" RRRRRRRRRRRing!!!!!!!!!" Your body jumps at the blare of the alarm clock. With your head still implanted in the pillow, you reach across to turn the annoying thing off. But when you hit it, it doesn’t turn off. "Crap" you say to yourself. That can only mean one thing. "It’s my roommate’s alarm." You fling your head up to look at glowing red letters. They stand out stark and clear. 7:00. You slept in again!

Jumping out of bed, you run in a panic through the house, thoughts running wild through your head. Classes start at seven thirty and you can’t be late to school today because you were late last time. Your ride is going to be here in fifteen minutes, and you still have to do the remainder of the homework that you put off last night, find your books, and get dressed.

It’s seven fifteen now and you’ve managed to scribble out your homework, throw some clothes on, and find all your stuff for school. Your feeling pretty good about how fast you got ready, and then your stomach begins to growl. "Oh yeah," you say to yourself. "I forgot about breakfast."

You have to eat breakfast at home because you are too poor to afford any type of school lunch, and you never have time to make food to bring.

You swing the refrigerator door open and gape at it’s scattered contents. A wrinkled potato, some ketchup, a can of old pop, and a twinky. " Perfect," you say to yourself as you grab the twinky and run outside to catch your ride.

Does this seem familiar? That’s probably because it happens to students quite often. Getting up late and rushing through the morning is practically part of the daily routine right? With school, and often times work making demands upon us, we seldom have time to worry about anything more than cramming for the next test, getting the next paper done, or finding a way to somehow pay for the next bill.

Feeling stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed can also come along with the territory of student life. However, have you ever considered that feeling stressed and exhausted may not be a direct result of the demands that are placed upon us, but rather our inability to meet these demands sufficiently? Exhaustion is often times the result of the lack of energy to meet the demands of life, not a direct consequence of the demands themselves.

Our health is one of the main factors which determines our ability to meet these demands. There are many different aspects of health, one of which is nutrition, or eating healthy. When things get really hectic, like they often do in a college student’s life, our nutrition is usually the first thing that we neglect. However, it is important that we become more aware of our health and understand the importance of eating healthy because it determines the way that we perform throughout the whole day.

Here are some quotes from some fellow students and a teacher who, when asked if eating healthy effected them, stated:

"Yes, you feel better when you do [eat healthy]. [You have] more energy and you look better. . ." (Chanda Chuon).

"Absolutely. It makes me feel tons better and perform better" (Shaun Roundy).

"Yes, I feel more energized when I have had a good breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I just feel better all around" (Karilee Rose).

"Yes, I feel it effects my mood. When I have a lot of energy I have a good old time. When I skip meals, I get sluggish" (Russel Bezzant)

Eating healthy is like putting gas into a car. When you use good fuel, your car performs better and the engine usually lasts longer. However, when you put in bad fuel, or the really cheap fuel, the car doesn’t run as smooth, and the engine can wear out faster. So it is with our bodies. When we eat good food, or healthy food, we perform better and have the possibility of living a long and productive life. On- the-other-hand, when we put unhealthy foods into our bodies, we don’t run as smooth, nor perform as well, and we put wear and tear on our bodies and it’s organs.

Every semester we empty our pockets and our bank accounts trying to pay for school and a good education. We spend countless hours doing homework, and other things that will help us to succeed in school. We even work hectic jobs to try to pay for all of this, yet we often disregard one of the main elements which determines our success in these efforts, and that is our health.

Now I know that eating healthy can seem hard. It can seem like it takes extra time and effort, which can both be pretty scarce in a college students life. It can also seem unappetizing, tiresome, and above all, unappealing. Eating healthy can seem like all those things, but that doesn’t mean that it has to be that way. Eating healthy can be easy, fast, and most of all, rewarding.

