Many of us struggle to find healthy eating options while studying at the university, so we just resign to eating whatever we feel like eating (which is not always ideal or healthy). We tend to rely on the pick-me-up fast food and we definitely give in to cravings during the day of fatty or sugary snacks that our bodies don’t need. What our bodies need is food armed with protein, grains and vegetables to provide us with all the energy and nutrients necessary to function in our everyday activities. You will see that when you start giving your body all the power it needs, you’ll be able to move around more and get everything done efficiently. This guide will provide you the necessary knowledge just so that you are able to choose healthier plates and portions of food, as well as to educate yourself more on what your body really needs to keep going.
First, let’s talk about food groups.  There are five food groups which are essential to any diet. Consume the right amount of them and your overall health and appearance will improve! So now comes the big question: How much do I need to consume to keep fit? Remember that the amounts depend on age, sex and gender. Following this I will mention the amount of consumption of each food necessary for a woman, 19-30 years old who gets less than 30 minutes per day of moderate physical exercise, beyond normal daily activities as recommended by the USDA(United States Department of Agriculture):
- Fruit: 2 cups
* Get your daily intake of fruits by eating plain yogurt with fruits as dessert. Â
- Vegetables: 2 ½ cups
*Vegetables like baby carrots and celery sticks make great snacks! Â Add peanut butter or any low-fat dip for taste.
- Grains: 6 ounce equivalents
*Make at least half your grains, whole grains.
- Protein foods 5 ½ ounce equivalents
*Try choosing lean meats to avoid extra fat.
- Dairy: 3 cups
*Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.
- *Oils: 6 teaspoons
*Oils are not a food group, but they provide much-needed nutrients.
What about women who get more physical activity per day? They might need to consume more than these amounts to provide the right amount of energy to their bodies. Â
Next, you need to be conscious of how much nutrients your body needs to consume, these are needed for the growth and maintenance of it. Individuals who have any sort of nutritional deficiency may suffer from bad health symptoms starting from a simple headache to organ failure. As a university student, you must make sure you’re satisfying all your nutritional needs to compensate for all the added stress and late-night studying you do. Here’s a list of the nutrients you need to consume, how much, what they do for your body and some examples of foods that contain them:
- Carbohydrates: 40 to 60% of your calories requirement. Provides energy.
Where you can get it: Whole grain bread, cereals, fruits, milk, sugar, honey, rice, starchy vegetables, potatoes. Practically everything!
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- Protein: consume 0.8 to 1 grams. Helps in maintenance of the body.
Where you can get it: nuts, milk, chicken, fish, eggs, meat.
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- Fat: 15 to 25% of your calories requirement. Provides energy, helps in the absorption of vitamins.
Where you can get it: Butter, cream, cheese, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish, chicken, pork, beef.
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- Vitamin A: 700 to 900 micrograms. Strengthens immunity against infections.
Where you can get it: carrots, spinach, liver, fish.
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- Vitamin D: 15 micrograms of this will help to form and maintain your teeth and bones.
Where you can get it from: egg yolk, fish, milk, pork, mushrooms.
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- Vitamin E: 15 micrograms. Antioxidant, protects vitamins A, C, and red blood cells from destruction.
Where you can get it: Vegetable oil, tofu, spinach, avocados, nuts, fish, broccoli.
- Vitamin K: 120 micrograms. For proper blood clotting.
Where you can get it: Leafy greens
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- Vitamin B1(Thiamine): 0.8 to 1 milligrams per day helps with energy production.
Where you can get it: whole grains, breads, cereals.
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- Vitamin B2(Riboflavin): 1.1 to 1.3 milligram helps to release energy from foods, promotes good vision and healthy skin.
Where you can get it: dark green veggies, whole grains, milk, liver, eggs.
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- Vitamin C: 75 to 90 milligrams per day heals wounds, helps in bone and tooth formation, strengthens blood vessel walls, improves immune system function, increases absorption and utilization of iron and acts as an antioxidant.
Where you can get it: lemon, orange, broccoli, strawberries, kiwi.
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- Iron: 18 milligrams per day helps you stay away from anemia.
Where you can get it: beans, lentils, beef, eggs.
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- Calcium: 1000 milligrams per day is essential for bone growth and strength, blood clotting, muscle contraction and nerve signal transmissions.
Where you can get it: milk, yogurt, spinach.
Of course, you don’t need to memorize these numbers, but be aware of which foods contains these nutrients and try to add most of them to your daily diet.
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Finally, you need to able to make healthy choices choosing plates that include the right combinations of these foods. Â You might say: What? Â It’s hard enough learning all the food groups and the nutrients I need to get from them! Â You need to be patient, after a while it really does become second nature. Â It’s like learning a recipe and cooking, after a while you don’t need to look at the cookbook because you already know the recipe by heart. Â To start, just write all this information down (or print the article!) Â and everytime you go to eat, consult it. Â It’s like your own food bible! But don’t limit yourself to this, the best way to educate yourself is to research on it. Â Find out how much calories you need based on your weight and height, how to spice up your salads so you can enjoy them more and easy and fast recipes to match this fast-paced society we live in. Â Below, I’ll post a few links of websites you can get all of this information from. Â I implore you to look them up because they were made to facilitate your life, they’re easy to read and when in doubt, you can always access it on your smartphone, tablet or computer.
- Â To start your lifestyle change:Â http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/
This website  has all the tools to set your weight goals, whether it’s lose or keep the pounds you currently have; track how much calories you take in daily and has a large online food library with information on all its benefits and nutritional facts.
- To read about the food groups:Â http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
The USDA’s Choose My Plate website has all the information on food groups, plus other healthy eating tips.
- More health & fitness tips:Â http://www.prevention.com/
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P.S. here are some extra tips to change your eating habits little by little every day ;)
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid foods with added sugar.
- Go light on salad dressings that pack up extra fat.
- Keep sodium intake low. Â It’ll reduce bloating.
- Nuts are a great snack because they’re high in Vitamin E and provide lots of energy!
- Choose water over sodas any day, you can flavor it with lemon. Â If you still want something sweet, then try reduced sugar beverages.
- Choose steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautéed.
- Pack fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, low-fat, string cheese or a handful of unsalted nuts as snacks to avoid sweets that have extra fat and sugar.
- Spice up your food! Scientists found that a compound called capsaicin, commonly found in chilies, triggers your brain to release feel-good endorphins.
- Eat small, balanced meals.
- Avoid cravings, distract yourself from them by doing something else.
- Don’t overeat, you will always feel bad when you do. Â
- Eat a treat slowly to see if your satisfied with eating less.
- Eat breakfast without fail.
- Use the red, orange and green rule. Â At each meal include one food that is any of these colors.
- Look at the labels of the products you consume. Â Know what you eat.
- And finally, if you did overeat, don’t feel guilty. Â Just try to make healthier choices next time. Â Don’t stress.
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GOOD LUCK!
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*Information taken from:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips/tips-for-eating-out.html
http://cooks.ndtv.com/article/show/how-much-of-each-nutrient-do-you-need-410427
http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/diets/25-best-weight-loss-tips-ever?s=2
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*Photo Courtesy from:
http://www.informationng.com/2013/10/the-nutrients-you-need-to-run-on-optimum.html
http://easylivingmom.com/healthy-eating-made-easy/
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