The words "Otago student lifestyle'' conjures images of baked beans and Speight's rather than chia seeds and bean sprouts. But prioritising health and wellness is becoming the "new normal'' for more students. Sarah Templeton investigates.
At first glance Charlotte Woolford seems just like any other 21-year-old Otago student, clad in a beanie and padded jacket as she forages for food in the kitchen of her North Dunedin flat.
"I don't have much at the moment; I just got home from Auckland,'' she says, frowning as she paws through the fridge.
"I might have to borrow something off my flatmates''.
But, if you're expecting her to throw together a bowl of leftover price-reduced mince or perhaps some MSG-laden noodles, you would be wrong.
As Miss Woolford blends together berries, chia seeds and the all-important plant-based protein powder, it becomes clear that this is a student who has dramatically overhauled her lifestyle to get about as far from the typical "scarfie'' diet as possible.
• Good food need not be costly
She's not alone.
While memories of student life may for many mean toast washed down with a couple of Southern Golds, this may be becoming a nostalgic picture of the past.
There is a trend towards healthier living growing on and off campus among members of the "millennial'' generation.
It's a trend that's having a noticeable impact on supermarket shelves.
Greg Roberts, general manager of the Gardens New World, said he had noticed a definite change in the foods bought when the students were in town.
During the university semester, "the ratios change'', he said.
Trim milk and wholegrain breads were more popular then than full-fat milk and white bread, "which then skews back the other way when university closes''.
Mr Roberts said on the whole the Otago students seemed to be "a pretty healthy bunch''.
"They're pretty active and I guess they need to fuel what they want to get done in the day''.
Parents around the country will be relieved to hear more of their darlings are no longer putting health last on the priority list.
Perhaps they have been scared straight by the dire warnings of obesity and premature death they have had hammered into them all their school lives.
Otago University Students' Association spokeswoman Tess Trotter said the appeal of a hot, nourishing meal was driving students away from the classic mince-and-cheese pie and into line for the $3 lunch provided by Hare Krishnas during the week.
She said there were regularly 100 to 300 students waiting for the"cheap but healthy'' vegetarian meals.
"I'm just blown away by the numbers; every day there's a line to the front door''.
Jama Beecroft is the co-ordinator of the Hare Krishna centre in Dunedin, and the founder of the $3 lunch.
She said the number of students seeking healthy options had increased dramatically since they began in 1997.
"Eighty to 150 students was a big day for us. Now we can get [up] to 350 students any day.''
She said she had noticed students were paying more attention to their diets, prioritising vegetables and "all the things that are good for the health''.
"We make healthy, fresh food that [is] cooked on the day and they've come to depend on it. The price is what brings them and then they see how food can be really nutritious and yummy''.
She now has her regulars and the number is growing daily.
"It's incredible; a lot can't stay away. They're there every day and they bring along their friends.''
Ms Beecroft said she took her role "being mother'' seriously, making sure everyone ate until they were full, and offering her own brand of medicine on Mondays, "when some of them may look a little jaded''.
"The spices all have such healing properties, I'll say to them, get a bit more of that medicine into you.''
Student Cameron Toogood was waiting in line for lunch when the ODT spoke to him.
He said he was driven to eat healthier after doing a human nutrition assignment where he wrote down everything he ate in a day.
"I realised I was a really terrible eater and don't have any cooking skills.''
He now came often for the cheap but nutritious option.
"When you're coming into winter it's an easy way to get some warm food and eat a bit better.''
When OUSA released a student newsletter last year, it asked students what they wanted to read about.
Ms Trotter said OUSA was inundated with requests for healthy recipes to cook in their flats.
The response was so overwhelming, the association published vegetable-filled recipes on a page on the Pinterest social media website.
Jo Verberne and her business partner Nick Scott manage the Dispensary cafes close to campus.
Ms Verberne said it has become clear from the long lines each day that students were wanting more nutritious options.
"We offer fresh salads and sandwiches, and that's the food that's flying out the door for them.
"Students seem [to] really care more about what they're putting in their bodies.''
She said priorities were dramatically different in her own student days.
"I think back to when the goal was to eat as cheap and unhealthily as possible. The trend has really changed.''
This "new normal'' was evident when speaking to students hanging out in the library during an intense exam season.
Kayla Morton is in her third year.
She said she had a passion for healthy eating that had grown during her time at Otago University.
She was a regular customer at cafes and eateries that offered healthy options.
"Heaps of cafes on George St are doing raw slices and vegan food, following the trends,'' she said.
"A few years ago you wouldn't really have seen that.''
Miss Morton said even when she was living - and partying - on Castle St, her flatmates had chosen to eat healthily and had focused on consuming vegetables.
She said since making the switch to a healthier lifestyle her energy levels and function during class had improved.
"I don't struggle to get up for the 8am lecture when I'm working out and eating healthily, as opposed to when you stay up and eat junk food with your flatmates where you just feel 'bleugh' the next day.''
- Sarah Templeton
What's in a name?
Vegetarian
A person who does not eat meat, fish, fowl. Many eat eggs and dairy products, but mainly subsist on vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, grains, etc.
Vegan
Someone who chooses to consume no products derived from animals.
Dietary vegans subsist on a "plant-based'' diet, avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and often even honey.
Ethical vegans also choose not to buy any products like leather and any products tested on animals.
Wholefoods diet
A flexible term often used to describe a diet consisting of foods appearing as they would in nature, minimally messed with.
This includes fruit, vegetables, meats, wholegrains (rice, quinoa, oats), legumes (beans, peas, lentils), nuts and seeds.
Paleo
A diet based on foods thought to have been eaten by our Paleolithic era ancestors.
Paleo eaters try to stick to organic, grass-fed and free-range products.
Meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, seasonal fruits and natural fats.
Dairy, grains and legumes are not allowed.
