Adopting Good Eating Habits for a College Student - Essay Example

Frequently misunderstood, healthy eating is one of the crucial aspects that guarantee one a content life as it allows one to prevent and manage diseases, maintain a good mood, keep stress away, and have the vitality to get through each day. Many people fail to commit to healthy eating because it is not an easy thing to sustain. It requires discipline and sacrifice to garner the benefits completely. For a college student, adopting good eating habits is especially necessary because of the indulgence that one is frequently tempted by in their youth.

Moreover, students are faced with a great deal of pressure concerning exams and assignments. Therefore, eating right is essential, as it will ensure a positive frame of mind, physical and emotional wellness, and energy to take on daily responsibilities. Constantly faced with the dilemma of having to pick studying over socializing, healthy eating is perceived as a difficult task and thus many students will neglect it. However, if one takes time to gain basic knowledge of nutrition, it will not seem burdensome.

Deciding to eat healthily should be taken on as a process to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the changes that one has to make. Getting basic knowledge on nutrition is important since it will enable informed and right decision-making. Nevertheless, one should also find a way of simplifying the knowledge when applying it to daily living. For example, keeping track of calories in a meal is burdensome so one should instead focus on ensuring their meals are varietal and fresh. A plate of fries should be accompanied by some vegetables and lean meat, therefore maintaining a balance.

When it is simplified, a healthy diet stops seeming like a difficult thing and it prevents one from having to worry about adding weight. Part of simplifying a healthy diet is breaking the process of changing into small steps to allow one to ease into it. Immediate, major changes will result in ‘relapsing’ thereby the positive effects of the diet will not be realized or worse they will be overturned. For instance, one can start by having fruits or vegetables instead of junk food, as snacks.

Once again, it helps if the fruits or vegetables are varying in color, as this will make the transition from junk food to healthy food ‘fun’. One can buy green and red apples and eat them alternately during the week. Another small change that can be initiated is cooking with olive oil rather than butter. Beginning with either of these options will allow one to settle into the routine of healthy eating much easier and over time as the changes become habits, one can progress to bigger changes such as quitting soda (Maya).

As a student, living away from home may make it difficult to adopt healthy eating, as there are no parents or guardians to push one into these changes; therefore, it is for that reason, advisable to have a friend carry it out with you. Create a buddy system with someone close, as this will help in motivating each other and developing discipline. From a personal point, I can attest to the effectiveness of a buddy system as over lent my friend and I gave up meat and we were able to fight the temptation.

This is because when one of us is tempted the other would reaffirm and ensure that we stay on course. Nonetheless, a buddy system must be created with someone who shares a similar goal. Making the changes to healthy eating requires commitment hence, forcing someone to do it with you or doing it with someone who is not serious may prove detrimental. This is because when you feel frustrated or get tempted to quit, you will need someone to reaffirm you and ensure you stay committed.

Someone who does not understand and share your ambition will not be able to push you. It is particularly fundamental to start healthy eating when young as this creates a foundation for healthy living in general and thus when one decides to start a family it will be easy to implement it as a culture. Ideally, choosing to eat healthily should be seen as a long-term goal in avoiding heart disease and cancer. Healthy eating provides one with a sharp mental capacity, which is quite valuable for a student as they sit for exams and have assignments.

Notably also, as a college student, it is imperative to develop a positive attitude and have vitality as one’s life is starting. This is because one is now an adult and the responsibilities are more; one is also bound to face frustrations while still making life-changing decisions. This requires a positive outlook on life and adopting positive habits as these will serve one well into the future. Such positive changes as healthy eating are useful from a social perspective, as one will attract like-minded people over time. This will mean that one’s overall well-being is taken care of.