Health Expo focuses on students’ lives
Informing students on how to be healthy was the goal of the third annual Health and Nutrition Expo.
The event, which was planned by dietetic seniors, allowed for students to drop in the Sunburst Lounge, ask questions, pick up information, watch food and exercise demos and win prizes.
Kristie Pearson, a senior in dietetics, said, once a week, the seniors met and “dreamed the whole thing up from the handouts to the cooking demos.”
The students asked for sponsors, Pearson said, such as Lee’s Marketplace and Fred Meyer.
Pearson said the reason why the expo is important is because “there are a lot of nutrition misconceptions and so students can get sound nutrition knowledge.”
Tables were set up with posters about blood pressure, dieting dos and don’ts, eating disorders, healthy snacks, vegetarianism and others.
Valerie Brotherson, a sophomore in accounting, came with a friend to “check out what’s healthy.”
She said students struggle with eating habits and the expo allowed for them to learn about a lot of different things and then incorporate it in their lives.
A senior in dietetics, Erin Inglet said when students apply good nutrition to their lives, it makes them feel better all around. They are better at school, she said, and they feel better about themselves.
Inglet also said another reason for the expo was to inform students on dieting.
America is overcome with the Atkin’s diet and the low-carb craze, she said.
Any diet that completely cuts out an entire food group is not healthy, she added.
One table was dedicated to informing students on the dangers of eating low carbohydrates. A poster pointed out health risks and carb countdown milk sat on the table cloth and was compared to whole milk with the same amount of fat.
Other tables answered questions about super-sizing, anorexia, bolemia and obesity. One showed how much sugar was consumed in soft drinks depending on their size, another showed the fat content of McDonald’s french fries. Both amounts were high.
And some tables even gave out free samples.
Kyle Greer, a psychology and pre-med sophomore, said while he was walking by he stopped because he saw free food and the ice sculpture.
Smoothies, fruit, cheeses, and salads were handed out along with anything made in the cooking demos that ranged from backpacking meals to soy snacks.
Students could get the recipes and facts about each food.
Anita Hansen, a public relations junior, said the expo was fun. She attended a cooking demo and walked around to look at everything.
“I think it’s awesome. It makes you think about nutrition,” she said.
Hansen added that although students have a limited budget, “We could do better than frozen pizzas every night.”
Esther Greer, a senior in accounting, said she didn’t even know about the expo and liked that there was good information about nutrition and exercise.
Coupons for ice skating were available on the table that suggested alternatives to working out at the gym.
Junior Jennette Richey, a dietetics major, said they plan to continue the expo, this year’s juniors taking over next year.
-mnewbold@cc.usu.edu
Leigh vaughn, the produce manager at Lee´s Marketplace in Logan, slices pinapples into samples for students attending the Health Fair on Friday. (Photo by Ryab Talbot)