[DISCLAIMER: The content in this article should not be considered medical advice, and if you have allergies or health conditions, please consult a professional.]
Every meal a student eats is like every brushstroke on a blank canvas, seemingly invisible and meaningless alone, but together, silently weaving and carving the layers beneath the surface into the shape of success, just waiting for the spark of harmony to ignite. Many times, students tend to pay less attention to their diet because of how busy they become with schoolwork. But a student’s diet actually matters much more than it may seem, and although the effects of a student’s diet might not be very prominent in the beginning, over time, they can make or break success.
According to Harvard Health, food doesn’t only give the body the nutrients needed for the brain, but for the bones, nerves, muscles, skin, immune system, and blood circulation. According to National Institutes of Health (.gov), studies found that students who had two or more fruit servings had higher academic achievement, whereas those who had French fries or soda regularly were less likely to come to exams. Sophomore Aiza Sajid says, “I think my diet impacts my success as a student in certain aspects. Usually if I’m eating more healthy items like fruits I feel more active throughout the day. Eating breakfast in the morning in general makes me feel more awake throughout the day and focused. Whenever I skip breakfast or don’t have proper meals/eat unhealthy things throughout the day, I usually feel more drowsy and less motivated to get things done.”
An excellent diet for a student begins with the basics. The Harvard Healthy Eating Plate includes half of your plate being fruits and vegetables, with diversity and color, excluding potatoes, according to The Nutrition Source, (from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). But vegetables make up a larger portion than fruits on the plate. A quarter of the plate should be whole grains, and another quarter should be proteins, and healthy plant oils, with a limit. A great start is replacing white bread, white rice, and pasta, with brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat pasta. Great sources of proteins are fish, nuts, and beans which can be added to salads. For healthy oils, it’s good to choose oils like olive oil, instead of butter. There’s also things to avoid within the sections of the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate, including red meat, processed meats like sausage, sugary drinks, limiting juice to a small cup every day, and even milk and dairy to 1-2 servings.
Sophomore Yara Abo-Auda remarks, “Honestly, when I eat better, I feel better. If I grab something nutritious instead of junk, I’m more energized and actually get stuff done. It really does make a difference in how successful I feel at school.” Sophomore Zoha Calton says, “When I eat food that is better for me, I feel more energized, motivated through the whole day. However, when I eat junk food, I get energized for a certain amount of time, but then I crash and get really tired.”
Some healthy foods that can taste as good as less healthy foods include nuts and dried fruit as substitutes for candy, dark chocolate for milk chocolate, frozen yogurt or natural fruit sorbet for ice cream, veggie chips for potato chips, salad and seasoned veggies for fast food, and more. It may seem that what students eat isn’t a huge deal when it comes success and motivation, but a good diet elevates mood, energy, and also boosts the brain’s cognitive function, memory, creativity, motivation, and other crucial things for success.
Every meal truly matters, and every brushstroke on the canvas shapes the masterpiece of student success.
