I am a 35-year-old student of Culinary Arts at Bermuda College and my wife is a nutritionist. Since both of us have professions associated with food, we tend to make healthy food choices and also avoid skipping meals or over-eating on any given day or occasion. However, its surprising to see most of the college students not concerned about what they eat since eating habits can directly influence physical well being of individuals.As stated in Journal of American College Health, “Improper diet, unhealthy food choices, and exercise habits in college can lead to increased risk of certain weight-related diseases, and a lack of nutrient balance can make it difficult for them to keep up with the demands of college (Racette SB, et al, 2005).
” Education about healthy diet can play a crucial role. “How to avoid bad eating habits" is a course all college students should take. One reason why students are careless about what they eat may be because of their lack of awareness about what constitutes a healthy diet.On the other hand, students who are aware of proper nutrition may simply choose to ignore it because of strong taste preferences or inadequate food choices at the college campus. College students may also rely a lot on snacks and fast food because of their fluctuating schedules.
Many students have bad eating habits because of misconceptions about what is healthy and what is not. Students are often stressed and this also prompts them to eat for instant gratification, rather than for health.Irregular class schedules, part-time jobs, and variable homework loads can disrupt normal eating patterns among college students, leading to unhealthy habits that may be hard to break. To start with, education and knowledge about nutritious food can play a vital role in making healthy food choices. This is reaffirmed by a group of scientist in their recent research published in JADA which concludes, “nutrition knowledge was related to making more healthful choices..
. , increased knowledge of dietary guidelines appears to be positively related to more healthful eating patterns (Kolodinsky, Jane, et al, 2007).This knowledge can be acquired by reading or by attending nutrition seminars or workshops where such subjects are dealt with and discussed. There are steps that can be taken to make eating on the go healthier. Bad eating habits are unavoidable if college students are unaware of what constitutes a good and healthy diet.
The first step to a good diet is eating regular, well-balanced meals. This can be ensured by referring to the Food Pyramid Guide that provides a simple way of balancing meals. Along with the Food Pyramid Guide, proper consumption of water, vitamins, and minerals is a very important part of a good diet.One of the major problems with college students' diet, as far as beverage are concerned, is consumption of soft drinks and shakes that are loaded with empty calories. Students are attracted to such drinks because they are easily accessible, tasty and give instant dose of glucose driven energy. Although such drinks increase the attention level immediately upon consumption, but these can be full of sodium, sugar, fats and some times caffeine.
Just replacing such drinks with plain water can dramatically improve their diet and health.Nutritional guides on foods are an important part of a healthy diet and can be used to derive serving sizes, mostly based on a 2000-calorie per day computations. Although age, height, existing and desired weight, and activity levels determine the daily caloric needs of a person, a diet consisting of 2000 calories per day diet is considered good most individuals with moderate activity levels. The food industry and media also play a critical role in what we eat. The food industry decides what to grow, where to grow, where to sell, at what price to sell etc.The media, in all its forms, is used by the food industry to market the food products.
Close attention so they do not fall prey to advertising gimmicks. For example, "light" ice-cream can merely mean light and fluffy in texture, whereas an advertisement for "light" oil may only be just light in color. It is also possible that a food product can be low in sodium but high in fat or vice-verse. College students consume lots of snacks from cafeteria and vending machines and have a major misconception about fat-free snacks. All low-fat foods have something to replace the fat.The replacement is usually made by sugar, which is high in calories, or salt, which is high in sodium.
Athena Porter, a behavioral therapist at Cook County Hospital, says, "Tired and stressed students not only eat a lot, they also eat for instant gratification rather than long term health. " This instant gratification eating is also known as impulse eating, which can be avoided by planned eating. Over-eating can also be avoided by this quick and easy method. It might be a good idea to maintain a food log in which one can record meals consumed each day.Simply by adhering to this exercise and reviewing the log, it is possible to reduce or eliminated impulse eating.
One tip that I have found that works well for my college life is to only keep fruits and healthy snacks in college locker as well as at home. Granola bars, fruits, dry fruits and fat-free popcorn are a few examples. Do not keep the tempting regular coke and ice cream. You cannot consume it If you do not have it. A second tip-before eating is to think, "Is what I'm about to eat really nutritious? ". These are just a few easy steps that college students can use to avoid bad eating habits.
There is almost always a healthier choice.It may not be the cheapest or the easiest available, but overall nutrition should always be given greater priority than taste and impulse. If desired, a fresh salad sandwich is one of the good fast foods one can have from a cafeteria. Basic knowledge of a good diet and learning to read nutritional guides are important steps in avoiding bad eating habits. Planning what to eat can eliminate impulse and over-eating, which are major hazards in diet control for college students. "How to avoid bad eating habits" should be a required part of our education curriculum.
After all, its truly said, “you are what you eat. ”
