Sajila Nudrat | Health Editor
Featured Image: Wendy’s fast food restaurant, one of only food places open seven days a week in the student centre. | Fatema Ali
As the strike drags on, the frustration and stress that students feel is beginning to unfold in ways that may be more harmful than initially thought. Compensating for an excess amount of stress is often done in various ways, but if left unchecked, they can be even more problematic than the stress itself.
Dietary changes are a common occurrence when an individual faces challenging experiences. With the strike approaching record territory, students may face elevated levels of stress and turn to “comfort food” as a means of coping with their uncertain academic futures.
Emilia Khalil, a first year criminology student, talks about the dietary changes she has experienced. “I have been eating more junk food and ordering fast food more than ever because I got so lazy ever since the start of the strike. I have been eating so much more and I’ve gained weight as well.”
The stress of the strike has taken a toll on numerous individuals, however, not all have been negatively affected when it comes to their physical health.
Savi Costa, a 2nd year Biology student, says the strike has given him more time to focus on his physical health. “I’ve begun eating rather healthier foods after the strike began. I was trying to eat more healthy during school, but whenever I passed through York lanes, the smell of Popeyes taunted me. The smell of their glorious chicken always made me cave on my no fried foods diet. I maintain a healthy lifestyle by reminding myself that the food I eat is an investment, and if I choose to eat hickory sticks or jalapeno chips or Oreos then I’m going to end up paying a lot of interest on it.
“York has a few healthy options, but the thing is they’re right next to the most obnoxiously good smelling junk food. The smell is honestly overpowering, if I were to go back to campus I’d probably eat Popeyes again.”
Eating healthier choices may not be as troublesome as the availability of healthier options. When asked if she believes York provides a balance of health options, Khalil did not seem to think so.
Andrea Meghie, the manager in clinical resources services in the school of nursing believes that York does provide healthy options. “I can find healthy options, the problem is the cost associated, price makes it not necessarily appealing.”
Meghie gave an example of her own two children who are York alumni and how they maintained healthy diets. “They brought their own lunch from home as opposed to buying one and filled it with healthy options they enjoyed,whether that was celery or carrot sticks. A healthy diet can be achieved, it just requires a little bit of time to prepare.”
When asked what she thinks of the concept of stress eating, Meghier said, “both physical and mental health work in tandem. A lack of energy, leads to isolation and people find comfort in eating.”
As tempting as junk food can be during this uncertain time, we should take care of what we put into our bodies.
