Leading a healthy life is a goal that is commonly aimed for, but in some cases, not achieved.

Attempting to maintain a healthy lifestyle in college can be difficult. Exams, homework and keeping a social life may be some things attributed to students’ poor management of their mental and physical health.

What most students do not take into consideration is how their nutrition and weight is being managed.

“I eat unhealthy simply because of the convenience, anything from junk food, snacks, fast food and even fried foods,” Natasha Lambert, a junior from Chicago studying psychology said. “I would like to be able to properly care for the body that I am in, but as a student it is hard when you do not have much time to even think twice about things that seem so minor like health,” she said.

When attending college, students are faced with a variety of decisions that could potentially affect their futures. The unhealthy lifestyles some students develop over the course of their college career tend to follow individuals into their post-graduate lives and result in some horrifying consequences.

Lynn Gill, a registered dietitian at the Wellness Center said many students do not necessarily look towards their futures because they are in the moment. Gill said how you eat now has a direct impact on your future health.

“It’s a cumulative affect of how students are eating now,” Gill said. “How you eat now could possibly determine if you have high cholesterol, diabetes and even cancer.”

According to a study by the US Department of Health and Human Services, a lack of physical activity and a poor diet contribute to approximately 580,000 premature deaths in the United States every year.

“I am afraid of the impact that unhealthy eating could have on my future like developing high-blood pressure or heart disease in the future, but the convenience of fast foods makes things so much easier,” Lambert said.

SIU has several fast food restaurants located in the Student Center that are known for their unhealthy food options, such as McDonalds. Hundreds of research studies have shown that most fast-food products are high in saturated fats and sodium.

Cancer Nutrition Centers of American Health said that one quarter-pounder from McDonalds has 1,190 milligrams of sodium, which is the amount of sodium the average person consumes in a day. CNCA Health cites a study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which states the average amount of sodium restaurants are putting in their foods is increasing.

Gill said it is unrealistic to tell students not eat out, but students need to learn how to incorporate fast foods into a balanced diet.

“If you do indeed find yourself having to eat fast foods, there are healthier options that can be selected on the menu,” she said. “The Wendy’s chili is actually a really healthy choice, or the McDonalds southwest chicken salad with a low-fat dressing is a great healthy option.”

Kyle Harris, an undeclared graduate student from Chicago, said health is extremely important in college because students are constantly training their minds, and training your body is just as important.

“We tend to neglect our bodies and if you aren’t happy with your body it can affect your school work, due to stress and unhappiness,” he said.

Harris said coming to Carbondale was a tough transition and working out was the only source of release he could find. After a while it became a routine and maybe even an addiction in a sense.

“The easiest way to control weight is through prevention,” Gill said. “ We are not defined by our weight.”