UNIVERSITY STUDENTS NOT SO SMART ON NUTRITION
Time- and money-poor tertiary students are opting for fast food rather than preparing healthy meals. With the end of year exam period on the horizon, though, it is more important than ever for students to find lifestyle balance.
“There is a perception that a lot of healthier options are more expensive,” said Sophie Lewis, a PhD student at Monash University’s Notting Hill Primary Care Research Unit who is currently researching obesity.
Ms Lewis said that this perception is “probably one of the biggest factors for students who often had very limited resources.”
It is an opinion shared by Tony Fernando, sports consultant with Monash Sport, who said that “most healthy food was expensive – for students to eat a balanced diet, it’s too expensive.”
First year Monash University student Meg Haycox said that a lack of time and money impacts on physical health of students “quite a bit.”
“The price of stuff impacts a lot on what I eat.”
“I eat KFC, because if I’ve only got five dollars, I can get a meal and know that I’m going to like it.”
As well as not having enough money to afford nutritional food, Ms Lewis said that another contributing factor to poor student diets was that “students were often time poor, so they did not have the time to prepare their own meals and so relied on fast food and other convenience food options.”
Lucy Kouch, also a university student at Monash Caulfield, said she often eats fast food with her friends it saves time and is more convenient.
“Anywhere my friends go, I go…it’s usually fast food. We usually choose cheaper food, maybe because it’s more convenient, it saves more time,” she said.
But Ms Lewis warned against a diet of convenience, and said that, “fast food is often energy dense but nutrient poor. An over-consumption of this kind of food, along with sedentary lifestyles, may lead to a host of physical health problems.”
A lack of money and time should not prevent students from seeking balance in their diet and lifestyle. According to Mr Fernando it is particularly important leading up to exams and final assignments.
“The big emphasis this time of year is to educate students about achieving a study/exercise balance. Balance is very beneficial through the exam period,” he says.
“Things like fruit, grain bread and tuna are all cheap – and you can make your own salads. If you really want to eat a balanced diet, you don’t have to spend a lot of money. It’s a matter of educating students to eat healthy.”
Click here to see a list of dinner recipes from the Coles website.
Mr Fernando said that, as well as eating healthily, it was also “important for students to exercise because of stress.”
“When a student in stressed out, exercising the cardio system burns out anxiety rather than relying on coffee or medication,” he said.
While financial strain could prevent a student from joining a university gym, Mr Fernando said that there were other less costly ways of exercising and achieving a balanced lifestyle.
Click here to go to the Monash University Sport website.
“You don’t need to join the gym to stay healthy, going for walks or downloading exercise programs from the internet are good ways of staying healthy without spending much money.”
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FOOD PROPOSAL
So the demographic of your average uni tute goes something like this: the committed and aspiring academics front and centre, on a first name basis with the tutor and definitely on top of the game when it comes to that essay that you’ve just realised is due this Thursday… as in, tomorrow. Then there’s a smattering of trendy types that grace the presence of the dingy window-less room from time to time, always dressed impeccably and radiating pure brilliance…at least, in their opinion. And there’s quite a few in-betweeners who have just about finished that essay, though it’s not the best and are more interested in getting home than spending any more time than necessary at uni.
Now imagine if we all actually were what we ate. That same classroom would consist of a few cigarettes, half spent from the weekend; a couple of takeaway lattes; a Sweet Chilli Chicken twister and a bucket of wedges… there’d be the Tupperware containers full of leftovers, and a few Mars/Kit Kat/Dairy Milk/insert your chocolate vice from Coles. Plus, of course, those oh-so-regular vending machine Red Rock Deli chips and a can of Coke that seemed like such a good idea at the time…
My role in the group is to write about food. Therefore, I intend to research and develop a story about the limitations that uni students face when choosing what to eat. Financially challenged and time-poor are two defining characteristics of the average uni student. These two challenges mean that food choices are often far from ideal. Throw in the stress of assignments, transport, work and socialising and the average uni student could probably do with some help towards making wiser food choices.
I have confirmed an interview with a medical talent from the Monash expertline, and will interview one or two uni students about their daily food lives. I also intend to do a vox pop at the Caulfield campus, which will provide a good illustration of what the challenges of eating well really are. My story will also provide a cross-analysis of a take away meal and a healthy alternative to inform the reader about the contents of what they are eating, so that they can make a more informed choice about the food they consume.
The story is newsworthy because it directly affects our readership, and as the end of semester draws nearer and stressful swot vac and exams loom, it is more important than ever to inform students about the cost of eating unhealthily, and how they can avoid bad food choices when they need something cheap and fast.
By posting notifications on flickr, twitter and delicious, awareness about the story will spread and news readers will be attracted to our blog.
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