Graphic designer creates Web site advocating benefits of 'superfoods'

11/20/08 - The winter months are arriving quickly, and with them come colds, influenza and other sicknesses that spread easily. College campuses are especially susceptible to the contaminants. Melissa Melcombe, a 26-year-old graphic designer from Los Angeles, created a Web site that targets the health and living styles of young people. The Web site also suggests alternative eating styles that replace sugary foods with "superfoods," natural foods that boost your immune system.

"My Web site is for people in their late teens to mid-30s," Melcombe said. "College is a good market for this. It's tough to eat right and most college students do gain weight. It's about keeping the essentials in your room to eat."

"I eat about the same as I do at home," Vinny Belows, a freshman music major, said.

Belows said he eats relatively well at home and sticks to foods that are superfoods, such as fruits, vegetables, lobster, brown rice and potatoes.

There are a wide variety of superfoods that do not require refrigeration, including foods like peanut butter.

"Peanut butter, crackers, dried fruit and trail mix are all great snacks," Melcombe said. "Green tea is especially good for you. It's high in antioxidants."

Melcombe added that her superfood plan wasn't all that restricting and it was easy for college students to stick to. But not all students share her sentiment.

"Sometimes it's hard," Belows said. "There's always a point when you want something but you know you shouldn't have it."

Belows managed to avoid getting sick so far this year and hopes he can stay healthy throughout the winter. He does not typically get sick and thinks superfoods are a great idea.

"The main thing when eating meals is to stay balanced," Melcombe said. "Avoid sugars and fats. Your immune system is like an army and fatty foods make your soldiers weak. Superfoods make them strong and ready to fight bacteria."

Theresa Murphy, a freshman marine affairs major, supported the superfoods and believes they can help boost your immune system.

"I think they all look pretty yummy," Murphy said. "Part of being healthy is eating healthy and these foods definitely boost your immune system."

Murphy has already been sick twice this year and expects to catch a cold at some point this winter.

"I don't get the flu or anything, just a cough and sniffles," Murphy said. "College life makes it easy to catch things. I will probably get sick this winter though."

Murphy said it is easy to eat however you want at school because of the options, but students have to make the decision which foods to choose.

"It's easy to eat junk food but it's also just as easy to grab healthy foods instead," Murphy said. "I still eat brownies when I want one, but I also grab fruit."

"Mel," as Melcombe is commonly referred to, said she thinks it's easier to talk to someone who's around the same age rather than an expert.

"People don't always want an expert opinion," she said. "They're more likely to go to a friend first. That's where I want to come in.