Feature.

Feed Wour hes

By Sophie Isbister,
Contributor

he average student
at Douglas College
doesn’t need a

 
  
  

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news article to tell them
that life can get hectic,

fast: they can just look at
their own schedule to see
the slow build of quizzes,
assignments, and readings
that pile up on top of

a life that may already
include work and family
obligations. When times
get busy and stressful,
the impulse to reach
for

 

convenience food can

be strong. Gorging on
standard cheap college
staples like Mr. Noodles
and Kraft Dinner, or filling
up on quick options like
burgers, might seem like
the obvious choice—but is
your nutrition doing all it
can do to make your life
easier? Are you piling your
plate with the building
blocks your brain needs

r
recommends foods like
whole grains, beans, and
lentils, which are slowly
absorbed by your body and
provide your brain with
constant nourishment—

as opposed to simple
carbohydrates, which just
give you intermittent bursts
of fuel. Starchy vegetables
like potatoes, yams, and

carrots are another great
example of a complex carb:

 

eat meat or eggs, don’t

worry! Orlando has advice
for you too: “Combining
grains and legumes, like
eating rice with beans

or chickpeas with wheat
berries, is a great way to
make a complete protein for
people who are vegan or
vegetarian.” Other protein-
rich foods from non-animal
sources include peas,
broccoli, tofu, and nuts (raw

Gorging on standard cheap college staples like Mr. Noodles
and Kraft Dinner, or filling up on quick options like burgers,
might seem like the obvious choice—but is your nutrition

 

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to function for academic

 

  
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

success? The Other Press
_ sat down with Registered
\ Holistic Nutritionist Kate
Orlando to get the skinny
on turning your brain
into a lean, mean, course-
killing machine.
If you think of your
brain as a machine,
Orlando says you can look
at complex carbohydrates
as the fuel that keeps
it running. She

think carrot sticks for an
easy snack at school.

Healthy fats are key in
keeping your brain limber
and well-oiled. These fats
include omega-3 fats (found
in flax seeds, hemp seeds,
walnuts, and fish), omega-6
fats, and phospholipids,
which are important
for memory building.
Phospholipids are found in
good sources of cholesterol,
which is why eggs are an
excellent food option for
students. Plus they’re easy
to hard-boil in advance and
eat on your way out the
door, or throw into a salad
for lunch. But that’s not
all that’s great about eggs:
they’re also a good source
of protein, which leads me
to amino acids.

Amino acids are the
building blocks of protein.
Orlando calls these the
“brain messengers,” and
says that they improve
brain communication and
functions. Protein rich
foods like fish, lean meats,
and poultry are solid
options, but if you don’t

doing all it can do to make your life easier?

and unsalted!).
“Intelligent nutrients,”
according to Orlando,
“are the minerals and
vitamins that sort of fine-
tune your brain.” She says
that a diet rich in whole
grains can get you most of
the B-complex vitamins,
and a plate full of dark,
leafy greens (think kale,
chard, or spinach lightly
steamed) can give you the
calcium and magnesium
that your brain craves.
Don’t immediately reach
for the milk to get your
calcium: Orlando cautions
that while milk isn’t the
worst thing to drink, milk
contains only calcium. “It’s
better to get calcium and
magnesium together from
a cleaner source like leafy
greens,” says Orlando,
which is great advice for
the vegans among us.
Orlando adds that if you’ve
chosen an animal-free diet,
“it might be a good idea
to use supplements to get
these intelligent nutrients,
especially vitamin B12
and zinc, [which are]