We may have found the perfect diet. Not only does it banish the "Freshman 15," but it also doesn't require any cooking. Best of all, it's free.
Foraging may sound like what your dog does in the trash, but some people actually survive solely on raw foods they find in our urban environment.
Although we know we'd miss our hamburgers (or veggie burgers), we applaud Matt LeShure, and other foragers, for being so resourceful. These people just eat fruit, berries and nuts they find around the city.
The Arizona Board of Regents will consider ASU's proposed mandatory meal plan today in Tucson, but foraging could prove to be a much more appealing option for students looking for healthy food.
Residential Life may think french fries or a quesadilla are great dinner options for vegetarians, but we know better.
Freshmen living on campus this fall may not be able to find fruits and vegetables in their dining halls — although Frappucinos will surely be plentiful. And even for those students who do eat meat, the dining options offered by ASU will probably stray from nutrition as well.
But while the University is making it harder to eat healthy, Mother Nature offers up a few gems here and there. Who doesn't love organic oranges? We know this delightful fruit grows all over the Valley. Students could easily use LeShure's tips to seek out some additional Vitamin C — all without the use of cash, Sun Dollars or M&G.
Even if people aren't looking for a raw-food-only diet, foraging could be a great way for people with limited funds to get extra food.
But before doing so, we strongly suggest doing your homework. If you think dinner at the Bamboo Club is expensive, try the medical bills you'll have to face if you poison yourself.
If you've got a well-prepared grocery list, though, doing your grocery shopping out of doors could provide some good exercise and a nice study break.
Plus, if the Valley were one big supermarket it would be one of those high-end markets with shelves full of a wide variety of foods. LeShure told SPM this week that Phoenix's agricultural heritage makes it one of the best places in the country to find free food.
Instead of forcing on-campus residents to pay for a full year's worth of traditional fare, maybe the Regents should leave us to our own devices nutritionally so that we can save some of that money with a little bit of foraging.
