The other day I was in the CVS at the Baltimore Avenue shopping center near the UMD campus. As I came out of CVS across the street I saw a huge line of students near the Lotsa Pizza place. As I walked towards the crowd, I came across a friend who informed me that the line was for a special $3 pizza offer. She insisted that I join the line and to me, an average student with a tight budget, this looked like an amazing offer. While I waited with my friend in the line, I had an epiphany. I had inadvertently become part of an unhealthy lifestyle that I once detested. I realized as I watched the people waiting in line that I had been conveniently consuming outside food on a daily basis, disregarding my health since I came to college.

I realized that this kind of food consumption has been a prolonged problem in the United States. And in the last few years with the advent of new ease of delivery services like specialized apps, there has been a rise of fast-casual restaurants and ready to eat meals lifestyle. Millennials living in today's world, especially college students, have become part of this convenient fast food culture. Millennials spend $2,921 annually, i.e. 44% of their food dollars on eating out, according to the Food Institute's analysis of the United States Department of Agriculture’s food expenditure data from 2014. Being a college student myself at UMD, I can assure you that this data stands true even in 2018. Visit UMD's campus any day and you will always come across a huge line waiting outside Chick-fil-A or Taco Bell in Stamp, our student union. And these outlets are not just limited to the inside of campus, the multiple fast food restaurants nearby, like Chipotle on Baltimore Avenue, are crowded with college students day and night.

Some would argue, that this may be because these students don't have a meal plan, it's a plausible reason as many students cannot afford college meal plans, but this isn't the only reason. Eating out has become a trend, as for many it has transformed from a convenient option to a regular part of their day. About 53% of millennials say they eat at restaurants at least once a week, compared with 43% of Generation X or baby boomers, according to a 2015 survey of 3,000 adults by Morgan Stanley.

There are multiple factors contributing to this dangerous web of fast food consumption. First is the easy affordability and accessibility. Given the choice between a $1 McChicken burger from McDonald's and a $4 healthy sandwich, a student will obviously end up choosing the former given their budget constraints.

In fact, in 2018, many chains like McDonald's and Taco Bell have come up with specialized $1 menus to increase their customers. In a 2014 study, researchers at Oregon State University surveyed nearly 600 college students, mostly freshmen, about their eating habits and found that most weren't even eating one serving of fruits or vegetables a day. The problem arises because most of the students in college tend to have no experience in basic cooking skills. Students prefer to have convenient high-calorie meals that are cheap, rather than investing in a healthy meal that might be pricier or going to the store to buy expensive groceries.

Another factor contributing to this problem are disguised junk foods. What many college students end up using for convenience is frozen food. Just like fast food, frozen food storage has become a common trend throughout the United States. Many argue that frozen foods are not equivalent to fast foods, but I would disagree. If consumed on a regular basis these frozen substitutes can be very harmful in the long run. Being a college student, I myself have been a victim of the frozen food web, as many times I have chosen convenience over health. Without realizing when the one time frozen food ended up becoming my substitute for fresh healthy food, with the continuous availability of frozen food in my freezer.

College and universities are nurturing the future generations of our country. With a rapid increase dietary health issues, it's important for young students to learn life skills which are not just limited to educational and professional fields, but also extend to skills like cooking. It's important to dwell on the importance of a healthy lifestyle among the students. Both the universities and students need to make necessary changes for a healthy and sustainable community. Students should be willing to learn and adapt to new skills and habits. Universities should try to provide more options and revise their dining policies. Negligence in any form, be it academic or health is harmful.