Introduction
Maintaining good nutritional habits whilst going to college proves not to be an effortless task. It has gradually become a further challenge to get a reasonably holistic food choice that offers an authentic nutritional value that is required by the body. Currently, the adopted culture has ideally malformed the food industries into mass-producing bombshells and this seems to be beyond a joke. Mass represents the production of large quantities of food in the most lucrative way possible while using time-efficient approaches. Mass production of food as a consequence has produced the most obese nations globally. The effect is the incredibly unhealthy nations having the highest hypertension, acid reflux diseases, and diabetes rates in the world.
While college constitutes new exciting things like meeting different personalities and staying away from home, suitable nutritional measures must be considered to foster a healthy life. It is our fault to choose to be under the saturated umbrella of bad snacking and eating habits. The following are awesome ideas on how to keep healthy nutrition while at college.
Take breakfast each morning
Research reveals that those who take breakfast persist to be good health champions. The reason is that morning meals incorporate more minerals and vitamins while including fewer cholesterols and fats. This will eventually help college students to have leaner bodies, low counts of cholesterol, and fewer chances to overeat. When a college student eats breakfast, there is always a remarkable difference in the overall body weight. Breakfast has the knack to put off hunger stitches till lunchtime. Further, it can make the options of lofty calorie vending machines to be less enticing. Researchers reported that those who eat breakfast tend to be less likely prone to diabetes or to be obese in comparison to non-breakfast eaters (Weber 6). The consumption of breakfast cereals enables students to have better mental and physical feelings. It is however recommended that to derive the full breakfast meals benefits, the breakfast meal should have proteins, carbohydrates, and a bit of fat.
Add omega-three fatty acids and fish to the diet
Students should serve a meal comprising of fish twice a week. Fish has a relatively low appalling kind of dietetic fat known as saturated fat. Fish is a good supply of proteins and has omega-three fatty acids. Research shows that omega-three fatty acids condense heart disease risks (Weber 14). Fatty fish namely sardines, salmon, lake trout, mackerel, herring, and albacore which have docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid need to be served with food like flaxseed, tofu, walnuts, canola, and soybeans. The latter category of food has oil containing alpha-linolenic acids that might be used by the body to convert omega-three. Despite the controversial benefits of alpha-linolenic acid, it is required for a healthy diet. Omega-three fatty acids will also help in soothing the overactive immune systems as it contributes to the reduction of eczema, asthma, autoimmune disorders, and allergies.
Have sufficient sleep
While attending college, a student must have adequate time to relax. Without this, such a person will feel tired and cranky. Most American adults and nearly over two-thirds of the aging group are reported to experience sleep problems. They do not get the least amount of shuteye considered necessary for staying attentive. Thus, for a college student, enough sleep is deemed imperative for emotional well-being, mental and good health. If a person fails to get adequate slumber, chances of using healthcare services and developing psychiatric problems will be high (Weber 18). Students deprived of sleep will have their memories, logical reasoning and learning processes negatively affected. It is recommended that a student takes a fifteen to twenty-minute nap to aid in restoring alertness. To shun the insufficient sleep pitfalls, college students must have a minimum of seven to ten hours of sleep every night.
Have social links
A student must join a club, go to church, or volunteer. Whatever one does, other individuals must be incorporated. Communal activities are regarded as essential for students’ mental and physical health. There are scores of benefits from developing social ties. These include the provision of information, emotional support, instrumental help, and the provision of a sense of belonging. Friends might offer the required support when need be. When an individual shares problems with trusted college mates, there are chances that internal burdens will be alleviated. Moreover, through social links, a student might reinforce personal identity, overcome and prevent both anxiety and depression (Corsetty and Pearson 102). Therefore, social ties might help in improving the student’s mental functioning whereas group activities will assist in maintaining the desirable serotonin levels and keep the brain active.
Better health exercise
Physical activities have numerous benefits and it becomes a puzzle when a student who attends a college does not take part in any (Weber 12). Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that over 60% of the entire American population avoids regular exercise. The following are advantages of regular exercises:
- Promotes personal psychological well-being
- Helps in controlling weight
- Reduces the premature death risks
- Aids in maintaining healthy joints, bones, and muscles
- Curtails the risk of dying from heart diseases
- Minimizes chances of being diabetic or developing high blood pressure
There are immediate benefits when a student moves the body. Besides the enduring effects, the interim exercise results include assisting students to improve mood, move and think better, get an energy boost, and manage stress. If a student gives an excuse for not exercising, that should be the specific reason that demands an exercise.
Practicing good dental hygiene
If a student flosses his or her teeth at least each day, there are possibilities of extending lifespan by 6.4 years. Along with working out and relinquishing smoking, flossing is considered to be among the most essential daily activities that a student must perform for a healthy life. After all, the mouth is a central body part since a tooth has blood supplies that originate from the heart. Hence, the notion that there is a link between students’ overall health and oral health is not far-fetched (Weber 10). Brushing and flossing help college students to keep their lustrous white intact and prevent diseases. This helps them to speak properly, chew food, and comfortably smile.
Choose a hobby
Given that hobbies are relaxing activities, they are normally enjoyable. A student attending college must find joy in sports, playing cards, watching birds, craftwork, or visiting parks. The ensuing joy from such activities would help a student to recover promptly from illnesses, live healthier and burn hobbies (Corsetty and Pearson 93). Students participating in hobbies seem to have more interest and drive in various learning activities. It is indeed a very active orientation to students’ lives.
Protect your skin
Immediately a person is born, the skin starts aging. The best way a student can protect the skin to remain young is by staying away from the scorching sun. Wrinkles, age spots, and dryness in a student’s body might be caused by the harmful ultraviolet sun rays. Despite the skin cancers, skin textural changes, sunburn, and dilated blood vessels which are caused by overexposure to the sun, it is impractical to avoid the sun (Weber 8). To minimize the skin damage risks, a student should wear protective clothing and don a hat, avoid exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., shun deliberate sunbathing, and wear sunscreen with higher SPF.
Snacking the healthy way
Plant foods often perform a lot of things in the body to enhance good health. These include improving memory, beating the aging signs, reducing some cancerous risks, boosting the immune system, and promoting heart health. A college student must therefore serve five or even more vegetables and fruits daily as a component of a healthier diet (Corsetty and Pearson 67). Veggies and fruits can be incorporated into a meal by having them as snacks. They are high in nutrients but low in calories and should be consumed when a student is hungry, more so between meals.
Drink water, tea, and eat dairy
Milk and water are essential good health fluids. They assist in shedding pounds. Decaffeinated tea proves to be equally good as it does not cause dehydration. A student who drinks water hardly feels dehydrated. Water and dairy products keep the joints moving and vital organs including the liver, kidney, brain, and heart to properly function. The body often joins the emergency mode by clinging to every water molecule if it has insufficient water (Corsetty and Pearson 62). Dairy products have calcium necessary for strong teeth and bones whereas three eight-ounce glasses of fat-free milk enhance loss of body fat but maintain muscle mass.
Healthy habit plan
Perhaps, we do not have a better expression that could be used in illustrating how a student can integrate good health habits in daily life. Eating healthy does not occur by chance. Usually, neither does weight loss, good fitness, social ties, healthy teeth, and skin protection occur similarly. They all require proper planning. Most of these habits require a lot of dedication and scheduling. Thus, a menu must be drafted by a student attending college to eat healthily.
Works Cited
Corsetty, Kathy and Pearson Judith. Healthy Habits: Total Conditioning for a Healthy Body and Mind, Lincoln, Nebraska: Dageforde Pub, 2000. Print.
Weber, Rebecca. Healthy Habits, Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2011. Print.