What are some of the rewards of eating healthy? When you eat healthy you have sustained energy throughout the day and will be able to get the things done that you need to. You’ll also be able to cope better with stress and the other demands of school, work, and the other areas of your life. You’ll feel better about yourself and have greater self-esteem, because when you eat good, you feel and look good. You’ll be able to decrease your chances of contracting common illnesses, such as the flu and the common cold. You’ll also decrease your chances of obtaining high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, along with decreasing your chances of being overweight. Why is decreasing your chances of these things important? Because when added up, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight can equal heart disease.

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the country today, killing at the rate of one death every 34 seconds (Insel, et al. 275). In fact, more Americans die from diseases of the heart and blood vessels than from the next five leading causes combined (Insel, et al. 275). And not all heart attack victims are old. About 45% percent of heart attacks occur in people under 65 years old (Insel, et al. 257). What’s even more disturbing is that 90% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable (Hoeger and Hoeger 124). How? Through diet and exercise.

It is estimated that you, the average American, will spend about 6 years of your life eating. That averages out to be about 70,000 meals, and 60 tons of food (Insel et al. 179). It is also estimated that the average American’s diet consists of at least forty percent fats and sugars (Insel et al. 206). A diet such as this results in high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and being overweight, all of which are major causes of heart disease (Insel et al. 254).

You may be wondering how do I eat healthy? Your busy enough as it is right? You don’t have time to be worrying about how many fruits and vegetables you eat a day. Well, eating healthy doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. In fact, it can be easy and fast. Here are three steps to show you how quick and easy eating healthy can be.

#1. Drink water. Surprisingly enough, drinking water is one of the best things that you can do for your body. In fact, your body is more than 60 percent water, and some of it’s tissues are more than 90 percent water (Jones 11). Water is also used in all the major functions of your body such as digestion, absorption, heat transportation, the building and rebuilding of cells, and the secretion of materials (Hoeger and Hoeger 90). Water also helps your body to metabolize fat more efficiently (Thornock 25).

It’s recommended that an individual should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. However, there are many who feel that drinking 8 glasses a day is overwhelming. If this is the case, than start small. If your not used to drinking a lot of water you don’t have gorge yourself in what can seem like endless waterfalls. Start with just one or two glasses a day and than work your way up.

Drinking water is one way to improve your health that is fast and easy. There are drinking fountains almost everywhere you go. Just take a water bottle with you to school or to work, and you can get in the water you need during class, or on the job.

#4. Eat breakfast. Now I know this is something that may be a challenge for you. Sleep is precious, and anything that gets in the way of it tends to take second priority in the early morning hours. That’s okay. Eating breakfast doesn’t have to take away from your precious sleep time. There are many healthy foods that you can eat in the morning that don’t take any preparation time at all.

For instance, apples, oranges, and bananas are great sources of energy that don’t take any preparation time at all. Fruit and vegetables juices are other great sources of energy. Bagels, pretzels, and wholesome cold cereals are also healthy foods that don’t take preparation time either. Just throw ‘em in a bag and head out the door.

Eating breakfast has many advantages, and is well worth the effort to wake up two minutes earlier, open the fridge or cupboard, and grab one of these healthy breakfast foods. If you do this, you will have a faster metabolism rate (Thornock 75), sustained energy, better concentration, and will perform and feel better throughout your day.

#3. Eat a balanced variety of foods. This is the most important thing that you can do to improve your health because there are many essential nutrients that your body needs that it cannot make, at least not fast enough to fulfill your body’s needs (Insel et al. 179). So if you don’t get them in the form of foods or supplements, you don’t get them at all.

Now I know that eating a balanced variety of foods may seem like a challenge to many of you. But this doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming either. In fact, this too can be both easy and fast.

There is a chart which is very accessible, that can help you in knowing how to get the different nutrients that you need. It’s fast and it’s easy, and it’s called the Food Pyramid. Now I know some of you may be thinking, "Oh no. Not the Food Pyramid again." You’ve been taught this since day one right? But our parents and teachers taught us about the Food Pyramid because the things on it are true.

