Biting Into The Truth

Crack...crack...crack...pop...hissssss. This is the sound of Coke cans and energy drinks being cracked open by tired and weary students with dark circles under their eyes, thirsting for that rush of sugar and caffeine that will get them through their next class. Little do they know that what they are putting in their bodies is moving them towards the 52,000 people who die every year in the U.S due to heart disease caused by added sugars (healthyfoodamerica.org). Little do they know that heart disease itself kills almost 18 million people every year (World Health Organization).

But here at Niles West, we refuse to be part of these statistics, and we are hoping to inspire our community, state, and even country to create real, sustainable change towards leading healthier lives. That is why I, Richard Chen, and my friend Henry Gussis, two Niles West junior students who once thought we were invincible to the effects of junk food, decided to launch an awareness campaign on unhealthy eating.

Throughout November 2019, the American Heart Association’s (AHA) national “Eat Smart” month, we worked tirelessly to promote our message on proper nutrition to students, staff, and parents. We kicked off the campaign by reaching out to our school principal, Dr. Karen Ritter. We made an appearance with her on our school news, NWN, in a funny skit called “Exercise, Not Extra Fries” that was played to over 2,500 students. The same day we sent out a survey on students’ eating habits.

Over the next two weeks, we received over 400 responses. We compiled that data, analyzing it for trends. The results showed us the areas we needed to address the most: 51% of students had no idea of how many calories they were eating or ate dangerously low amounts of calories and 53% of students ate 2-10 commercially prepared meals a week. Even more astounding was that of those who had no idea how many calories they ate or ate dangerously low amounts, 47% considered themselves healthy eaters, and of those who ate 2-10 commercially prepared meals a week, 41% considered themselves healthy eaters.

Using this data, we compiled tips for students on areas like caloric consumption, how to make easy and cheap snacks at home, or how to eat healthier while dining out. These tips were announced daily over the P.A. and posted on our Instagram page, @nw_eat_smart. We also manned a healthy eating informational booth outside the lunchroom with merchandise and prizes, from the AHA.

Dr. Mark Huffman, a leading cardiologist who worked to develop the widely acclaimed app FoodSwitch, came to speak to over 50 students at Niles West. FoodSwitch, Dr. Huffman said, allows you to scan products for nutritional info so you know what you are putting into your body. At the same time, it collects data on the healthfulness of the U.S food supply - data that can be potentially used in Supreme Court cases to argue for restrictions on big businesses in what they put in our food. We also had the opportunity to visit the University of Illinois - Chicago nutrition science program on a field trip. We learned about food insecurity, the harmful effects of fad diets and foods like coconut oil, and how what we buy influences what businesses will put on shelves of stores.

Our campaign would not have been possible without the incredible engagement and support of the Niles West community. Clubs helped make posters; Quest, our food service provider, worked with us to introduce some healthier options: scratch-made weekly specials like chicken with roasted potatoes and corn on the cob; and countless teachers and staff worked hard to make sure that things would run smoothly. These efforts did not go unnoticed - at the end of November, we received a letter from Washington D.C signed by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky commending our campaign!

We hope that our efforts show that if, as a community, we care about an issue and take action, we can create real, lasting change and bring awareness, perhaps even on the national level. And while our campaign only lasted for a month, a healthy lifestyle will give happiness and true wealth to one for a lifetime. The immense problems of obesity, heart disease, and poor diets may seem like an unconquerable issue, but together as a community, we firmly believe that we can beat it, one bite at a time.