The results of a survey conducted among more than 1,000 students from various American universities project enormous concern about the food they eat, as they consider poor diet to be an even more serious problem than alcohol or drug abuse.

The exercise to measure the students' opinion was carried out by Echelon Insights on behalf of the cultural organization of student-led health initiative Touch Grass Together.

From the outset, the results agree in criticizing universities for not offering adequate healthy food options, at least according to 72% of the student community surveyed.

Likewise, 82% of students identify unhealthy diets as a problem on campus, compared to 71% who cited alcohol or drug abuse.

Although 89% of university students prioritize their physical and mental well-being, they feel the campus environment falls short.

Another key finding is that the majority of survey participants are convinced that the food they eat directly influences how they feel and their performance.

In this regard, 84% mention an effect on energy, 80% on mood, and three out of four on concentration and productivity.

Inadequate nutrition on university campuses

Nearly half of the university students surveyed say that the dining halls on their campuses offer too many ultra-processed foods options.

Less than half believe that campus cafeterias offer food they consider healthy.

Also, eight out of 10 students said that eating highly processed foods makes them feel sluggish or down.

Another point to highlight is that less than half of university students rate their mental health as excellent or very good.

However, Those who opted for a low-carb or ketogenic diet this school year report significantly better mental health outcomes. The controversial aspect is that this type of diet is not as readily available on campuses as they would like, according to 35% of those surveyed. Aside from the food they eat,more than a third of those surveyed say they spend less than 45 minutes outdoors each day; Meanwhile, four out of five students spend at least one day a week without physical contact with nature. And if that wasn't enough, nearly 80% of university students admit to sleeping less than eight hours a day, while more than half spend five or more hours a day in front of screens outside of school hours.