Response to Caitlyn's "Prepare a Meal" Blog

I enjoyed Caitlyn’s practical views on how the average college freshman eats in her "Prepare a Meal" blog. No, this does not mean every college student eats microwave meals as their source of food, but because of their convenience as far as time and money are concerned, they are a sensible choice. There is a wide variety of microwavable meals out there to satisfy the average college students, from the football players packing in the Hungry Man dinners to health conscious students choosing the Café Steamers. Many microwavable foods like popcorn, soup, and noodles are finding their way into dorm rooms because like the microwavable dinners, they are easy, fast, and affordable.

Although instant foods are fast convenient, many are full of preservatives, artificial flavors, and added sugars compared to their real and unprocessed counterparts because they need to stay fresh longer. I realize there are times when there is just not enough time to grab some real food from an eatery on campus or to cook your own food, but eating real food provides both essential micronutrients that cannot be added to every processed food.

When I go home, I like to cook or take home-made leftovers back with me in small containers that have one meal inside them for convenient microwaving. This can also be done with some basic ingredients from a grocery store. Prepare your favorite dish or by adventurous and try something new, but make enough for more than one dinner to save for another quick meal later in the week.

It is difficult to eat healthy with a full and hectic schedule, but eating real, unprocessed foods as much as possible can provide the healthiest tasty and satisfying meals on the planet. One more person that does not rely on processed foods as the staple of their diet can help prevent future Americans from becoming absorbed in the Western Diet that consists of cheap and fast food.