The Healthy Option

The Healthy Option


The "epidemic" of obesity is occurring all over the world. The World Health Organization predicts that there will be over 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015. Obesity goes hand in hand with life threatening diseases, such as heart diseases and Type 2 diabetes.

A study of the obesity trend suggest that the level of exercise in the past 30 years is pretty much stable, and that it is the amount of excessive calories that have increased.

It is really important to eat healthy and get all the important vitamins and minerals needed. Especially as a student: long days at university where you need to concentrate and learn.

Some also might have an afternoon activity or job, and if you don't get the right nutrition, the body and mind won't work properly.

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Why choose healthy?

 * 1) Eating healthy food is extremely important, especially for students. Food is considered a type of fuel for your body, so what we put into our bodies determines how well our bodies will work.
 * 2) Eating healthily will give you more energy, which can be used to keep active and thus maintain a healthy weight. It is important that we are of a healthy weight to help reduce the risk of illness and diseases, in particular heart disease and diabetes.
 * 3) We need many different types of nutrients to keep us healthy, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and oils which are only found in certain foods. Therefore, it is essential to eat a healthy balanced diet containing lots of varieties of food including fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses, grains and dairy products. Vitamins and minerals have many benefits for the body including improving the immune system which can help fight the risk of developing cancer.
 * 4) Healthy eating is proven to reduce stress levels. It can help you to sleep better and feel more rested when you wake up. This will mean being more able to concentrate on your studies and because you will be ill less often there is less risk of having a poor attendance at university.
 * So, reduced stress, a healthy weight, a good immune system, less chance of illness and disease and a higher life expectancy - surely all the benefits of a happy lifestyle!

Where to find healthy food at Trent Park?
It is a lot of healthy food at Trent Park - if you know where to find it. There are two cafeterias at the campus, on next to the bus stop, and one in the Simmonds Hall (next to the Mansion). There are also a vending machine that have a lot of healthy snacks in the entrance of the Simmonds Hall.

The two cafeterias have a salad bar, fruit (in pieces or whole), soup, nuts and other healthy goodies. Healthy food doesn't have to be more expensive, and the prices vary under one pound to around three pounds.

To make it easier to find the healthy goodies, we have made a map. We have also taken a few pictures from Trent Park.

Facts:

*British women are among the fattest in Western Europe. (according to a study that shows how rates of obesity have almost doubled in the past 30 years) (The Times) (National Obesity Forum) (UK National Audit Office, 2001)
 * Obesity takes an average of nine years off people's life expectancy
 * Obesity accounts for around 30,000 deaths a year in the UK

GRAINS:
Whole grain is important because it contains vitamin and fiber (which refined white grains do not contain). Eating whole grains will make you feeling full longer, which is important to students because in a long lecture/day it won't always be time to eat. It will also prevent you feeling a crash after eating, because the carbohydrates are absorbed slowly, giving your body sustained energy.

Whole grain food:
 * oatmeal or bran cereals
 * whole wheat bread
 * whole grain crackers
 * whole wheat pasta
 * brown rice

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES:
Fruit and vegetables are a good option for a snack (chocolate/crisps) or just to round out meals throughout the day. Fruit and vegetables provide you with a lot of the important vitamins and minerals you need to make your body and mind function properly.

Tip :

Buy enough fruit and vegetables for an entire week: wash, peel if necessary and cut them up. You can now have convenient snacks any time of day. If you buy different colored fruits and vegetables, you will get a variety of nutrients, and can include them with every meal or snack.

PROTEIN:
Protein is a nutrient needed in the body for growth and maintenance. Adding protein to meals will make you feel full throughout the day. It will also give you energy and mental focus for the tasks you have to complete.

protein food: Tip :
 * eggs
 * meat
 * oily fish
 * nuts
 * seeds
 * beans
 * pulses

Have a small bag of nuts with you to university incase you get a bit hungry during lectures and seminars.

