Getting Off To A Good Start – Eat Well & Learn Well

Living in a new setting is challenging – especially for the first time.  Not only do you face the prospect of making new friends, attending new classes but also of changing your daily routine.

Studies support what we intuitively already know that adjusting to University is stressful, and although stress is not always negative, such as when we meet new friends, sometimes it contributes to irregular sleeping and eating schedules ^1,2.   Making a smooth transition to University and developing good behaviors during the early stages of your stay on campus have been found to be crucial according to researchers since they shape your future actions ^3-8.   As you develop a healthful eating routine you are more likely to continue to adopt more healthful behaviors for the remainder of your stay in University and beyond.

So here are few tips to help you get started:

1. Balance your calories

2.  Most of the time eat healthfully –  use the 80/20 rule – eat healthfully 80% of the time by making half of  your plate vegetables, whole grains,  small portion of lean protein and fruit for dessert and don’t forget to get at least one serving of a calcium rich low fat beverage such as milk or calcium fortified rice or soy drink.  The UBC Totem and Vanier Chef are delighted to cook healthful meals for you.

3 .  Avoid over-sized meals – distorted portions literally add pounds to your waistline (see the insert as a guide for a serving size).

4.  Eat More of This and Less of That… (eat more fresh fruits and vegetables in season, whole grains, and less fried fast food and sweetened beverages and deserts.

• Be aware of foods high in fat and eat them sparingly – fat contains twice the number of calories that a carbohydrate or protein contain per gram. 

For instance:

                **to learn about the fat content of other foods and a healthier substitute visit http://nutrition.food.ubc.ca/

5.  Drink water, skim, 1% milk or a fresh fruit smoothie instead of sugar sweetened soda to avoid drinking extra calories.

*these beverages contain caffeine therefore it is best to limit their consumption to 2 to 3 – 8 ounce servings per day.  **these beverages contain high levels of sodium therefore it is best to limit their consumption to 2 to 3 – 8 ounce servings per day.  ***these beverages contain high levels of fat.  ****these beverages contain high levels of sugar

6.  Avoid mindless eating – don’t eat your meals at your desk, or while watching TV, or snack on candy and chips while you are studying.  Allocate a specified time to eat, relax and enjoy dining with your friends in the dining room.  Having a proper meal will take you only a few more minutes and you will feel good after you have eaten well.  When you get into the habit of eating mindlessly you will tend to eat more of what you did not want to eat and less of what you should have eaten.

References

1. Dinger, 1999
2. Von Ah et al., 2004
3. Arnett, 2000
4. Contento, Williams, Michela, & Franklin, 2006
5. Croll, Neumark-Sztainer, & Story, 2001
6. Cusatis, 1996
7. Kelder, Perry, Klepp, & Lytle, 1994
8. Spear & Kulbok, 2001
9. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Labeling and Advertising of Wines, Distilled Spirits and Malt Beverages; Request for Public Comment. Federal Register, 2005 (April 29), 70(82), 22274-22283.
10. Center for Science and the Public interest and the National Consumers Union. Petition to Improve Mandatory Labeling Information on Alcoholic Beverages (‘Alcohol Facts’),” Dec. 16, 2003. Alcohol Policies Project section of Center for Science in the Public web site.
11. Center for Science in the Public Interest. TTB Voluntary Labeling (August, 2004) . Alcohol Policies Project section of Center for Science in the Public web site.
12. Center for Science in the Public Interest. Talking Points and Discussion for Responding to TTB’s Request for Comments on Alcohol Labeling Issues. Alcohol Policies Project section of Center for Science in the Public web site. CSPI argues that listing fat content could “open the door to meaningless ‘no fat’ claims for alcoholic beverages.” Of course it’s not meaningless to claim that beer, wine and distilled spirits contain no fat because that’s an important nutritional fact. And it wouldn’t be deceptive or misleading because beer, wine and spirits are completely fat-free.