy foods in the pressure of daily life Inconsistent and irregular eating habits, so often exuded hy stu dents. arc a leading nutritional prob lem for many people in our society as well. Another issue with a person's irregular eating patterns, when she/he is stressed, is that inadequate vitamins and minerals may con tribute to loss of energy, irritability, insomnia, and anxiety. This is not to say that a person whose eating patterns change when she/he is stressed should take vitamin supplements, hut rather should strive for a well-balanced diet that can pro vide for the body's daily needs energy, vitamins and minerals Many time when we arc stressed, we tend to cat those foods that give us a quick jolt or burst of energy — usually something containing lots of refined sugar. Yet, in the end, this is antithetical to what we desire from these foods—lots of energy. High amounts of refined sugar— Turn to HABITS, f»gr 2 Alcohol: Hindrance or help? By Tunlt CtM Wc all know that many Ameti cam arc addicted to 4 drug called alcohol. Alcohol is a factor in a third to half of all homicides, motor vehicle fatalities, child and spouse abuse cases and a number ol tuber serious problems. Heavy drinkers usually suffer from malnutrition as well as some other detrimental afflictions. Some of these include inflammation of the pancreas, cirrhosis of the liver, and cancer of the mouth, voice bo*, esophagus and liver or breast. Abuse of alcohol can also cause heart muscles to become corroded and can cause high blood pressure. So arc there any benefits for those who do drink? New studies say yes. but only if we drink in moderation. “There is no other drug that is so efficient (at pre venting heart attacks) as moderate intake of alcohol." says Serge Renaud. director of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research. Is this true? Are we less likely to have heart disease if we drink alcohol? Probably, bur do the other costs out weigh this benefit? Alcohol is associated with lower rates of heart disease, because as you take in alcohol your high-density lipoproteins (HDU) go up. HDLt ate “good" choles terol: they appear to protect against heart disease by pro viding good circulatory health. Medical research shows that the HDL level of drinkers is 10-15% higher than non-drinkers. Some researcher* believe that alcohol also inhibits "platelet aggregation." which means the blood will be less likely to form clots. Turn » ALCOHOL. MP 3