Quarantine is a hard time for everybody- confined to the home, one may make poor dietary decisions that can affect them in the long run if they keep these bad habits. If there is one thing that the general science elective I had to take in college taught me is that proper nutrition is one of the kindest, if not the kindest thing you can do for yourself.
I’ve struggled a lot with body image and emotional eating. It is something that has plagued me ever since I became a teenager- beginning roughly seven years ago. Instead of eating the dietary recommended intakes for a person my age, I ate well above those limits and always felt terrible after. It isn’t until I went to college when I realized that I needed to make a change and that there were no more excuses to eat poorly. However, I didn’t even know where to start until this year.
I’m currently taking Nutrition 110, a class focused on teaching students what is needed to live a long and healthy life, free of diseases. I’m only a little more than halfway done with the course. However, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about the three essential nutrients that our bodies need: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Throughout this course I heard information that shocked me, there were certain online trends regarding weight-loss that I prescribed to religiously before taking the course, and none of the corresponded to the way people should be eating according to the science I was exposed to in class.
I have been taking the tips recommended from my nutrition textbook seriously and learning that healthy eating doesn’t have to be the worst thing in the world. It just comes down to balance, moderation, adequacy, and variety, among other important components. I’ve been eating better and feeling better about myself in the process. My goal before going back to campus in the Fall is to reach and maintain a healthy weight through developing a healthy eating pattern and incorporating exercise. My body, mind and life depend on it.