You Are What You Eat

Gastronomy has the power to interlink cultures from around the world, fulfilling a greater purpose as a social lubricant. Food is not just a source of nourishment; it can express our appreciation for loved ones, like when Mom prepares a flavorful, warm and hearty meal just for you. However, when students return to the red-bricked gates we call “our second home,” how can we reignite the same homey and soothing feeling of Mom’s home-cooked meals? We look for comfort in fast food: juicy, flavorsome Shake Shack; delicious, breaded Chick-fil-A nuggets; and savory Taco Bell. Of course, that temporary happiness will never replace the nutritional and emotional value of a home-cooked meal—like a hearty chicken noodle soup— we lose the mental and physical energy from a well-balanced diet. Food is not just a means of external satisfaction; it is a lifelong pile that dictates the condition of our health and the quality of our lives, ultimately steering the way we interact with the world around us. Every Lawrentian has many responsibilities inside and outside of the classroom; when we choose what we eat, we should keep in mind its effect on how we feel both in the moment and in the long run. 

At the beginning of every term, I indulge again in a diet consisting of sugar-packed juices, processed snacks, and heavy loads of carbohydrates, with no sight of green on my plate. A constant feeling of nausea, bloating, fatigue and uncontrollable skin breakouts taunts me—and subsides just as quickly as soon as I get back home to Georgia. I know many students face the same cycle. When sports practices run late, meals at the Tsai Commons and the Abbott Dining Room do not always cater to all students’ preferences. Furthermore, feeling hungry after the dining halls close, we scour our Houses for the nearest snacks or order the quickest food available—usually fast food. While we can grab fruit on our way out of Tsai or simply eat more during meals, we don’t plan for these situations because we cannot easily predict our future hunger levels. However, the food that we decide to put into our bodies directly impacts all aspects of our health, from the physical to the mental. 

Processing food—mechanically or chemically altering its structure—removes most of its fiber, vitamins and minerals. Hence, a diet heavy on processed foods like meat, sweetened breakfast cereals, and chocolate bars can lead to nutrient deficiencies, which are especially dangerous for student-athletes. While high-calorie foods like these fill you up quickly, the amount of nutrients present in them is far below the daily recommended average; imagine eating nine packets of Welch’s fruit snacks—which amounts to 100 grams of sugar—just to get the same amount of Vitamin C as a single 150-gram serving of broccoli! Yes, processed foods contain some of the same nourishing molecules as Mom’s baked salmon and roasted potatoes, but their proportions are far from what we need every day. In the long run, processed food can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar levels, building resistance to the hormone insulin. When a person’s body is resistant to insulin, we call them a type-II diabetic. Likewise, endocrine-disrupting chemicals like phthalates interfere with testosterone production. According to CBS News, phthalates are present in almost all plastic wrappers and fast food packaging. Although most Lawrentians know junk food is bad for them, deciding what to eat is more complicated than just the food’s upfront nutritional value. As artificial additives and preservatives influence gut health, this can impact one’s mental performance and well-being in the long term.

The gut-brain axis links the digestive system with the brain and the brain stem, and this relationship between gut and brain affects both our physical and mental health. For instance, according to researchers Zahra A. Barandouzi et al., the gut produces around 90 percent of the body’s serotonin, which regulates happiness. A diet full of processed sugar can interfere with the production of serotonin, leading to mood imbalances and mental health problems. It can also allow harmful bacteria to grow in the gut, hindering its ability to communicate with the brain. While a sweet treat can be a well-deserved reward, going beyond moderation can lead to such adverse health effects.

Nightly concessions during Study Hall consist of instant ramen, Oreos, cookies, chips, and other snacks. Feeds often feature large boxes of Domino’s pizza catering, fast food burgers from conglomerate chains, and dessert if the House is in the mood for large glucose spikes in the late hours of the night. On Wellness Days and required programming, we are often greeted with gargantuan jars filled with copious amounts of candy and chocolate. The Wellness Wheel includes seven aspects of health—corresponding to Lawrenceville’s motto of House, Harkness and Heart—yet it is significantly harder for students to find nutrition as stressed as sport and physical activity are. The fact that accessibility to the Wellness Wheel requires multiple clicks on an inconspicuous webpage of the School’s site and arduous, strategic searching is a concern in itself.

Lawrenceville gravely stresses the importance of athleticism and physical well-being regarding sports and exercise, but we seem to push the importance of nutrition back on the sidelines. After all, it’s difficult to resist a warm cookie from the Bathhouse, as the sugar sends a surge of dopamine through our blood and into our brains. Everything in moderation is justifiable, but as individual grains of sand slowly add up to a heap, the daily snacks we munch on add up to our total diet. Food is not only meant to solely offer comfort and quick gratification but should also fuel students’ physical and mental needs. 

Accordingly, it’s time for Lawrenceville to align its wellness initiatives to wholly encompass every facet of it. If we are genuinely concerned for the student body’s well-being, we must prioritize nutrition as much as we put physical activity on a pedestal. This means redefining our snack offerings and meal choices and promoting nourishing options that support academic performance and mental clarity. Instead of settling for a culture that glorifies convenience over health, let’s advocate for a lifestyle that promotes both our physical and mental prosperity. Let’s make nourishment a key component of the Lawrenceville philosophy.

MD