STORY BY JASON GREEN, STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY GABI GARCIA, CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The new Foodture vending machines’ hot food options are unhealthy, especially for people with cardiac issues.
I have high blood pressure, which is exacerbated by sodium which could lead to a personal health crisis. Coincidentally, I happened to be in the hospital for heart-related issues with my blood pressure the same week the food machines arrived. My blood pressure was about 211/113mmHg, which is considered a crisis because the normal range should be between 90/60mmHg to 120/80mmHg.
Having high blood pressure that high could lead to a stroke or a heart attack.
The vending machines looked exciting at first as I never bought hot food out of an apparatus like that, but not so much after looking at the nutritional value of each item. I was upset due to the food items being full of large amounts of sodium.
Some food items included in the vending machines are pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza with a gluten-free crust, chicken chili, Detroit barbecue chicken pizza, and macaroni and cheese.
First, I tried the gluten-free cheese pizza, which has 1,110 milligrams of sodium, however, I split it in half with my friends because I did not want to miss out on trying the other new food items. The chicken chili, which has 395 milligrams of sodium and 21.25 grams of saturated fat, has the least amount of sodium.
According to the American Heart Association, they recommend, “no more than 2,300 mg a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults.”
Both pizza options offered by the vending machine are approximately the size of one slice of pizza from Little Caesars. To compare, one slice from the Little Caesars 14″ Original Round Pepperoni Pizza, Regular Crust has 466 milligrams of sodium.
Consuming an excess amount of sodium can lead to heart disease; it is also the leading contributor to high blood pressure. Foodture’s vending machine pepperoni pizza contains the ideal limit of sodium per day with 1,500 milligrams of sodium.
The busiest time for getting food at the vending machine seems to be at lunchtime for most students. The machines were brought to campus as a way to have options for students who have evening classes to get a meal on campus after the Charger Cafe closes for the day. However, on top of eating high amounts of sodium from the vending machine for lunch, people eat dinner on campus, which only adds to sodium intake.
I have night classes, so it would be convenient to have something to eat while on campus that late. I prefer not to walk off campus for food, therefore, having a vending machine that provides hot food is a better option for me than buying chips or snacks from a traditional vending machine.
I cannot risk my health for the sake of convenience, so I choose the option from the vending machine that has the least amount of sodium. The macaroni and cheese, which has less than 500 milligrams of sodium, has been my favorite to eat out of the vending machine as it reminds me of the pasta from Olive Garden. When I do not want to leave campus, I resort to that food item.
While some may not care about the nutritional value of the food within the vending machines, there are people, such as myself, who have to be careful about the foods they eat.
