Here at Wheaton, I find myself eating mostly pasta and
sandwiches for most meals. I am fairly ok with this, because I love pasta, but
I often find myself craving fresh fruit or a well-prepared salad. When this
happens, I drag my roommate to Whole Foods for some healthier snacks. A few
weeks ago, we made the trip and filled our carts with raspberries, pineapple,
yogurt, granola, and a few apples. I was so excited about the prospect of fresh
fruit that I joyfully marched up to the checkout line and set down my items.
Turns out the price of buying healthy that day was going to be $50; a
ridiculous amount of money for only about six items. Healthy eating is
expensive! I never fully realized this until I got to Wheaton. If I wanted to
have my mini fridge constantly stocked with fresh yogurt and fruit, I would
have been broke a while ago. Instead, buying quick, cheap meals like Easymac
and Ramen becomes the answer. However, every once in a while I will still
splurge on fruit and salad, and the result is always worth it.
This realization about healthy eating reminded me of a film
we watched in class about food co-ops. Some of the locals were upset about the
prospect of a newer, more expensive place to buy food. They felt that their
habits were being challenged, and were very resistant to buying food that they
were not accustomed to, just because it was healthier. It is very hard to keep
up an extremely nutritious diet while at school and while living on a college
student’s paycheck (or lack of paycheck). However, Wheaton has impressed me
with its fruit and salad options so I have not yet given up hope of a healthy
diet!
