Food Nutrition

I want to talk about nutrition. This is something the average student knows very little about, or if they do they choose to ignore. I have been ‘healthy eating’ for four months now so I felt I should share my wisdom. It is essential information and if you’re suffering from fresher’s flu, feeling at all stressed or run down then you should pay attention… what you eat and drink has a huge impact on how you feel and can exemplify any problems. Eating as much fruit and veg as possible (I think five a day is a little unrealistic for students, but there’s no harm in trying) as well as a balanced diet will help build up your body’s defence system by providing you with vital vitamins and minerals. Students need to take into account the benefits of different foods because if you want to go out ‘til 3am and still make that 9 o’clock lecture then you need as much help as you can get.

‘Superfoods’ can also improve your health and wellbeing. These include spinach, blueberries, tomatoes, fresh fish, avocado and bananas. If you aim to include a couple of these in your diet, swap takeaways for stir fries and veg-packed meals and drink plenty of water not only will you feel better inside but you will look better and improve your health.

In addition to this you should aim to eat less saturated fats – found in dairy products and most fast foods. Most pre-packaged foods have nutritional information on but this is not yet a legal requirement – sat fat can be found under fat content. Eating too much of this can increase your cholesterol and put you at greater risk of heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. ‘Trans’ fats have a similar impact bit can be found in processed foods such as cakes, biscuits and pastries. This is just something to look out for, they can be eaten in moderation but no more than twice a week as a guideline.

Nat Cavey