DAIRY:
By choosing dairy products it will provide you body with the calcium and vitamin D needed. It could be wise to choose low-fat products, to avoid any unnecessary fat, such as low-fat yogurt, skimmed milk, reduced-fat cheeses.

Dinner tip:

Top a couple of whole grain tortillas with pizza sauce, you favorite vegetables, turkey pepperoni or chicken and a combination of cheese - for no more than a fraction of the cost of buying a pizza. Easy and cheap, and with more nutrients and less fat and salt.

BEVERAGES :
Easiest and cheapest is the best: water. It will keep you from being hydrated (better than anything else). If you carry around a reusable bottle, you can bring it to class and drink whenever needed. You can also choose one or two serving of juice per day.

It is advisable to cut out, or at least cut down on, soft drinks. They are really bad for you teeth: it contains loads of sugar and is carbonated.

Tea and coffee are OK in limited amounts, because they contains antioxidants, especially green tea. But try to limit the amount of cream and sugar.

Type of food students should eat

HERE is a funny article with tips for eating healthy during exams.

Healthy Recipes!

(un)healthy words

 * Calories
 * BMI
 * Obesity

Group members (and why we care)
My name is Sara. I studied sports for three years in the norwegian college. I've always exercised a lot and been interested in being healthy, (which is especially important when you do sports) I've learnt a lot about the body and the importance of eating right and exercising correctly. Unfortunately there is a lot of students (and people in general) who don't know how to eat healthy and taking care of their body. And especially in the UK; I can see a big difference compared to my home country, and our eating habits. I think the most important message is that healthy food can be an easy (and fast) choice, as well as a healthy one. A lot of people chose fast food and unhealthy food because it is easier.

My name is Clarissa and I have always been fairly health-conscious. Whilst I was growing up my parents were quite strict about my diet and rarely allowed me to drink fizzy drinks or eat lots of sweets for example. I was never really a fussy eater and enjoyed eating fruit and vegetables. The denial of fizzy drinks was, at times, slightly frustrating especially when in the company of peers but it was always something my dad insisted I would 'thank him for when I was older'. Well now I am older and he was right. His decisions affect the way I think about food to this day and I am always conscious of what I am consuming and how it is affecting my body and mind. I think it is very important for all students to have this kind of attitude towards food and I feel it is my job to help them.

Campaign progress:
This is the Campaign Strategy: Initial Campaign Strategy Document

We wanted to have a logo/symbol to represent us, and here are some suggestions: logo suggestions

As a part of the campaign, we are going to make a short commercial/film about why healthy food is important. To se the progress of the film, press here: Film

Research Dossier (most of the material can be found on the main page)

Action

Minutes:
Minutes week 13-16

Minutes week 17

Minutes week 18

Minutes week 19

Minutes week 20

Minutes week 21

Minutes week 22

Minutes week 23

We love research:
Official Jamie Oliver site: http://www.jamieoliver.com/

Very useful site about Healthy Universities, offering a "getting started" and "toolkit" for Universities that wish to become more healthy: http://www.healthyuniversities.ac.uk/

Another useful site: http://www.health.heacademy.ac.uk/rp/publications/projectreports/summaries/mdoorisabstract

An article: "Healthy Universities - time for action: a qualitative research study exploring the potential for a national programme" (abstract will come later) http://heapro.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/1/94.abstract (Athens-login required)

http://www.yhtphn.co.uk/hun.html

http://www.healthysettings.org.uk/

Document: Health Promoting University Network, Healthy Settings Development Unit

Healthy UEA: http://www.uea.ac.uk/services/students/healthyuea

PDF: http://www.uclan.ac.uk/information/uclan/healthy_university/files/hu_newsletter_2010.pdf

NSH. About Nutrition and a test about how healthy you are: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diet/Pages/Introduction.aspx

University of Leeds student health advice: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/lsmp/healthadvice/healthyeating2/healthyeating2.html

Our other campaign:
We worked on another campaign for a few weeks, and that can be read about here:

Student Rights