There are many different places for students to eat on the University of Denver campus. The two main dining halls, located in Nelson and Centennial Halls, serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week, except for brunch and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays. Curious to see what trends students at the university have when it comes to eating, I decided to go down the Centennial Halls cafeteria on Saturday around noon (when many would be waking up from their adventurous nights out) and observe people. Many of my findings were not surprising, however I made some interesting observations that led me to the conclusion that not only do men eat more than women, but women also tend to make healthier food choices than men.
When walking into the dining hall in Centennial Halls, there are many windows that surround the back portion of the dining area, and a buffet that is somewhat separated by a wall with three entryways for the students. The lighting is bright through the entire hall, with two televisions mounted on the wall that are on when the dining hall is open, usually tuned to a sports or news channel. The layout of the dining hall gives off a comfortable atmosphere, with tables and booths set up for groups to come in and enjoy a meal, a bar for those who are eating alone or with only one other person, and in front of the bar are comfy chairs for people who have time to come in, have a meal, and catch up on how their favorite sports team is doing. It is a self-serve eating establishment, and students can make as many trips up to the buffet as they want.
When I entered the dining hall, the first thing I observed before even getting my food was that there were not many people eating, so I thought I would not be able to make as many observations as hoped and would need to come back at another time. However, upon sitting down, I realized that was not the case. I first noticed some general things about those eating in the hall. I noticed that students of the same orientation were sitting together, such as the Chinese students sitting together, and the American students sitting together. I also noticed that when there were only two people sitting together, they were usually of the same sex, but when the group became three or more, the sexes were evenly distributed.
After making general observations, I looked a little closer at who was eating what, how long it took people to eat when they were alone or with one other person, versus those who were eating in a group of three or more. I noticed that in groups of three or more, the students stayed about thirty minutes longer than students who were there alone or with one other person. I also noticed that the females were getting smaller portions of food, and making healthier choices. For example, a gentleman came from the buffet area with a plate loaded with hash browns, two slices of pizza, macaroni and cheese, pancakes, a sandwich, and a small bowl of fruit, accompanied by a glass of chocolate milk. The ladies, however, would walk out of the buffet area with half a grapefruit, some cereal, salads, and the occasional omelette with many vegetables incorporated into the egg.
From these observations, I began to draw the conclusion that women tend to eat healthier than men. Unsure of if it was because we are in college, and men in college tend to have much faster metabolisms when they are younger, and tend to start eating as healthy, if not healthier, than women as they get older, I researched the topic. In a study done by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, a survey showed that women are “more likely than men to be taking advantage of and eating foods to maintain overall health and wellness as well as for more specific benefits like improved feelings of fullness and digestive health.” The study also showed that overall, women are more likely than men to be extremely satisfied with their overall health. The foundation conducted a survey asking a number of people of either gender whether they believed certain food and drinks were important to different categories of wellness(improve overall appearance, overall health and wellness, improve physical energy or stamina), approximately 80% total believe so for each category. However, it is more so the women that most likely consume those foods and drinks to improve digestive health, and improve mental performance, among the other categories(Unknown). Director of Health and Nutrition at the IFIC, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, stated that there are “real distinctions between what women and men do and think about food they consume.” She also added, “It’s clear these groups have different priorities and circumstances that influence what they do in regards to their nutritional habits”(Unknown).
Overall, I think many people would say that women tend to eat healthier than men, for a variety of different reasons. Though I know many of the reasons, I never really thought about why women would eat healthier than men, nor did I put much thought into the fact that women do eat healthier than men. I would be very interested to look at the demographics of the men and women who were surveyed, looking at what their age groups were, their socioeconomic status, and their race, to see if any patterns come up within those subcategories. Nonetheless, eating healthy should be something people of both genders, all ages, races, and religions do to live long and healthy lives.
Works Cited
Unknown, . N.p.. Web. 14 Apr 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/126045.php>.
1. What field observations in the essay did you find most interesting?
ReplyDeleteWhat I found most interesting about your field observations was how when there were2 or 3 people they would be of the same sex but when there was a larger group the genders would be distributed more evenly.
2. How does the outside source (or sources) help interpret these findings or otherwise contribute to the essay?
Your outside source helps interpret your findings because put evidence to your theory that women tend to eat healthier than men. This article strengthens your theory by putting facts behind it. It also helps because you talked about how women chose what they eat more carefully than men and this article explains how women feel more satisfied with their health. This shows a cause and effect relationship, women try to eat healthier so they are more satisfied with their health.
3. What larger conclusion about food values and culture does the author make, and how might you suggest refining this?
I found that your larger conclusion was that women tend to eat healthier than men. The only thing I might add is that you could incorporate this conclusion into more of your essay. You kind of waited to the couple of paragraphs to mention it. Also, you could use another quote from your source in an earlier part of your paper to add to its credibility.
4. Any other suggestions or comments?
To be honest, I could not find many things wrong with your paper. I had to try to find something wrong with it because it was very well written. The only things are what I mentioned above. I thought you did a very good job!