: Where do you eat on campus and why do you chose to eat there?​

 

: ...because of really bad past experiences at Saga, I mostly go o ABP or the cafe a lot, but really quickly my snack money ran out because they don't do meal swipes any more the Cafe (where I used to get my food) (#money, #mealplan). Now I feel like at this point in the semester since I have so many Saga meal swipes left I will probably start eating there more.

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: Does this change if you are eating alone versus with your peers?

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: Yes, it definitely changes. I don't think I would go and eat in Saga alone just because it's just a social environment, whereas if you are in the Cafe, I have no problem grabbing a wrap or sushi or something and sitting their alone doing homework (#saga, #social). 

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: Do you think that the social environment of college may have contributed to your current eating habits?

 

: Yeah a thousand percent. Who I was friends with during sophomore year, they weren't eating well, and they ate a very small range of foods, you could say they had a colorless diet. (#peers, #social_influence). But I think the big shift was definitely when I was living in a theme house and everyone in the house was eating so healthy and it kind of inspired me to want to do that too (#healthy, #social_influence, #change) .. So yeah definitely who you hang out with and who you're around has a big influence on your eating habits.

 

: Do you ever feel that your food choices need to “fit in” with those of your peers? In other words,  do you ever feel pressure from your peers to eat a certain way?

 

: I don't think so, I used to be more like that, but I think I've reached that point where its like "Screw what else everyone else thinks I'm gonna eat whatever I want." (#food_autonomy).

 

 

: When you chose to eat something you consider “unhealthy,” why do you do so? Are “bad” eating habits influenced by your peer relationships?

 

: ... if I'm out with friends and they wanted to eat something that's like out of our normal eating habits that might be worse for them like cookies or candy, if they eat that, then I figure like "Oh okay, they're eating it, then I guess I can eat it, because that just kind of puts us in the same position, like it makes us even with food.” (#peers, #social_identity, #fitting_in). But I noticed it too that sometimes I really want a cupcake or a piece of pizza, especially if you're going downtown, like that actually a thing, if you're downtown and you want a piece of pizza but originally your friends don't but they may think "Oh okay if you get pizza, I'll get pizza." (#social_norms, #downtown, #fitting_in).if I see my friends getting pizza, I'm gonna cave in and get pizza as well, because again it kind of puts you in the same boat... (#peer_influence, #unhealthy, #social_eating).

 

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: Do you feel like when you're out to dinner with your friends you notice what their ordering and does that influence what you order?

 

: Depends on the situation, I think I'm pretty good at just ordering what I want to order (#food_autonomy), but I definitely see that happening for other people. I remember I was at a restaurant at home and a group of girls from a local college came in and sat down there were like 12 of them and every single one of them ordered a salad (#social_eating, #peers). And I was like "okay... I guarantee that not all of them actually wanted that, but you didn't want to be the one person who didn't get the salad because you're actually hungry." (#peer_pressure, #healthy). 

 

I think that there’s a lot of social pressure and pressure from the media and friends to look a certain way (#social_media, #peer_pressure). I think it's really difficult to be comfortable in your body...because even if you are going to the gym everyday and eating really well, but you have this one day where you ate so much pasta and then had a slice of pizza and three cookies and right there you automatically feel like "oh my god I'm so fat now.."(#unhealthy, #body_image). I think we're at a school  where people are really healthy and go to gym all the time, (#peer_pressure, #body_image. and you know looking around campus, I don't really even see a lot of overweight people (#campus_culture, #fitting_in)  and that kind of puts you on edge, like "okay everyone is doing this and eating really well so I have to do this too." But at the end of the day were young women in our 20s in college and our bodies are changing so much we are how we are but sometimes it can be difficult for us to accept it.