Hacks for healthy eating as
a broke college student

Interviewing certified nutritionists Eve Lansink and Kaitlynn Hoffman

 

Alexis Zygan and created a meal plan. The 2020 updated Canada Food Guide
Staff Writer offers tips for healthy habits, such as prioritizing drinking water
over any other beverage and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.
he education system fails to guide students towards healthy However, it doesn’t specify which nutrients make for balanced meal
lifestyle choices. Serving sizes on nutrition labels are enigmatic. plans. According to Lansink’s expertise in nutrition, “many people
And although health and wellness are part of the curriculum, there are not getting enough micronutrients, specifically fibre.” A study

are gaps in the lesson plan. By the time students enter university and uncovered that 95 percent of people don’t meet the recommended
are buying groceries, most of what was taught about healthy eating —_—_qaily fibre intake. Dietary fibre is vital for bowel health and it prevents
is forgotten. As pupils struggle with balancing classes, assignments, —_ heart disease, stroke, and obesity. Gut health is critical as that is

and household chores they barely have any time left in the day for where the majority of our serotonin is stored. In

cooking—especially cooking unprocessed whole foods that include

all the nutrients to stimulate brain health. As a result, by their second

semester students are dehydrated, fatigued, and gravitating towards

unhealthy ways of coping with the pressures of early adulthood. The

average college student pulls all-nighters to study, binges on alcohol

on the weekends, and eats fast food because it’s convenient and
cheap. Meanwhile, all the required readings, essay deadlines, and
tests interfere with their ability to reduce stress.

Kaitlynn Hoffman, a registered holistic nutritionist and
graduate of the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition,

emphasizes the importance of mindfulness. “If the seeds
of mindfulness practice are planted from a younger age,

navigating stress and learning what our body needs

becomes much easier.” Hoffman’s practice of nutrition —
focuses on making healthy choices not only for our

physical health but for our mental health as well. For

another perspective, | reached out to nutrition specialist

Eve Lansink who received her certification from

   

Precision Nutrition. Lansink specializes in providing
personalized nutritionist advice and fitness coaching.
She is passionate about helping sex workers who
have notoriously busy schedules. Having worked as a
stripper herself, she aims to “elevate their physical and
spiritual health through love and support.”

The habits we develop early in life stay with
us—ask anyone who started smoking as a teenager.
Unfortunately, changing ingrained patterns in our 30s is far
more challenging. On the flip side, young adults who adopt
healthy habits are set for success. Hoffman reminds us that “if
you prioritize taking care of yourself, starting with your physical
health, everything else starts to snowball.” But how are we supposed
to know what taking care of ourselves looks like if we are never in
school? We know it’s vital to get outside and move our bodies, but
beyond that, a lot is overlooked or taken for granted. “I just don’t
think the practice of nutrition is even acknowledged as something
that needs to be taught. It’s just assumed that it’s inherent, which it’s
definitely not,” says Lansink. Instead, nutrition lessons are merged
with other subjects like physical education.

When | attended high school, | analyzed the Canada Food Guide

6¢

 

  

| just don’t think the practice of nutrition is even acknowledged
as something that needs to be taught. It’s just assumed
that it’s inherent, which it’s definitely not.

- Eve Lansink, Nutrition Specialist