As college students, we are all on a budget, but let’s be
honest – you aren't getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals from
eating the foods that typical college students eat. That Hot Pocket or Easy Mac you eat for dinner isn't cutting it for your daily serving of fruits and vegetables. Often times, I myself am a victim of eating
the cheaper food option to save money. I’ll
admit, eating healthy can be expensive, but getting the right kinds of
nutrition each day can really payoff when it comes to your overall energy. Even though taking over-the-counter vitamins
and supplements doesn't provide you with the equivalent level of nutrition you
get from eating real foods themselves, it helps you save a ton of money in the
end, not to mention has helped me stay healthy living in a frat house for the
last 3 years… and in my opinion, it’s perfectly fine for a college kid just
trying to get by on a budget.
In the last year, I have incorporated some basic supplements
into my diet and have noticed a drastic change in the amount of energy levels
my body has. There are hundreds of
supplements which can be purchased over the counter from stores like Whole
Foods, GNC or even your local CVS. In
today’s market there is pretty much a supplement available for every part of
the human body. Not saying purchasing all
of these wouldn't be beneficial to your body, but personally, I can’t afford to
be breaking my bank on supplements alone.
So, I have compiled a list of the most important supplements which I
feel a college student should be taking on a daily basis:
1.
Protein
– If you ask today’s nutritionist, you’ll find out the human body should have
about 20-30% of its caloric intake to be protein. This is especially important for athletes or
those of any of you who live an active lifestyle. Getting a protein powder with a shaker, can
be easy to bring to class in your backpack. Consuming the right amounts of
protein each day will also help you energy be longer lasting and sustainable
throughout the day.
2.
Vegetable
Supplement – Vegetables are a crucial part of your diet and the food
options around campus don’t really give you the option to get your daily
serving of vegetables. Also, vegetables
don’t have the longest shelf life, and if you live in a dorm room, you probably
don’t have much room to store them. By
investing in a vegetable supplements, you have your daily serving of greens
which can be consumed in less than a minute.
You can even go ahead and throw them in with your protein shake as seen
above!
3.
Fish Oil
–Whether you are trying to burn fat, build muscle, or better overall health,
fish oil is an essential supplement. Its
numerous benefits come from its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. These are considered “essential fatty acids”
which are necessary for human health, but aren’t made by the body. Yes, you can get some of these acids from
fish, eggs, nuts and some grass-fed beef animals, but not enough. A couple of recent studies have shown they
also improve memory and with all those late nights of cramming for exams, I’ll
take all the memory I can get!
4.
Multivitamin
– Multivitamins are necessary in your diet whether you are a fitness freak or
just an average Joe. It’s hard to keep
track of every type of vitamin your body is supposed to get, but that can be
easily taken care of with a high quality multivitamin. The “Men’s One-A-Day” Vitamins off the shelf
are great and all, but may not be targeted towards your specific fitness
goals. Check out this link below which
helps you find the multivitamin which is right for you.
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