By Rafika Al Ghrawi | Staff Writer
Gaining weight is usually very common when a person leaves school and attends university. When there is no time to cook, university students often go to the easiest and cheapest option to get their energy: Fast food. Shopping for healthy foods can be very challenging, especially for students who move to dorms: It is for sure not time and cost-efficient. But their nutritional benefits do outweigh these drawbacks. A lot of us are not used to shopping for food or don’t prepare our own meals as students. However, when we enter the independent life, it comes to us as a shock that we are expected to do so on our own. Here is a list of key tips you can follow to help you make healthier choices:
Tip 1: Set a weekly plan
Just like you prepare for what you have in terms of assignments and classes for the week you can do the same thing for your food. Sit down once a week, decide on your meals for the upcoming week, choose what ingredients you need, and write them down as a list. This will help you visualize and process what you will eat, and you will make smarter choices for choosing meals.
Tip 2: Don’t shop when you are hungry
Going hungry to the supermarket is a recipe for disaster. When you are hungry, you will start to crave all sorts of foods- not because you need them, but because you want them. This can cause temporary pleasure, but it is not a smart choice in the long run.
Tip 3: Read, read, read…
Advertising and marketing have become a tool for deception, especially in the food business. A lot of times we find ourselves falling for marketing schemes and shady labels that are printed on food items. Thus, it is important not only to read the claims, but also the ingredient list and nutrition information, to understand what you are getting yourself to eat.
Tip 4: Limit imitation and choose “real” foods
Choose foods with 100% fruit juice or 100% whole-grain items with as little processing and as few additives as possible. Buy foods that don’t have a nutrition facts label: This means whole foods that are what they are, like broccoli, an egg, an apple, etc. There is no list of ingredients because the item is the ingredient itself! Although you might find yourself spending more on these items, their nutritional benefits are worth it!
Tip 5: Skip over-processed foods
If you don’t understand what is written on the label, then you probably shouldn’t buy it. Try to avoid foods that contain artificial ingredients, or ingredients you can’t pronounce or do not understand. We often ignore these words, but if you cannot understand the ingredients, then it’s probably not a good idea to ingest them.
Tip 6: Avoid the junk foods isles
It is hard not to buy tons of chocolate and chips when you are surrounded by them. Thus, try to skip the junk food isles and only roam around the fresh foods isles.
Tip 7: Buy lean cuts of meat
In general, the less fat on the cut of meat, the healthier it is for you. In addition, animals usually store toxins in fat tissue. By choosing leaner cuts, you would be avoiding the toxins as well.
Tip 8: Beware of processed meat
Limit your consumption of deli meats, hotdogs, salami, spam (canned beef), bacon, smoked salmon, and ham. These food items are usually high in sodium and other preservatives like nitrates and nitrites. Too much sodium can cause water retention and other health issues, while nitrates and nitrites are linked to cancer.
Tip 9: Check for expiry dates
Check the expiry date and use-by dates before buying. If the date checks out but the food item looks or smells off, avoid buying them. For canned foods, if the can is dented or rusty, you also want to avoid buying it as well. Always pick the foods with undamaged packaging than is completely sealed.
Following these tips will surely help university students make smarter and healthier choices when it comes to food. Let’s face it: These tips are not the “easy way out” when it comes to food. However, the main goal in health and diet is the long-term effects. The shortcut is not always the right path to go, especially when it comes to eating habits. So, let us invest just a little more time and money now on smarter foods, to save ourselves from spending a lot of time and money trying to solve the consequences of unhealthy choices.