After reading numerous articles and trying to figure out which one would be easiest to analyze using the Toulmin Method I gave up and just picked the one that I found most interesting and pertains most to myself.

I read "Rethinking the Freshman Fifteen" by Johannah Cornblatt (http://www.newsweek.com/id/215362/page/1) that I found on the Newsweek website. This interested me even though I am no longer a freshman so according to the phrase I have out grown it. But living in an apartment for the first time where cookies are much more fun to eat and bake than stir fry, living in a world where skinny means better, and a personal fear of getting fat this article appealed to me.


Claim: The emphasis on calorie counts (in school cafeterias) can backfire and lead to disordered eating even among students who have no history of previous disordered eating.

Reason 1: There has been an increase in disordered eating among college students.

Evidence: Dr. Richard Kreipe, a specialist in adolescent medicine whose research centers on eating disorders, has reported seeing more cases of Eating Disorders not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)
Evidence: College students dieting, vomiting, or taking laxatives to lose weight have increased from 28% to 38% in the last in the last few years.

Reason 2: Going away to college makes students more vulnerable to weight gain and disordered eating.

Evidence: Surrounded by new people, which makes them image conscious.
Evidence: Anxiety about the freshman 15
Evidence: College kids tend to snack instead of eat real meals
Evidence: More accessible to alcohol and all-you-can-eat dining halls.

Reason 3: Calorie counts over simplify nutrition

Evidence: Expert Neumark-Sztainer says that what you eat is less important than how you eat. Want foods that are high in nutrition. Not foods that are low in nutrition and high in calories and calorie cards only focus on calories.

I thought the reason that disordered eating has increased but not necesarrily the classic anerexia and bulmia was a pretty strong reason. It says that people are eating irregularly and not healthly. If you tie that into the third reason it looks like that people are trying to eat the foods with less calories even though they may not be the most nutritious. Together the third and first reasons seemed the two strongest for me.

The second reason seemed a little weak only because everyone already knows that. We have been told since the beginning of time that college changes the eating patterns of everyone. Also that we all try to be thin, smart, and pretty so we are more image conscious.

To make their argument stronger they could have eliminated the second reason all together or enhanced by saying that when students are around other students especially when they eat could lead to less being eaten then binging later (if thats true) or students are so busy or lazy they don't have time to make dinner so they just order out.

Processed and unhealthy foods are also a lot cheaper than healthier foods, which could be a reason why college students have unhealthy eating because when you're on a budget 75 cent white bread is more appealing then 3 dollar whole wheat bread. To change the direction of this habit schools should offer healthier meals that are more nutritious or put the caloric facts not directly by the food but online or outside the dining hall.

At Michigan we have the caloric and some nutrional information next to most foods. I have to say when I ate in the dining hall I did take into account the number of calories something had and not necesarrily the fiber or saturated fats vs. unsaturated fats. So, the number one thing woudl be educate the students. Why not add another pre-req and make nutrition one.