Feed Your Body and Mind
When it comes to being a college student, the first thing that invades our minds are essays, exams, presentations, and of course, tuition payments. With all of these due dates and deadlines, we often forget to complete the number one task that is on the top of our everyday to-do list: eat.
Meals are an important part of our lives. Even more significant, meals help us stay alive and function properly throughout the day. They can give us the energy needed to succeed during this both stressful and pivotal time in our lives as college students.
Eating healthy can help impact the immune system. Proper nutrition helps us build better health and development outcomes. Eating well can enhance the ability to think, learn, remember and pay attention.
According to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, nutrition impacts brain development, memory and cognitive function, energy, attention and focus, all which are critical to the ability of absorbing and maintaining information. It can help us begin to focus on our well being.
We may not prioritize it to develop a healthy lifestyle in the midst of our college lives but we have to understand the association between healthy eating and academic performance. Can someone actually fully function without some food in their stomach?
Skipping meals or eating poorly can have a negative impact and cause physical, emotional and mental challenges. It can lead to stress, depression, poor sleep quality, fatigue, lack of energy, headaches and irritability, creating a series of problems that can affect all aspe, cts of our lives.
We need to eat, but we also need to eat well. Don’t fully depend on ramen noodles and microwave dinners. Don’t ever think that energy drinks and coffee will provide someone enough sustenance to get through the day. Eating fast food won’t just affect your health but probably your wallet too.
It’s more important to maintain a balance between the foods we eat. Don’t restrict too much; develop healthy habits. Having a variety of healthy choices can help us set up a foundation for a healthier lifestyle yet don’t forget to satisfy your cravings.
However, sometimes, health groceries aren’t affordable in this time of age. Fruit, vegetables and organic brands can sometimes be out of our price range. And again, sometimes those microwave dinners may be the cheapest option.
But if struggling with food insecurity, the Maverick Food Pantry is always open to help students. Working collaboratively with multiple departments, organizations and corporate partners, their main goal is to provide food for students that are in need.
Our bodies depend on us and we depend on our bodies. It is incredibly vital that we take care of them and our minds so remember to feed and look after both of them and most importantly, stay hydrated.