Fast food doesn’t mean fast solution

Pamela Miller-Green says she thinks everyone needs to slow down and cook more often in order to stay healthy and avoid high cholesterol.

After church let out, Pamela Miller-Green walked to the Fresh Grocer at Broad and Oxford streets to get groceries for her family’s Sunday dinner.

The 45-year-old North Philadelphian said that for as long as she can remember, she has always made an effort to make home-cooked meals for her family. Fast food is rarely an option, she said, and it’s a dangerous option for people dealing with weight issues.

“We need to get away from fast food,” Miller-Green said. “It’s proven to make you gain weight, and taking the time to cook for your family allows for more nutritious meals.”

Miller-Green said her family loves meals that include vegetables, such as tomatoes, basil, cabbage and collard greens.
“I normally love including potatoes, but I try not to cook them as much because potato is a starch,” she said. “Roasted, baked, steamed or broiled, my family loves anything you put on a dinner plate.”

Miller-Green is no stranger to Main Campus. She said she remembers when there were very few lunch trucks scattered throughout campus and she worries about the type of nutrition Temple students get from those eating options.
“They might be getting very little nutrition but a lot of cholesterol, and diet sodas don’t help,” she said.

Miller-Green said students need to focus on getting proper sleep as much as they need to focus on proper nutrition. Lunch trucks and other unhealthy eating habits aside, she said she worries about the abundance of energy drinks that don’t do much to help a student’s health.

“If they want more energy, take advantage of the gym [on campus],” Miller-Green said. “Students need to make sure they are balanced mentally as well as physically.”

Josh Fernandez can be reached at josh@temple.edu.