Spring Break
Students focus on food, vitamins to stay healthy
PAIGE VARNER For The Red & Black
Issue date: 3/19/09 Section: Athens Living
Sharing a dorm room is taxing enough without having to share a kitchen, toilets, showers and sinks with the whole floor.
Yet, students who live in dorms share more than the community bathroom: they share a host of germs that seem to make mischief for more people than just that one sick resident. However, staying healthy in a dorm is possible.
Cayley Byars, a freshman from Newnan and resident in Russell Hall, said cleaning products go a long way.
"I have a can of Lysol sitting on my desk right now, and I clean regularly with Clorox wipes. Second, I take vitamins every day and eat at least two oranges a day in the dining hall."
Katherine Ingerson, the registered dietitian for Food Services, said in a phone interview Wednesday that a problem she has noticed with students is that "most college students tend to get too little calcium."
They stop drinking milk and drink soda or sweet tea instead.
"Another area is fiber. Not a lot of students are paying attention to the backs of pre-packaged meals like Rice-A-Roni and Hamburger Helper."
Ingerson added that if a student falls ill, "Focus on eating. Try to make sure you're eating three meals a day, try to get vitamin C and eat fruits and vegetables. Chicken noodle soup can alleviate some symptoms of a cold, herbal tea can be very soothing for a sore throat and for a sinus infection, eating spicy food can help with the drainage."
A little courtesy for neighbors on the hall goes a long way.
MaryKathryn Oliver, a freshman from Athens who lives in Boggs Hall, said, "I believe that people need to wash their hands!" and recommended "using soap, sanitizer [and] coughing into an elbow instead of hands."
Yet, students who live in dorms share more than the community bathroom: they share a host of germs that seem to make mischief for more people than just that one sick resident. However, staying healthy in a dorm is possible.
Cayley Byars, a freshman from Newnan and resident in Russell Hall, said cleaning products go a long way.
"I have a can of Lysol sitting on my desk right now, and I clean regularly with Clorox wipes. Second, I take vitamins every day and eat at least two oranges a day in the dining hall."
Katherine Ingerson, the registered dietitian for Food Services, said in a phone interview Wednesday that a problem she has noticed with students is that "most college students tend to get too little calcium."
They stop drinking milk and drink soda or sweet tea instead.
"Another area is fiber. Not a lot of students are paying attention to the backs of pre-packaged meals like Rice-A-Roni and Hamburger Helper."
Ingerson added that if a student falls ill, "Focus on eating. Try to make sure you're eating three meals a day, try to get vitamin C and eat fruits and vegetables. Chicken noodle soup can alleviate some symptoms of a cold, herbal tea can be very soothing for a sore throat and for a sinus infection, eating spicy food can help with the drainage."
A little courtesy for neighbors on the hall goes a long way.
MaryKathryn Oliver, a freshman from Athens who lives in Boggs Hall, said, "I believe that people need to wash their hands!" and recommended "using soap, sanitizer [and] coughing into an elbow instead of hands."
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