Med students kick off Nutrition Week

Some call it Nutrition Awareness Week -- others call it attack of the phytochemicals. Both opinions were in evidence yesterday as the University's American Medical Students Association set up an information booth at the Class of 1920 Commons to publicize the week. Advocating eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, AMSA focused on photochemical pharmacy -- the study of phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables which can ward off several diseases. The offer of free fruit attracted several passers-by, but most shied away at the sound of the word "phytochemicals." College sophomore and AMSA Task Coordinator Andrea Tan noted that -- aside from supplying vitamins, minerals, fiber and complex carbohydrates -- fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that help prevent cancer and heart disease. College sophomore Peter King -- who also worked to coordinate the event -- said he feels that while many students are concerned about their health, they lack awareness about the importance of phytochemicals. "A lot of people know they ought to eat right, but do not really know what that means," King added. Phytochemicals work as powerful antioxidants, protecting cells and organs from damage caused by free radicals like toxic oxygen molecules produced by cigarette smoke, X-rays, air pollutants and sunlight. In interfering with specific stages of cancer growth, certain phytochemicals appear to halt cancer at its inception by blocking the enzyme that activates cancer genes or by preventing various substances from forming cancer-causing agents. Phytochemicals can be found in virtually every fruit and vegetable -- including onions, carrots, cabbages, brussels, tomatoes and citrus fruits. Tan said she hopes to "expose University students to this hot new field so that they can take advantage of these compounds in their own diets." But despite efforts to publicize phytochemicals' beneficial effects, some find it too much of a bother to watch what they eat, noted College junior Reza Alavi. "I have a strict diet -- of foods that only taste good," Alavi said, adding that he has no interest in nutrition. "Only problem is that salty and greasy foods taste better. Food is food." But Nutritionist Marion Birdsall of Hospitality Services explained that eating healthy should not be painful. "Eating should be pleasant, tasty and fun -- but we should also try to use it to nourish our bodies," she said. "And yet eating healthy shouldn't be a painful process or a major sacrifice. It is possible to be well-nourished and still eat food that tastes good."