AN INTRODUCTION TO NUTRITION
As freshmen start to enter their first year of college they are excited about the change from leaving their homes with their parents to living in dorm rooms, meeting new people, and making new friends. All this excitement and new experiences, students light forget how important nutrition is. So many fast food options are available and all the junk food that has been used for study snacks. As students we forgot to nourish our bodies with good healthy food that help us concentrate and give us the brain food we truly need.
Everyone thinks that eating healthier is expensive. It can be, but there are places that have increased their produce section. The 99 cents store sells cheap and good produce. Having this resource can help our wallets and our bodies. Fast food places are the number one places that college students go to grab a quick hot meal. If we know where to shop to get better nutrition, we can improve our cognitive abilities before that big test. We all want to succeed. Having some choices and knowledge about how to do this will better our college careers and how we take care of ourselves. These changes can help improve our bodies now and in the long run.
As students at the collegiate level, we all need brain food. The best types of brain foods are:
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Fish:
Fish can have a healthy and positive effect on your brain. The omega 3 fatty acids can help improve brain cells for better cognition for when were studying for those big exams that are coming up and of course, finals.
Spinach:
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These dark leafy greens are a great source of brain food. Spinach is packed with beta-carotene, lutein (which is also related to beta-carotene with vitamin A) and folate. These three are preventers of dementia, they help repair brain cells and can prevent memory loss and helps with concentration problems. Before that exam that you have been studying for and stressing over it might not be a bad idea to have a nice salad that contains spinach leafs.
Green tea:
Green tea is a natural source that can help with morning cognition. How many of us wake up in the morning and grab a coffee on our way to class or work? Probably most of us. Green tea can wake you up and is better for you long term. You can get the alertness and focus effects that you need in the morning from green tea then you can from coffee and avoid the mental crash mid day.
Water:
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Apart from these brain foods, water is probably the best thing you can give your brain and your body. Your brain is composed of 75% water. Make sure you stay hydrated and don’t deprive your self of good nutrition.
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Most new students entering college don’t care to drink water regularly like they should. We tend to gravitate more towards those sugary drinks that make us feel good for a little while and give us the energy we need. What we don’t think about though is the crash that it gives us later. The average energy drink is about 8 ounces which can contain about 24-29 grams of sugar. This is equivalent to about 2 to 2 1/3 tablespoons of sugar.
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Students were asked what types of drinks they consume regularly and students responded with what tastes good and what is cheap. As we all know college students don’t have the most money. So what we can get is usually what we consume. Universities all over are starting to install water refill stations all over their campuses to increase the water consumption by their students. Having filtered water stations around has helped and also reminded students to stay hydrated and consume more water then sugary and caffeinated drinks.
Work Cited:
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Werner, N., E., & Betz, H., H. (2015). Knowledge of physical activity and nutrition recommendations in college students: 409 board #260 may 27, 11: 00 AM - 12:30 PM. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 47(5), 107. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000465996.37942.5
Cherry-Williams, C., Porter, A., Faulkner, P., & Gruber, K. (2016). First year college students and barriers to selecting healthy food choices doi:10.1016/j.jneb. 2016.04.062
Block, J. P., Gillman, M. W., Linakis, S. K., & Goldman, R. E. (2013). “If it tastes good, I'm drinking it”: Qualitative study of beverage consumption among college students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(6) doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth. 2012.11.017