The Galleon - Portsmouth's Official Student Newspaper

Eating healthy when you’re a student can be quite challenging. After all, the student life is often the cheaper life, which usually means junk food, alcohol and ready meals from convenience stores. The phrase ‘fresher’s fourteen’ suggests that the average student can expect to gain approximately fourteen pounds in weight over their time at University. This can be explained through moving away from home, lack of cooking skills, takeaways, and eating on the go. This article tells you how to eat healthy, be healthy and shop healthy.

A healthy body can be found in a healthy shopping list, which means more fruit and more vegetables. Fruits and vegetables, however, are quite expensive and so it is essential you shop around, while keeping an eye out for weekly shopping deals. Lidl is a good starting point; it is cost effective with daily offers on all fresh food. The store is relatively local to those living in Southsea accommodation, and is easily accessed via the University bus. The five a day rule, is often extra worry as a student, however, there are several ways of making yourself healthier, while simultaneously making your money last. The trick is buying food that will last. Cakes, sweets, and crisps are extremely low in nutritional value, can be quite costly, and once opened, finish quick. Wholemeal food however, lasts weeks, is healthier, sustainable, and you can eat as much of it as you like! Wholemeal foods include rice, Rivita, crackers, bread, couscous or even pasta. Rivita, being a good alternative to midnight snacks are delicious with jam, with couscous for the perfect dinner, or with chicken breast and slight seasoning.

While all-nighters are an inevitability of student life, it is worth noting the facts involved in writing essays at 2am, or cooking dinners at midnight. Late nights mean irregular blood sugar levels and an increase in appetite the following day. Research shows that not having enough shut-eye will leave us tired, irritable, and unable to concentrate on our daily routine. Getting sufficient sleep for at least eight hours each night is beneficial to both our health and our skin. It helps to give an overall improvement to the skin texture and gives it a new glow. In other words, sleep provides self renewal, if you find eight hours impossible; visit your GP the Nuffield for further advice.

It is also important that you watch your alcohol. With student nights almost every night, it is hard to say no to a few drinks after a stressful day doing work; however, it is important that you regulate how much you drink. Sugary drinks are particularly bad for your teeth, not to mention, your body.  The alcohol your body consumes is stored as fat namely around the abdomen, hence the ‘beer belly’. Alcohol is also the most likely contribution to heart disease and type-two diabetes; therefore, it is recommended you watch your weekly intakes. The daily allowance for a woman is around 3 units, while a male is 4.

Finally, the University gym is a cheap and sociable way of keeping in form. St Paul’s gym underwent refurbishment in 2010, and is now complete with top of the range equipment, across its three floors. The refurbishment introduced plasma TVs (with sky!), air conditioning, and newly refurbished shower facilities. Membership costs £140 per year, which includes free access to their extensive fitness class programme, and outdoor sports equipment. The average student weekly budget is £60, the gym works out to approximately £12 per month, so that is less than a quarter of your weekly spending amount!

These few steps will help you in the right direction to becoming a healtier, fitter student!