Eating healthy can be a struggle for many college students, but the Health Education and Promotions (HEP) at California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State), is trying to combat common nutritional issues with their Nutritional Month during the month of March.
HEP’s Nutrition Month is comprised of a series of events that are meant to educate Stan State students on the importance of a great nutrition.
There are several informative events scheduled throughout Nutrition Month, like the Nutrition Workshops, and Taylor Whitehead, Peer Health Educator, believes the MyPlate Activity to be a favorite among students.
“MyPlate activity is popular because of interactivity and the free fruit giveaway is popular because it is free,” Whitehead said.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture website, MyPlate aims to “promote messages based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans by  emphasizing the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy products.”
The events offered during HEP’s Nutrition Month target common nutritional issues that Stan State students may deal with during their days.    
Eating fast food seems like a convenient option at the time and Lorenz Medina (junior, Kinesiology) understands how difficulty it is to eat healthy.
“I don’t choose to not eat fruit and vegetables, it’s just more convenient to eat fast food when it comes to satisfying hunger,” Medina said.
Whitehead suggests that students should choose healthier snacks and meals to combat their fast foods cravings.
“Buy a bag of trail mix because it has a better nutritional value than fast food. Another alternative to junk food can also be apple slices with peanut butter,” Whitehead said. “Drink a lot of water during the day because a person might be eating because they are dehydrated.”
Implementing a new diet is never an easy task but Linnea Alldrin (sophomore, Business) has a simple tip to Stan Students who are planning on starting a new diet.
“Have a well-balanced diet instead of cutting certain things like an extreme diet,” Alldrin said.
Stan State students who may have questions regarding any of the Nutrition Month events can visit the HEP office inside the Student Health Center or can follow them on Instagram at @stanstate_healthed.