Nutrition is a crucial component in order to lead a healthy and productive life. Without it, people become more prone to illness, fatigue, and unhealthy aging. According to the US National Library of Medicine, eating healthy is easily achieved by consuming a variety of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains ("Nutrition"). As WebMD states, these are the complex carbohydrates that people should be getting their carbohydrate calories from ("Healthy-Aging- Getting the Nutrition You Need"). Furthermore this same source states that cholesterol, blood pressure, and risks of heart disease can be lowered by eating lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans reduce their consumption of salt, saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, and added sugars ("2010 Dietary Guidelines"). Considering all of these definitions of what make a healthy diet, it is our argument that students at the UMD College Park campus do not have access to resources necessary to eat a nutritiously. This is mainly due to the lack of variety in fresh produce available to students, which causes them to not meet the vegetable and fruit requirements in order to be fully healthy individuals.

Some might say that students do not lack resources of fresh produce, since there is a farmers market that comes on campus and a few convenience stores that sell fruits and veggies. However, what needs to be understood is that these are not enough to provide all students adequate exposure to nutrition. For example, the farmers market is only set up on Wednesdays from 11-3 pm, and most students cannot go to buy fresh produce due to conflicting schedules. Furthermore, most students do not buy the necessary amounts of fresh produce required simply because the farmers market is set up in a place that is hard for some to reach. To refute the other claim, the convenience stores on campus do not sell a wide vairety of fresh produce in order to satisfy students.

• According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease article, there is an increasing trend in the rates of obesity in America. They site that possible cause are due to eating habits and locations where people live ("Overweight and Obesity Statistics"). Students should take this statistics into consideration, because there is a national trend of increasing obesity rates which can impact them as well. Thus, in order to combat this statistic, students on campus should take into consideration their lifestlye and eating habits.

• There was a research article published by Taylor and Francis that examined how "eating habits are established by students during their college years" ("Factors Influencing Healthy Eating Among College Students: An Application of the Health Belief Model"). What is more, this article explores the negative eating habits that college students have and how it can impact the formation of their diet in later years. UMD students should be aware that what they eat today can impact what choices they make in their diet for the future.
  
• Another scientific article shows the correlation between malnutrition and the rates of obesity experienced by college aged students between 18-25. The authors explain that fast food corporations target young adult consumers. This is why college students are less likely to have a healthy diet and form a negative "health behavior pattern" ("Emerging Adulthood and College-aged Youth: An Overlooked Age for Weight-related Behavior Change").
  

1. Pay attention to the types of foods you consume
   
2. Try to avoid fast food establishments
3. Try to eat at least 2.5 cups of fresh produce
4. Avoid processed foods high in sugars and fats
5. VOICE YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THE LIMITED VARIETY OF FRESH AND NATURALLY HEALTHY FOODS!!!

UMD students should take these diet related chronic diseases seriously, because an increasing amount of people are dealing with these consequences. In order to prevent these diet related chronic diseases, students should take notice of what types of foods they eat. Students should take the national trends as an example of the consequences that an improper diet can have.