Following this Pyramid is not hard, nor time-consuming. All you need to do is be aware of the different foods that you need to eat and than fit them into your daily meals or snacks. Here are some basic guidelines that will make following the Food Pyramid simple and easy.

#1. Eat at least one fruit or vegetable in each of your meals or snacks.

#3. Eat pretzels or low-buttered popcorn instead of chips.

#4. Eat dried fruits or cold cereals instead of cookies.

#4. Drink water and juice instead of soda-pop or punch.

#5. Substitute whole grains (wheat, oats, rye, etc.) for white flour whenever possible.

#6. Eat lean meat more than high-fat meat.

#7. Substitute applesauce or yogurt for butter in bread and cookie recipes

By following these guidelines, you can follow the Food Pyramid more efficiently, and maintain a more nutritious, well-balanced diet filled with the foods that is suggests.

These guidelines are simple and easy to follow, and will help protect you from heart disease, as well as cancer. Fruits and vegetables are rich in their source of photochemical, a compound that has been proven to have a powerful ability to block the formations of cancerous tumors (Hoeger and Hoeger 93).

Along with the protection against heart disease and cancer, these nutritious foods will provide you with the energy you need to accomplish the things that you need to throughout your day.

In summary, the three simple steps that make eating healthy fast and easy are:

#1. Drink water.

#2. Eat breakfast.

#3. Eat a balanced variety of foods.

If you follow these steps you will improve your nutrition and reap the benefits and rewards of eating healthy.

Now that we have talked about nutrition, let’s talk about another thing that will make eating healthy a lot easier, and that is goal setting.

It is proven, that in order to achieve anything, you must first evaluate what it is you want to accomplish, and then determine how you are going to do it(Insel et al. 30). More simply put, you must set goals in order to get anything done. If you want to eat healthier, you first need to set goals which will help you to accomplish this.

But first, we have to evaluate what it is that you want to accomplish. What it is that you want to do? Do you want to substitute the foods you eat with more nutritious food? Maybe you don’t seem to have time to eat at all, and want to focus on getting a few meals into your day.

Whatever, the case may be, here are four simple steps you can take which will help you to achieve your goals.

#1. Decide and write down what it is you want to do. This could range from eating one healthy meal or snack a day to eating three. Or maybe you just want to find time to eat all together. Whatever your individual need or desire is, just write it down and classify it as a goal. Yes, I am stressing the writing part because it is essential to your success. "A goal not written down is a wish" (Insel et al. 30).

#2. Write down why you want to accomplish your goal. What is your motive or reason for accomplishing this goal. What will the benefits be? What will the disadvantages be if you don’t accomplish this goal. How will you feel when you accomplish it? Writing down these things is essential to your success because it provides resources for motivation and determination. It also helps you to be more aware of why you are starting new habits. When you know why you are doing something, it easier to have motivation and determination to do it.

#3. Break things down. Set short and long term goals. For example, if your long term goal is to eat three healthy meals a day, start with two meals a day and set the goal for a one or two week duration. After you have reached this goal, set another goal about the same thing, but for a longer duration. By breaking things down, you empower yourself to succeed in accomplishing your goal because it simplifies them and makes them more reachable.

#4. Reward yourself. Be proud of your accomplishments and of your success, and reward yourself for them. But be careful not to reward yourself with something that’s contradictory to your goal. For example, don’t reward yourself for eating healthy with a fudge sundae. Do something that is satisfying, but that will also help you to continue in your success with your goals.

Maintaining a nutritious diet is not hard, nor time-consuming. It is easy and fast. It has long-lasting benefits such as protection against various diseases, as well as a body that is able to do the things that you love to do. Eating healthy also has short term rewards such as having sufficient energy to maintain your lifestyle, improved self-image and self-esteem, improved protection against common diseases such as the common cold and the flu, and increased ability to perform and succeed in the various aspects of your life such as home, work, school, and play.

