“I’ve always been into eating healthy,” Wilkins said. “It’s the way you eat that you can conquer anything — what you put in your body affects everything.”

With the cold and flu seasons approaching, experts say students need to view proper nutrition as essential to staying healthy.

But Ronda Bokram, a registered dietitian at Olin Health Center, said she observes students and people in general believe the misnomer that a healthy diet should be regimented only to include specific foods and they limit their overall food intake.

“People have a narrow definition of what healthy is,” she said. “Nutrition is how we eat over time, not by one food label. You really restrict yourself unnecessarily.”

Bokram said when students actually think about their sources for nutritional information, they recognize the information comes from the media, word of mouth and personal experiences, which typically are unreliable.

If students don’t like consuming foods known for certain nutrients, such as the calcium in milk, Bokram recommends exploring other options that will deliver the same nutritional value, for instance, drinking fortified orange juice.

“If you want your immune system to work properly, you have to have a variety of food over time,” she said. “It is very, very important.”

One of the most common inaccuracies Bokram hears is that carbohydrates should be avoided, when in fact the brain needs them to function.

“It’s how we were born: to eat when we’re hungry,” she said. “The problem is the narrow definition of what people should or shouldn’t eat.”

Educating people about what’s the best food to be consuming for long-term health is what nutritional sciences senior Stephanie Chaczyk said motivates her career path.

“People know what nutrition is, but as far as going on about the meal planning process behind it, I think I would be able to provide assistance,” she said.

Chaczyk, who is president of the MSU Nutritional Sciences Club, said she thinks the frequency with which students eat meals affects how much they enjoy food.

“Our hunger gets ignored with our busy schedules when really our bodies need that consistent nourishment to keep our energy up,” she said. “This leads to us eating twice a day, which could be more like a binge session rather than enjoying our food and focusing on what we’re putting into our bodies.”

Kurt Kwiatkowski, corporate chef for MSU Culinary Services, said he is involved in a partnership with MSU Health4U called “Recipe for Health,” which includes choosing an ingredient with nutritional value and creating a recipe, available online and served in some of the residence hall cafeterias.

“(The response is) very favorable,” Kwiatkowski said. “It seems like every year it keeps growing, and more and more people are interested in it.”

Kwiatkowski agreed with Bokram that students should be mindful of eating a variety of carbohydrates, proteins and fiber, ultimately to support the immune system. He particularly advised students to be drinking plenty of fluids without caffeine during the season changes.

“Your body is like an engine — what you put into it matters,” he said. “If you’re giving yourself the right balance, you’re going to operating optimally.”