Heart disease and diabetes are increasingly evident in younger populations. Two heart disease biomarkers are low concentrations of HDL‐C (men <40 mg/dL, women <50 mg/dL) and high Triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations (>150 mg/dL). A cross sectional study of first year college students examined chronic disease markers and associations to diet. Elevated TAG and low HDL‐C were the most prevalent risk factors. Dietary information was collected via 24 hour recalls on NDS‐R for 3 nonconsecutive days. Two 12‐hour fasting blood samples were collected to measure TAG and HDL‐C. Mean age for females (n=128) and males (n=61) was 18.4 ± 0.6y. Mean BMI for females was 23.1 ± 4.0 mg/dL and for males was 24.6 ± 3.5. Mean TAG was 87.8 ± 45.6 and 104.3 ± 54.2 mg/dL for males and females, respectively. Mean HDL‐C was 53.6 ± 12.5 and 61.2 ± 14.7 mg/dL for males and females, respectively. Legume intake was 0.02 ± .05 cups and 0.04 ± .1 cups for males and females respectively. % calories from PUFA were 7.2 ± 2.1% and 6.8 ± 1.8% for males and females respectively and % calories from MUFA were 12.0 ± 2.5% and 11.0 ± 2.5% for males and females respectively. A small positive correlation (r =.24) was found between legume consumption and HDL‐C. % calories from MUFA and PUFA have a negative correlation with TAG. Increasing availability of legumes and dietary sources of PUFA and MUFA may be a way to decrease heart disease risk factors in young adults.