Imagine: it’s past ten o’clock on a weekend in College Park and you’re craving something good. Quick: what do you want? DP Dough? Chipotle? McDonalds? They’re all options. Though the late night eating craze is satisfying students across the University of Maryland campus, many are unaware of the health side affects they’re paying for.
Food establishments throughout Route One generally have late hours that satisfy late-night eaters near and far. However, there is one College Park favorite that is a weekend staple for most students. Boasting that they’re “ Open Crazy Late”, DP Dough is anything but inconvenient. Open until 3 am on weekends, students can order delivery straight to their dorms.
“ It’s open late and it’s easy and they deliver. It just happens”, Undecided Freshman Amanda Bemis said.
Though the convenience and the warmth of a fresh calzone are enticing, late night eating has its price.
According to www.healthyanswers.com, “ If you eat at night, and have also consumed a regular amount of food during the day, the extra meal that you eat at night will almost certainly be stored as fat.”
Although she only does it about once a month, Bemis says, “ It’s not healthy and I feel disgusting after.”
Though Bemis doesn’t enjoy the feeling of late night eating, some students do it in the name of school work.
When Freshman Theater major Rachel Grandizio needs to focus on her homework, she chooses either Chipotle, open until 11 PM on weekends or Cluckster’s, open until 3AM on weekends.
“ It just warms my heart and gives me energy to do my homework. I feel full and honestly probably not the best about myself but that’s ok because it’s delicious. It’s not necessarily healthy”, Grandizio said.
Though the late-night snack which she does about once a month, may energize her to do homework, Grandizio may have trouble sleeping afterwards.
According to www.healthyanswers.com, “ Human circadian rhythms are set to start winding down after sunset so we can fall asleep at nightfall. If you eat a moderate to heavy meal during this time, your metabolism revs up for several hours trying to digest this food and will prevent you from falling asleep and/or staying asleep.”
Late night eating has become a staple of college life at the University of Maryland. Though there’s no harm in indulging in a fresh calzone or French fries every now and then, avid midnight snackers should think twice before falling under the spell of “ crazy late” hours.
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Photo Credit: Lora Doerfer