There are many health issues today that our society and generation are unaware of. There are also billions more symptoms that go unnoticed that can lead to a major disease or illness.

The best time to prepare your body and train it correctly is in your early ages of life. When you become routine to eating and exercising correctly, you will live a long and healthy life.Many college students eat late at night, after 12 am. They eat junk food, fast food, and fried foods.

Although you may be young, eating these things can be detrimental to your health and how you live in the long run. Eating unhealthy foods can be a direct result of diet changes and eating disorders.

When many college students arrive to college, the eating habits change. Students may gain or lose weight because of this.

College cafeterias, 24hr restaurants, buffets, and unhealthy snacks daily, make it tempting to overeat or not make the healthiest food choices. On the other hand, students may not eat enough food because of lack of money, stress or other reasons.

These, along with many other eating habits affect your health in the long run.

“I eat when I’m hungry, whether it’s 2 pm or 2 am,” said Markel Barnes, junior biology major. “If I can get a burger and some fries for $2, I will get that, versus a salad for $6.  “The thing with me is that I have a high metabolism, I have not gained weight since I’ve been at A&T, and I exercise daily.”

Many students feel this way, but these are where long-term health risks come into effect. Some active steps that students can take as preventative measures for long-term health risks are to first determine if you have any eating disorders, if they can be improved and to consume healthy foods.

Eating a balanced diet includes eating fruits and vegetables. They are great on-the-go foods if there is not enough time in the day, and they contain a natural source of energy. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), physical activity, even though college students have busy schedules, should be done at least 30 minutes daily.  

That, along with eating correctly, will prevent long-term health risks. The CDC adds that regular, moderate or intense physical activity can be fun and help you feel great.  

Physical activity, along with a proper diet, will prevent long-term health risks that may occur. It is implied that, by following these preventative measures, you will lose and keep off extra weight. 

“When I arrived at A&T, I gained 20 pounds my first year!” said Sherrell Bailey sophomore sports science fitness management major.  

“I ate what I could afford, and when it was convenient. That made me gain weight. On top of that, I really didn’t have time to exercise and as a result, I gained weight.  I realized that my eating habits weren’t healthy so I changed them, and got back on my regular exercise schedule. As a result, I lost the weight that I gained.” 

A well-known fact about health risks, according to Medline Plus is that, losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help improve your health.  

Some long-term health risks that can occur from not eating correctly and not exercising properly include: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and certain forms of cancer.  

High cholesterol can also occur. Another result of students not eating correctly is Vitamin D deficiency.  

Many students don’t receive enough vitamin D, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, immune system problems and inflammatory diseases.  

Several factors can interfere with the amount of Vitamin D, but the two main factors that mostly concern college students are eating habits and exercising correctly. Using the latest recommended level of vitamin D, the researchers of Cornell Medical College found that, overall, 14 percent of college students and teens in the study were vitamin D deficient.  

However, black students and teens were 20 times more likely to be vitamin D deficient than white students and teens. Vitamin D deficiency among girls was more than double that of boys. 

According to Dr. Sandy Saintonage, lead researcher at Cornell Medical, more recent data puts the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency among students at 40 to 50 percent.  

The main dietary source of vitamin D is milk, but most students don’t drink milk, and now that there are new levels of vitamin D that students should match, they need to drink even more.  

Students need to make themselves more aware of these health issues and diseases, but even more aware of what causes them. Another important issue that students need to familiarize themselves with in the field of health issues is food safety.  

There are proper ways to consume certain foods, store certain foods, and prepare certain foods.  

If students are unaware of these facts and this information, they can possibly suffer from health risks that aren’t just short-term, but long term as well.  

From the advice given by Sara Gibson, senior nursing major, students need to be a lot more conscious of the foods they consume, and the physical activity they participate in. “If students begin to develop bad habits now, they will continue with those habits in the future.

Those same habits will progress into much worse habits, and from then on, it will be too late. Consuming fruits, vegetables, vitamin D, and exercising daily will ensure a healthy lifestyle free of major diseases and illnesses.”

• Whitney Dickens