By Alison Snyder
As American culture pulls into the fast lane, dependent on technology, multitasking and hurried living, people grow more dependent on convenience: at work, in the car, and with food.
And what could be more fitting for life in the fast lane than ready-to-eat, processed foods?
Many college students live through late nights at the library with homework, snacking on junk food from the nearest vending machine to stay awake.
?I live off those stupid machines,? said Melissa Webb of Santa Barbara, Calif., a theater studies major at BYU.
Webb said she usually eats on campus twice a day, either out of a vending machine or at the Cougareat ?Quick & Go.? She said her favorite late-night snack is a brownie from the vending machines in the fine arts building.
?I swear I live on carbs and candy ? it?s just because I?m so busy and I don?t have any time,? Webb said, adding that she is on campus for a good 15 hours a day.
Other students find themselves in the same situation.
?I don?t have time to cook,? said Soonyeun Lee, a TESOL student at BYU from Jinhae, South Korea. ?There are too many things to do. I?m so stressed.?
The priority American culture places on efficiency has transformed the role food plays in our lives, said Kimberlee Holland, a sociology professor at BYU.
?It leads us to make choices that are fast,? she said. ?Also, lots of our time is absorbed. You look for the quickest, most efficient way . You eat in the car when you drive, or in the classroom.?
Holland also said that lower income groups, including students, make a cheaper choice when grocery shopping.
?They start to choose, by their dollar, the quantity they?re going to get for their buck,? she said, adding that students decide their priority between money and nutrition.
Economics play a role in buying ?convenient? foods as well; Holland said they are much cheaper to produce.
?You can get twelve Little Debbie?s oatmeal cookies for a buck, versus an apple and a half for the same amount,? she said.
But many say convenience-style diets post health risks. Articles abound, warning of ?The most harmful ingredients in packaged foods? or ?Kids? diets flunk out.? They cry out against trans fats, sodium and corn syrup. They emphasize eating ?right,? and taking time to eat ?healthy? ? but that is time people say they don?t have.
As Lee eats her sub sandwich, she explains she, too, eats twice a day on campus, although she takes time to make Korean dishes on weekends.
She said she isn?t the norm for college students ? her roommates and other people she knows prepare sack lunches to bring to school.
Like Lee?s friends, others say Americans are making more health-savvy choices.
The shift towards ?healthy? shows in a barrage of more health-conscious foods claiming increasing space in supermarkets; Rory Ward, produce manager at the Provo Macey?s, said his department produces 11 percent of the store?s business, a good portion of the store?s revenue.
?Produce is really rocking,? Ward said. ?People are realizing are good for you. Students and younger folks are converting to eating better and taking care of their health.?
America has a growing orientation not only toward more healthy foods, but also organic products. Wal-Mart has made a large step toward organic in recent months, and other supermarkets are following suit.
In 2005, the U.S. organic food industry grew 16.2 percent to $13.8 billion in consumer sales, according to a survey by the Organic Trade Association. Sales of organic foods have grown at a steady rate since the early 1990s.
?On the whole, it?s definitely growing,? said Craig Dineley, nutrition manager at Harvest Fresh Natural Foods, ?You see a lot of people wising up to basically what there is in the food and the effect it has on them.?
But is there time in American?s hectic lives to fit both nutrition and convenience?
?There are trends toward convenience foods and more calorie dense foods; we?re also seeing a shift towards more healthy foods, but still convenient,? said Frost Steele, an assistant professor in BYU?s department of nutrition, dietetics, and food science. ?More of the food industry is starting to cater to more nutritious, more healthy types of foods, while still incorporating the convenience we like in our lives. We?re all so busy, we don?t like to spend two hours fixing dinner.?
This is the case for Niels Jensen, a psychology major from Las Vegas. He said, while munching his vending machine dinner, he only eats out of machines when he is stuck on campus and can?t get home.
?I try to eat better than vending,? he said, admitting he had been caught in a moment of convenience.
Usually, he said, his diet includes of a lot of sandwiches, leftovers from eating out and convenience foods like ready-made soups. His favorite, though, is Pasta Roni.
?I try to make it healthier? I buy fruits for snacks, although I don?t buy too many vegetables,? he said. ?I buy convenience food because often, I only have a half hour to come home and cook it before I take off.?
?Processed? food with additives and preservatives, like Jensen?s ready-made soups, may not be as bad as fad dieting articles and rumors make them out to be.
?The concern about processed foods comes from an imprecision about language,? said Lora Beth Brown, an associate professor for the department of nutrition, dietetics, and food science.
She said the ?processed foods? consumers refer to are usually highly processed foods that have gone through a lot of steps of preparation, ending up much different than the original food.
Steele agreed with Brown that ?processed? food is a misconception, and elaborated that foods with ?additives,? another word with a negative connotation, are actually a positive thing.
He said for an ingredient to be added, it has to have a proven benefit for the food. Often, nutrients taken away during processing are simply added back, and other additives are put in to create a longer shelf life for the product and maintain the nutritional content longer.
In the end, Steele said, moderation is key.
?Really, if we just understand and become more educated on how to eat, there is room for those treats in the diet,? he said. ?When all we?re eating is treats, that?s when it gets bad? You just have to have a balance.?