Every year, thousands of new students descend upon Blacksburg looking for an education, a leg up on the competition or just a fresh start. But how much do we really think about the potential we have to affect the town we now call home — or it’s potential to affect us?
One of the easiest and most fundamental things we can consider in this respect is the way we eat. Now, I’m all for freedom of choice, but have you ever stopped to think about what your choice of meal means in your role as a local consumer? If not, I’d like to offer a few reasons why what you eat is worth a second thought.
First, and perhaps most relevant, it has been proven that a healthy diet equals better academic performance. And yes, by healthy I’m referring to eating your vegetables, drinking enough water and laying off the refined white flour. There’s at least 40 years worth of scientific data to back up the claim that what you eat affects how well you think.
As a recent example, a study published in the journal Nutrition in October 2008 conclusively showed that eating regular meals, especially breakfast, helped prevent fatigue and increased academic performance.
On that note, a quick lesson in nutrition: a muffin does not constitute breakfast. If you want to avoid a mid-morning crash, include some healthy protein like yogurt or eggs.
And if you think you can handle it, cut back on the caffeine and try some orange juice instead. Trust me, given the choice your body would rather have the vitamin C and natural fruit sugars.
One seemingly obvious option to making healthier food choices is to learn more about what it means for a food to be “healthy.” If you have room for an elective, the Food and Nutrition class in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise still has open seats, and drop/add doesn’t end until Monday. Go ahead and check it out.
A second reason to reconsider fast food is the impact you can (and do) have on preserving the unique character of Blacksburg. One thing that makes Blacksburg so attractive is the strong sense of community, especially with regards to food. There are far more locally owned places a which to eat here than there are chain restaurants.
Now, I realize that for some of you it’s difficult to step outside your comfort zone and try something new, but why did you come to college if not to have new experiences? Wendy’s and McDonald’s will always be the same no matter where you are, but you will certainly have missed out if you don’t at least once try the lunch buffet at India Garden, one of my personal favorites. (And, for that matter, it’s hard to beat Gillie’s for a great breakfast.)
The more consumers choose these local businesses, the easier it will be to maintain them as a vital part of the Blacksburg community. A quick way to get an idea of what’s out there to explore is by visiting the Blacksburg Partnership Web site, where you can check out the town by section.
I know a lot of you live in the dorms and have limited means to cook your own meals, but if you have a hotplate (or live off campus), you should definitely check out the Blacksburg farmers market. It has a brand new pavilion in the same place it was before, at the corner of Roanoke Street and Draper Road, and even now in the depths of winter, you will find farmers with fresh eggs and cheese, pasture-raised meat, honey and jams,. They’ll be out there tomorrow from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., so if you have half an hour free, head on down and see what they have to offer.
My final reason may not seem relevant now, but I strongly believe it’s the most important. We all need to recognize the power we have as consumers. As college students, we are just beginning to realize our potential as the decision makers of this century.
The power of the dollar is potent — with every purchase decision you make, you support not just the business selling the product or service but also the community in which the business exists, the practices it uses, the philosophy on which it bases its operations, the lifestyle it espouses. The list goes on.
We often make these decisions mindlessly, but it is so important to understand where your money is going and what it is funding. For example, when it comes to food, even though I can get many of the same organic groceries in Kroger, I choose to shop at Annie Kay’s whenever I can because it’s locally owned and supports local farmers. Even though I could spend my money to buy lunch on campus every day, I choose to pack a lunch because then I’m not paying for overpriced, over-processed, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations-raised hamburger. These are my preferences and I’m certainly not implying they’re somehow superior, but I think you get the idea.
The bottom line here is that educated consumers are better citizens. They are more able to make informed decisions about important issues, and they are more aware of the impact they have on the world around them, both local and global. This includes becoming better informed about the way your lifestyle choices affect yourself.
Remember, you may think your choices don’t affect much in the grand scheme of things, but just imagine if you and everyone you know realized today that your choices do matter. How much of a difference can we all make together?