Being overweight and having an unhealthy diet as a student has been linked to diseases later in life, but ISU officials say there are simple habits students can form now as preventative measures.

Catherine Woteki, dean of the College of Agriculture, said the greatest risk to students’ health is being overweight, which can lead to diseases such as diabetes, some forms of cancer and heart diseases.

Woteki said exercise is beneficial and activity patterns formed as students are very important.

“Exercise doesn’t mean you have to go jogging,” Woteki said. “It may mean walking about an hour a day and most students do that walking to classes.”

Judy Trumpy, registered and licensed dietitian from the Student Wellness Center at Thielen Student Health Center, said students may have more opportunities than they think to get in their exercise for the day.

“[Walking] only requires a good pair of shoes and maybe a jacket for warmth,” she said.

Trumpy suggested students could walk to or from Towers Residence Association, Frederiksen Court or the commuter lot instead of taking CyRide to class in order to get the exercise they need.

Woteki also stressed the importance of fruits and vegetables in a student’s diet. She recommended students have five fruits and vegetables a day in half cup servings. She said filling a measuring cup with fruits or vegetables is the best way to determine what constitutes a half cup.

“Really it’s not that much,” Woteki said.

Because students may find it inconvenient to eat fruits and vegetables, Trumpy suggested students buy a bag of frozen vegetables and a supply of fruit. She said dried fruit, such as dried apricots, are a good addition to a student’s diet.

The Wellness Center at Student Health offers several services for students who are looking to improve both health and diet.

Trumpy said students may choose to work with a nutrition counselor at the center. Students record food intake for three days, including the amount and brand of food eaten, then bring it in and review it with the counselor. The counselor looks at intake of things such as protein, calcium and fat, Trumpy said.

“Many people get paranoid about [fat] and go for a low fat diet,” Trumpy said. “We look at limiting but not eliminating it from the diet.”

Trumpy also said weight is certainly a consideration when counseling students who are concerned with nutrition.

“We don’t want to focus on weight, but it is one measure we use,” Trumpy said. “Often a 5 to 10 percent reduction in weight helps with things like cholesterol and blood sugar. It also makes students feel better about themselves.”

A new development in the prevention of diseases is the consideration of waist size, Trumpy said. Men with a waist measurement of greater than 40 inches and women with a measurement greater than 35 inches are at a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases, strokes, type two diabetes and joint diseases.