WHAT CAUSES THIS UNWANTED WEIGHT GAIN?
Because of the massive amounts of stress and a change in lifestyle when we first begin our post-secondary education, our diets and ultimately our nutrition deteriorates. Our schedules are constantly changing throughout the week and it can be hard to find time to sit down and eat a healthy, FULL meal. But unfortunately, we find ourselves more often than not reaching for the easy, convenient snacks and foods, or just skipping meals altogether. This is where that pesky, unwanted 15lbs creeps up on us. It attacks our weaknesses: the reluctance to set our alarms 15 minutes earlier in the mornings, and packing a lunch.
LET'S INVESTIGATE
Well, this might be a no brainer, but because we often skip meals or eat crap foods, we do not get the nutrition our bodies need in order to function properly. Last week I wrote about how important a good night's rest was, but what is sleep if we don't properly fuel our bodies during the waking hours?
Studies show that the most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies in college students are Vitamin C, calcium, and iron! BUT our sodium levels seem to skyrocket... hmm... why exactly is this? Let me break it down for you.
The fresh produce section at the grocery store is intimidating. Yep, I said it. I am intimidated by the fruits and veggies. It's not so much that I am afraid for my life while browsing through the section, but I am overwhelmed by the sheer amount of items to choose from. It is more time consuming to hand pick food from this section than it is to, let's say, grab a box of KD or chips. Instead of feasting on the gloriously delicious health foods, we tend to eat stuff LOADED with sugars and carbs! These are the easy foods: granola bars, kraft dinner, ramen noodles, chocolate, chips, pop, y'know.. the good tasting things (this accounts for the high sodium levels!). This is our problem. I'm not even talking about students either. We as a society are becoming so lazy with our food choices that we would rather just buy stuff in boxes or get fast food than actually take the time to pick out healthy food, prepare a meal, and sit down and eat.
I get it though. Our schedules are hectic! Some of us are even trying to balance school AND a job, which makes nutrition fall to the wayside even further. This is exactly why it is even more important to focus on what we are taking into our bodies. Without the proper intake of a balanced diet (THINK 4 FOOD GROUPS!!), we have no energy to make it through school or work and we actually increase our chances of becoming ill. I understand that picking out fruits and vegetables, lean meats, or organic foods is pricey! Let's face it... most of us don't have money to blow and that could be a contributing factor to the cheap, crummy foods we choose to buy and eat!
Before we move on, let's summarize what we know:
1. Fast food, boxed snacks, chips, pop = carbs, sugars, sodium = weight gain
2. No fruits and veggies, dairy products, lean meats = lack of Vitamin C, calcium, iron
3. poor diet = poor performance :(
TACKLING OUR PROBLEM!
First step: let us cleanse our cupboards and pantries of the unnecessary foods.
hey, junk food!
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ADIOS!
Throw away those junkie foods and QUIT BUYING THEM!
I think the next step is fairly straightforward... Ultimately, we have to find a way to get all of the food groups into our diets! Taking the preparation time, nutritional value, and price into consideration, I'm going to give a few suggestions for some easy and quick meals that you could try during your busy weeks! *I did a test run of the meals below so I could give a realistic preparation time*
Let's start with the most important meal of the day!
BREAKFAST!
- Try a bowl of probiotic yogurt with some granola, a handful of fruits (blueberries are excellent), a glass of orange juice, and maybe some multigrain toast on the side as well!
- We cover the basic food groups here, the prep time is about 5 minutes (toast takes a little longer than throwing yogurt in a bowl!) and the entire meal costs under $10.00. I had enough to last me a few mornings!
LUNCH!
- Sandwiches are fast and easy! Throw some turkey, mayo, cheese, and a little bit of spinach or normal lettuce! Wash it down with some milk or water and voila! A healthy and delicious meal!
- Again, we're accessing all of the food groups with this one, plus the prep time is only 6 minutes (I'm sure I am also a slow sandwich maker so it could be done faster!). This meal cost me $13.00 and I had enough leftover to last a week!
DINNER!
- My favourite dinner time meal to make is salmon with mixed vegetables and potatoes, accompanied by a gigantic glass of water or milk!
- The salmon is easily found in the frozen food section, and if you prefer to speed up the time, the vegetables and potatoes are in the frozen food section as well (Green Giant Steamers are quick and healthy!)
- This meal emphasizes our protein intake and with veggies and potatoes (good carbs) on the side and some milk, we can hit all of the food groups! This meal takes about 30 minutes to make (Salmon baked in the oven takes about 20 minutes, steamers take about 7 in the microwave) and the entire meal can be purchased for around $15.00!
Now these meals are not perfect, but they are quick, healthy, and very tasty! They are easily prepared if we just take the time to make them! If you find your schedule doesn't allow making a lunch or dinner at a decent time, try preparing the meals the night before and taking them with you the next day! It is way better than eating junk food! In between all of your meals, reach for healthier snacks; wash some grapes, cut some watermelon, clean off some carrots and celery and stick them in tupperware and throw them in the fridge! If you find you won't have time to make it to the fridge, put some almonds or nuts in a baggie and bring them with you!
TIME TO WRAP IT UP!
Think of your body as a nice expensive car. Are you going to run that car on crappy fuel, or are you going to give it top of the line oil and gas and let it run to it's full potential?
I apologize that this post is so crammed and informational! I have been under the weather the past few days and I just haven't been myself :( ... But hopefully you are able to take something away from what I've written above and apply it to your everyday lives! Without a good diet, our bodies and our brains don't have the proper fuel to be productive. I mean, who can actually focus on class when our stomachs are making weird and annoying grumbly sounds? So eat right, drink plenty of water and give your body and brain everything they need to be healthy, happy, and productive!
Until next week,
Taylor xx
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