Most of today’s youth do not adhere to any dietary rules. Endless student hassles impose a special imprint on their lifestyle, forcing them to switch to harmful fast food, snack literally on the run and not go into details about the composition of food.
Meanwhile, the quality and mode of eating affects not only how they feel, but also their physical and intellectual development. Unbalanced diet leads to serious health problems, if not in the present, then in the foreseeable future, and, although excuses for it can be listed a great many (the banal lack of money / nervous tension / sleep disorders / lack of free time), it is the habits of the student become a decisive negative factor.
A healthy diet for a student
Young people are always in a hurry. They have a lot of things to do before they go to class in the morning and they usually don’t have time to sit down and have a good breakfast. They skip the first meal and barely make it to the end of the first class, after which they head for the kiosk around the corner. Of course, it is not the first or second course that awaits them there, but all kinds of buns, hot dogs, candy bars and hamburgers – and so it turns out that the dry food completely replaces the healthy food.
If you think about it, it is possible to organize quite a decent breakfast even in the “extreme” conditions of the dynamic student life. Agree that waking up just a quarter of an hour earlier than usual is not such an impossible task. Saving up a few minutes for a morning meal, you noticeably cheer up, tune in for productive learning activities, and at the same time protect yourself from the prospect of getting a painful gastritis or ulcers.
For an early meal a light, but nutritious food with low fat content will do: oatmeal, rice or buckwheat porridge, lean ham, muesli with kefir, mashed potatoes, spaghetti, cottage cheese and fresh vegetables. Do not forget about fruit – they can be absolutely whatever you like, and in terms of choice of drinks there are also no special restrictions. Of course, the sweet soda automatically falls under the ban, but otherwise diversity is allowed: the traditional coffee and tea can be interchanged with different juices, compotes, cocoa and kissels.
A healthy lunchtime snack is just as important as a healthy student’s diet. By the middle of the day you already feel a certain fatigue and loss of energy, so the food should be a source of additional energy. A sandwich (preferably with cheese, not dubious sausage), a banana or a ripe pear, any nuts, natural yogurt or plain kefir can cope with this mission.
Even better if you are able to arrange a complex dinner. A hearty soup or borscht will do for the first course (in order not to overload the stomach, it is desirable to reduce the portion), followed by fish or meat with a vegetable side dish. Finish your meal better with tea or freshly squeezed juice, and you can also afford a dessert. Remember that the intake of hot food must become a daily ritual – in this form the products are much better processed by the body.
Snacking between lunch and dinner is voluntary. During this period, it is advisable to refresh yourself with something light, such as an apple or green tea with a crumpet. The same applies to the evening meal: at the end of the day you will be quite sufficient cottage cheese casserole, a glass of kefir, fruit or vegetable salad (optionally grated carrot + walnuts + raisins + sour cream dressing). It is necessary to finish the meal at least three hours before going to bed.
Useful Drinks
Talking about filling the diet, it is impossible not to touch the subject of beverages. A healthy diet of a student should be supported by drinking enough fluids. The most popular in the learning environment are all kinds of energy drinks and coffee. Their advantages lie in their ability to quickly improve concentration, replenish lost strength, as well as to get rid of sleepiness. The downside, of course, is also present: the invigorating effect lasts for a fairly short time, and overexcitedness is inevitably replaced by fatigue, absent-mindedness, lethargy or even depression.
Instead of abusing these delicious but controversial drinks, switch to plain orange juice. The tonic effect of the juice is not accompanied by side effects, not to mention the fact that it clearly does not take vitamins. Citrus fruit is an excellent thirst quencher, while banish melancholy and fatigue.
It is necessary to drink pure drinking water along with the juices. One and a half to two liters, which are the daily norm of liquid, should be received in a measured manner throughout the day.