Student Nutrition Guide: With access to fine dine restaurants and online food deliveries there is no wonder students put on weight. However, planning your meals and having a balanced diet will help you develop a healthy lifestyle for lifetime. Unhealthy eating in students will cause them adverse side effects, illness, fatigue and even lower grades. To overcome all these effects and its impact on student’s nutrition we have come up with this ultimate student nutrition guide.
In addition to these we will list out nutrition basics. Calorie intake one needs to take per a day, how can unhealthy food impact the student’s body as well as their academic performance.
Basics of Nutrition for Students
Most of you might be aware of the common food groups like grains, fruits and vegetables, proteins, dairy, etc. You might have learned about this food pyramid in your childhood itself. This was in practice until 2014 from 1992 and then changed by the USDA and replaced with five basic food groups.
What is the recommended calorie intake?
On an average an adult can have around 2000 calories per day. However, not everyone needs 2000 calories per day and we should have more of veggies compared to grains. Portion size and calories highly vary based on sex, age, etc. The calorie intake differs between men and women around 20%.
Importance of Student Nutrition
Nutritional choices and healthy lifestyle play a majo role in the growth and wellness of a child. Having a balanced diet will help in development of physical, cognitive and emotional functionalities. Those who eat healthy food and exercise well will have optimal conditions for learning.
- Reduce Risk of Diseases: Students who eat a balanced diet and take the required amount of calories have less chances of falling sick. In fact, they are less prone to regular cardiovascular diseases, obesity, auto immune disorders, stroke, cancer, etc.
- Boosts Energy Levels: Having healthy foods will boost up students energy levels and thus proves them to perform better. The kind of food we take has an impact on the performance.
- Decreases Anxiety/Depression: Regular exercise and having energy rich foods will release endorphins that can improve the mood and eliminate chronic disorders. Nutrition balanced food will reduce the anxiety/depression attacks.
- Increases Concentration: Physical activity and good food can lift up your concentration levels and helps you process the information fast and better.
Challenges students face in fitness and wellness
Students face numerous challenges with regards to fitness and wellness. You can determine the health and wellness depending on what we eat, how we do exercise, etc. Common challenges that students encounter during the nutrition are listed below
- Cafeteria food: Cafeterias are kept in schools to offer fod that needs little to no preparation. However, these foods contain more of sugar, sodium and unhealthy fats. Making healthy choices can be difficult for kids who don’t lunch on their own.
- Lack of time to Exercise: Most of students don’t dedicate time to work out.Lack of physical activity they have in this fast generation will directly or indirectly impact health. In addition to this students are addicted to the technology so much and has got numerous distractions.
- Sleep Deprivedness: Sleep deprivedness can lead to impairment in memory loss, concentration issues, creativity and critical thinking. Lack of sleep can result in numerous illnesses related to cardiovascular system. In addition students can get high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, obseity, etc. Not getting enough sleep will have an impact on the mood.
Tips to stay healthy and lead a better lifestyle for students
Here are some of the common tips and tricks to stay fit and healthy are listed here. Following these will keep students stay in shape and be fit. They are along the lines
- Be prepared with healthy snacks, and meals stocked at home or in your bag.
- Try to have at least 3 cups of dairy products to get enough calcium, protein, and vitamin D which will aid in a healthy weight.
- Have plenty of water per day.
- Make sure to have nutrient-rich foods instead of calorie-rich foods.
- Plan your schedule for exercise and make sure you do the exercise those many times.
- Limit yourselves from saturated fats, added sugar, etc.
FAQs on Mastering Student Nutrition
Nutrition is important in school as it will impact emotional wellbeing, cognitive abilities, etc.
The purpose of nutrition in children is to provide energy, regulate chemical processes in the body, and development of body structure.
Here is the list of healthy eating habits for students and they are explained below
- Boosts immunity
- Strengthens bones and muscles
- Reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes.
- Helps in the proper functioning of the digestive system.
Final Words
Hope you have enough knowledge on Student Nutrition and how it can impact academic performance and overall development. Following the simple hacks listed will make them stay fit and healthy. If you need any further help on the nutrition choices feel free to drop us a comment and our experts will guide you. Bookmark our site to avail latest updates on more articles like this.