“You are what you eat,” so how are UTM students doing when it comes to food?
Limited food options on campus and high prices might be affecting your academic performance.
With food prices skyrocketing and the number of healthy food choices on campus shrinking, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us students to maintain healthy eating habits that allow us to thrive both physically and mentally. For us students that don’t have the option to meal prep every day, what do we do?
You might be familiar with major food spots in the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), such as Quesada, Harvey’s, Subway and Ah-So Sushi. Food choices include burrito bowls, burgers, sandwiches, and ramen. Despite these food varieties, you might notice that something is missing: a healthy meal on a budget. Although students might be able to get some carbohydrates and protein from the above food options, these options still aren’t all that healthy.
For example, you might be able to get some protein from Harvey’s chicken fingers or burgers, but is that piece of fried chicken nourishing your body, or are the vegetable oils used in the preparation process more harmful than helpful? Similarly, the small scoop of chicken and a handful of lettuce in a burrito bowl from Quesada would hardly provide enough protein and fibre for your body to recover after a session at the gym.
Even if you meticulously plan your food choices, expensive pricing provides another challenge in maintaining a healthy eating habit on campus. With a regular-sized Booster Juice drink costing over nine dollars and a small salad with three slices of chicken costing over ten dollars, you might ultimately find yourself opting for cheaper junk foods with larger portions that can keep your belly full during lectures.
Furthermore, there are very limited gluten-free (GF) and dairy-free (DF) food options for students with food sensitivities. One might think that these food sensitivities are not relevant to university students, but lactose-intolerance is one of the most common food sensitivities, affecting 44 per cent of Canadians. The lack of GF and DF options makes it a headache for students with food sensitivity to purchase food from campus. On days when these students are simply too tired to do meal preparation, one might decide to starve rather than deal with body inflammation.
With the energy students spend studying, it is no surprise that we are constantly craving snacks in between classes. Sometimes we might want something sweet to boost our mood, so we go for a doughnut in Tim Horton’s, budget-friendly and delicious, sounds great! But if you are ever craving something healthier, it might not be as easy. When you see that small fruit cup costing approximately five dollars, you might be tempted for the doughnut again, even if your body wants otherwise.
Then what about those “healthy energy bars” in the vending machines across campus? Most of them are marketed as healthy snack options, but they might be the reason that you are experiencing a sugar crash. On average, these energy bars have 20 grams or more sugar in each portion, hence why you may experience symptoms such as difficulty in concentration and irritability after eating them.
As we learn more about our bodies and how food affects our overall performance and mood, we must raise food awareness and advocate for more healthy, nourishing, and affordable food options. As the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Healthy foods not only gives us energy, but contribute to our mental and physical well-being more than we might think!