Eating healthy is one of the most rewarding things that you can do in your life because it’s effects are so long lasting. By eating healthy now and maintaining a nutritious diet, you not only increase your ability to perform right now, but also years down the road.

Eating healthy is like planting a seed. In order for a seed to grow, it needs nourishment and care. What you feed it today effects how it grows tomorrow. If it doesn’t receive the care that it needs, it will soon wither and start to decay. So it is with your body. A healthy body requires nourishment and care. If you want a healthy body that is capable of doing the things that you like it to do, than you must feed it the healthy, nutritious food that it needs. On-the-other-hand, if you neglect to feed it the food that it needs in order for it to sustain itself, it will soon begin to wither and decay.

A healthy body is priceless. It can do more for you than money, prestige or power. Health is the very essence of life. Without life, there is no existence, and without health, there is no freedom to perform within that existence. The human soul expresses itself in freedom. To be locked within an unhealthy body is the same as to be locked behind the bars of bondage. The inability to perform as the heart desires is the same as to be denied the freedom to choose.

Justification

#1. The specific purpose of my paper is to inform people of the importance of eating healthy in relation to the long, as well as the short term effects which it has on the body. I wanted to warn people, to let them know that eating healthy is important and effects them significantly right now, as well as in years to come. I also wanted to inform them of ways in which eating healthy can be easy, fast, and convenient, and come up with some solutions some of the problems that many college students have in relation to maintaining a healthy diet.

#2. My specific audience is college students. Students who just like me, are often stressed for time in being able to get all the things done that they need to, as well as a limited supply of energy.

#3. I created significance in my paper by related my topic, or purpose with something that my audience could understand or relate to. For instance, my topic was eating healthy. In order for them to believe that eating healthy was important, I had to correlate it with something else that is often important in a college students life, and that is success in school, and having enough energy to meet up with the various demands that are placed upon them. I also gave a case scenario at the beginning of my paper, an event that is common in a college students life, in order to set the tone of the paper and help the reader, my audience, to be able to relate to the topic, or the purpose of my paper and internalize it. I also gave statistics that would help the importance of the topic to be more real, or significant, to my audience.

#4. Some of the inherent barriers which my audience had was lack of time, lack of desire, lack of energy to get the things done that they need to throughout the day, as well as focus any energy on a new idea, such as trying to eat more healthily. An abstract understanding of what nutrition really is, as well as not really knowing how to go about it were also inherent barriers that I overcame in my paper. I overcame these inherent barriers by trying to first better classify what nutrition, or eating healthy was, and than defining simple, easy-to-remember steps that would help them to be able to eat healthier. I made sure that these steps could be fast and quick, due to my audience’s lack of extra time, as well as cover the importance of eating healthy and the overall effects that it has on the body so that my audience could better understand why they needed to eat healthy, as well as how to do it.

#5. I used sentence variety in my paper, including the use of metaphors to help the points in my paper to be more understandable. I also used sentence variety by the use of repetition of certain ideas, and parallel constructs within my paper.

#6. The different books that I read about nutrition, as well as the information that I was able to find on the internet and in magazines helped me to better understand what nutrition really was and better understand the basics of it. I was able to categorize in three simple steps that are all really easy to follow, but have an immense impact on our overall health. Researching my topic also helped me to better understand the importance of eating healthy and the effect that it has on my ability to perform in the various aspects of my life.

#7. Yes, I hate this question, but I sincerely think that my paper deserves an A because of the amount of energy and time that I put into it. I tried to think clearly of the different aspects of my paper that I needed to stress and than find a way to organize them so that my audience could clearly understand them. It wasn’t something that I just did because I had to. I did because I had a true desire to help people better understand the importance of eating healthy and the effects that it has on them in their life.

#8. Yes, you can use my paper for examples in the future.

#9. Yes, this paper is my own writing, thought out in my own head, written by my own hands.