In this post I want to discuss the seemingly epic failure of the long running health and nutrition campaigns on university students and young people.
I'm currently in my first term of university, and have been completely shocked by the utter lack of good nutrition that I've been surrounded by. Having moved into a flat of 10, it really is quite unbelievable that, apart from myself, it took over 5 weeks for another flat mate to even have 1 portion of fruit or veg since moving in. Now I personally have been brought up in a family where we eat at least 5 portions of fruit and veg a day so coming to university, I've made a particular effort to buy and eat healthily. A few weeks in and some of the others had made an observation of how I am clearly a healthy eater and how at home they would have had "veg everyday so it's nice to be able not to here".
Now make no mistakes I love meat, crisps, chocolate and all sweet desserts too, so would be an absolutely awful Vegan or Vegetarian, but with these trends soaring with popularity over the past few years, especially in young people trying to save the planet, I struggle to comprehend how anyone over 18 can not have the basic understanding of a balanced diet. I for one have been taught since primary school about how to build a healthy, balanced plate.
As a student now embarking on a degree centred around communication and promotion, I can't help but wonder how the fundimental message about what we eat and how it affects everything about us has been completely lost. I really hope i can convey through images and word the things that I want to get across much better than the proffessionals have on nutrition.
So on the counter, I totally understand how fresh fruit and vegetables aren't cheap at all and living off a student loan itself is tight but making small adjustments and and opting for simple alternatives it doesn't take more than £5 to keep you stocked for at least the week.
My first tip is using the reduced section. Each day, especially if you go shopping in the morning, there is a fully stocked reduced section with fresh fruit and veg that will go out of date in the next day or so. This is perfect for a quick and easy discount of up to 50% off. The produce is just as good and if you're eating it on the day, then it's perfect for starting that balanced dish.
My second tip is buying frozen fruit and veg. A firm favourite of mine is frozen peas. A bag of cheap frozen peas will be enough for a sizeable portion everyday for up to 2 weeks costing just £2. The other frozen favourite is berries and melon. In almost every supermarket I've been to you can buy a bag of frozen fruit for just a pound; combined with a dash of juice, squash or even water it makes the perfect fruit smoothie for a healthier start to your day. What's not to like?
Finally I always do my weekly shop towards the end of the week so that I can set aside a few hours of each weekend to cook a deliciously fresh meal serving anything up to 10 portions using my fresh meat and often veg, so to that I can not only enjoy that day but also separate into individual portions and freeze for some quick and easy microwavable meals later in the week. This way you get the ease of a ready meal after a long day, but with the knowledge of exactly what went in it being fresh. There are plenty of free websites and cheap cookbooks with quick and healthy uni meals ensuring you get the goodness you need to be at your peak whilst studying and of course partying too.
St.
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