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Yong Wei-Lim, Cameron Toogood and Sebastian Clar ‘‘come all the time’’ to get a freshly cooked lunch at OUSA. Photo by Christine O’Connor. |
The words “Otago student lifestyle” conjures images of
baked beans and Speight’s rather than chia seeds and bean
sprouts. But prioritising health and wellness is becoming the
“new normal” for more students. Sarah Templeton
investigates.
At first glance Charlotte Woolford seems just like any other
21-year-old Otago student, clad in a beanie and padded jacket
as she forages for food in the kitchen of her North Dunedin
flat.
“I don’t have much at the moment; I just got home from
Auckland,” she says, frowning as she paws through the
fridge.
“I might have to borrow something off my flatmates”.
But, if you’re expecting her to throw together a bowl of
leftover price-reduced mince or perhaps some MSG-laden
noodles, you would be wrong.
As Miss Woolford blends together berries, chia seeds and the
all-important plant-based protein powder, it becomes clear
that this is a student who has dramatically overhauled her
lifestyle to get about as far from the typical “scarfie”
diet as possible.
She’s not alone.
While memories of student life may for several mean toast washed
down with a couple of Southern Golds, this may be becoming a
nostalgic picture of the past.
There is a trend towards healthier living growing on and off
campus among members of the “millennial” generation.
It’s a trend that’s having a noticeable impact on supermarket
shelves.
Greg Roberts, general manager of the Gardens New World, said
he had noticed a definite change in the foods bought when the
students were in town.
During the university semester, “the ratios change”, he
said.
Trim milk and wholegrain breads were more popular then than
full-fat milk and white bread, “which then skews back the
other way when university closes”.
Mr Roberts said on the whole the Otago students seemed to be
“a pretty healthy bunch”.
“They’re pretty active and I guess they need to fuel what
they want to get done in the day”.
Parents around the country will be relieved to hear more of
their darlings are no longer putting health last on the
priority list.
Perhaps they have been scared straight by the dire warnings
of obesity and premature death they have had hammered into
them all their school lives.
Otago University Students’ Association spokeswoman Tess
Trotter said the appeal of a hot, nourishing meal was driving
students away from the classic mince-and-cheese pie and into
line for the $3 lunch provided by Hare Krishnas during the
week.
She said there were regularly 100 to 300 students waiting for
the”cheap but healthy” vegetarian meals.
“I’m just blown away by the numbers; every day there’s a line
to the front door”.
Jama Beecroft is the co-ordinator of the Hare Krishna centre
in Dunedin, and the founder of the $3 lunch.
She said the number of students seeking healthy options had
increased dramatically since they began in 1997.
“Eighty to 150 students was a big day for us. Now we can get
[up] to 350 students any day.”
She said she had noticed students were paying more attention
to their diets, prioritising vegetables and “all the things
that are good for the health”.
“We make healthy, fresh food that [is] cooked on the day and
they’ve come to depend on it. The price is what brings them
and then they see how food can be really nutritious and
yummy”.
She now has her regulars and the number is growing daily.
“It’s incredible; a lot can’t stay away. They’re there every
day and they bring along their friends.”
Ms Beecroft said she took her role “being mother” seriously,
making sure everyone ate until they were full, and offering
her own brand of medicine on Mondays, “when some of them may
look a little jaded”.
“The spices all have such healing properties, I’ll say to
them, get a bit more of that medicine into you.”
Student Cameron Toogood was waiting in line for lunch when
the ODT spoke to him.
He said he was driven to eat healthier after doing a human
nutrition assignment where he wrote down everything he ate in
a day.
“I realised I was a really terrible eater and don’t have any
cooking skills.”
He now came often for the cheap but nutritious option.
“When you’re coming into winter it’s an easy way to get some
warm food and eat a bit better.”
When OUSA released a student newsletter last year, it asked
students what they wanted to read about.
Ms Trotter said OUSA was inundated with requests for healthy
recipes to cook in their flats.
The response was so overwhelming, the association published
vegetable-filled recipes on a page on the Pinterest social
media website.
Jo Verberne and her business partner Nick Scott manage the
Dispensary cafes close to campus.
Ms Verberne said it has become clear from the long lines each
day that students were wanting more nutritious options.
“We offer fresh salads and sandwiches, and that’s the food
that’s flying out the door for them.
“Students seem [to] really care more about what they’re
putting in their bodies.”
She said priorities were dramatically different in her own
student days.
“I think back to when the goal was to eat as cheap and
unhealthily as possible. The trend has really changed.”
This “new normal” was evident when speaking to students
hanging out in the library during an intense exam season.
Kayla Morton is in her third year.
She said she had a passion for healthy eating that had grown
during her time at Otago University.
She was a regular customer at cafes and eateries that offered
healthy options.
“Heaps of cafes on George St are doing raw slices and vegan
food, following the trends,” she said.
“A few years ago you wouldn’t really have seen that.”
Miss Morton said even when she was living – and partying – on
Castle St, her flatmates had chosen to eat healthily and had
focused on consuming vegetables.
She said since making the switch to a healthier lifestyle her
energy levels and function during class had improved.
“I don’t struggle to get up for the 8am lecture when I’m
working out and eating healthily, as opposed to when you stay
up and eat junk food with your flatmates where you just feel
‘bleugh’ the next day.”
– Sarah Templeton
What’s in a name?
Vegetarian
A person who does not eat meat, fish, fowl. several eat eggs and
dairy products, but mainly subsist on vegetables, fruits,
legumes, nuts, grains, etc.
Vegan
Someone who chooses to consume no products derived from
animals.
Dietary vegans subsist on a “plant-based” diet, avoiding all
animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and
insects), dairy, eggs and often even honey.
Ethical vegans also choose not to buy any products like
leather and any products tested on animals.
Wholefoods diet
A flexible term often used to describe a diet consisting of
foods appearing as they would in nature, minimally messed
with.
This includes fruit, vegetables, meats, wholegrains (rice,
quinoa, oats), legumes (beans, peas, lentils), nuts and
seeds.
Paleo
A diet based on foods thought to have been eaten by our
Paleolithic era ancestors.
Paleo eaters try to stick to organic, grass-fed and
free-range products.
Meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, seasonal fruits and natural
fats.
Dairy, grains and legumes are not allowed.
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