Nutrition and Hydration Week – top tips for students

A GCU student has given an insight into the importance of looking after ourselves when it comes to fueling our body.

Emma Harkness, who’s a third year Human Nutrition and Dietetics student, spoke to us as part of Nutrition and Hydration Week (14-20 March), which aims to raise awareness about the benefits of eating and drinking well.

We spoke about everything from coffee to scrambled egg, and the importance of balance in our diets; you’ll be glad to know you don’t have to completely ditch the cakes!

What do Dieticians do – tell us a bit about your programme?

“I think a lot of people think it’s about telling people how to lose weight, when that’s not fully the case. Dieticians help people with health conditions that can be managed by diet, so we focus on physiology, biochemistry and nutrition - there’s a lot more to it than just diet.”

Life is busy – how can students make sure they keep healthy?

“I would always say that planning ahead is the best thing. I think if you grab things as you go along then it’s not going to be the healthiest choices – I know that from my own experience! It can be difficult to find time to sort things with the demands of university work and other jobs, but I definitely think taking that time to properly think about your week ahead is vital.

We need to think of our body as a car; it needs the right fuel to run throughout the day.”

Why is water so important to us as human beings?

“If you’re not hydrated then basically your body isn’t going to be functioning at all. Your body needs it and students need it to stay concentrated. People tend to reach for coffee as a pick-me-up but you’ll definitely be much more aware throughout the day if you go for water instead.”

Eating your 5 portions of fruits and veg per day can be a bit daunting – how do we manage that?

“Everywhere you go now there are different pre-prepared meals that can really help you reach these goals, although these can often be expensive and lead to plastic waste.

Also, rather than focusing on an apple or a banana, you should try and just focus on little things throughout the day. For example, if you’re having scrambled egg in the morning, then try to throw in some mushrooms or other veg along with it. This means you’re not having to focus on five very definite pieces of fruit and veg to fit in at different points.”

What about the impact of healthy eating and hydration on mental health?

“When I’m caught up in my university work, I sometimes eat junk and that leads to me feeling sluggish. I think there’s a placebo effect where if you’re eating better you then feel better mentally because you’re almost proud of yourself for having a healthy meal.”

How much does healthy eating and drinking support our physical health?

“There’s definitely been a real increase in eating disorders during the pandemic. Within our field, there’s a lot of work on actually not focusing on weight and instead looking at the issue the person has. If someone has high blood pressure or high cholesterol, then we look at getting that down rather than getting the weight on the scales down. I think a lot of people get too caught up on calories and keeping their weight down but it’s about focusing on being healthy, rather than being a particular size.”

Snacking – good or bad?

“I think it’s perfectly fine to snack just as long as you’re not over-doing it. If you’re going for chocolate bars on a daily basis then it’s not the best thing in the world – try going for fruit like an apple or banana that’s pre-prepared. Nuts and rice cakes are also a great way to keep you going!”

So, it’s obviously really important that we eat healthily and drink water but are we allowed to treat ourselves now and again?

“I always steer people towards The Eatwell Guide, which basically tells you what you should have to keep you in good shape. It’s a plate cut into a pie chart – you might remember it from school!

The biggest proportion should be your fruits and veg, then your wholegrain carbs and then you come to things like cakes and sweets. It’s important to treat yourself - just as long as it doesn’t make up most of your diet. If you enjoy a takeaway or crisps then that’s fine to go for that but it’s all about balance.”

By Ross Clark            
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter