Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy and keeping yourself as healthy as possible- all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you. Variety and balance is the key. It is essential to have the right mix of the five food groups; bread, cereals, potatoes; fruit and vegetables; dairy products; fish, meat and alternatives; fats and sugars.
Eating Disorders are a group of conditions characterized by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to to the detriment of an individual’s physical and emotional health; binge eating, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa being the most common. People who experience an eating disorder share many of the following features; a history of dieting, low self esteem, difficulty identifying and expressing needs, problems around control and some more.
- Anorexia Nervosa-Characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight.
- Bulimia Nervosa-characterized by recurrent binge eating followed by behaviours such as purging, self induced vomiting and/or the use of laxatives
- Binge eating0 binge eating without the following behaviours such as purging, self induced vomiting or use of laxatives.
Physical activity simply means movement of the body. Walking, playing soccer or dancing the night away are all good examples of being active. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day. Being physically active is a key element in living a longer, healthier and happier life. Particularly, while you are in college, it can help relieve stress and can provide and overall feeling of well being. So try to walk or cycle to college this year.