10 Feature

Student diet

*continuded from page 8

way to make sure you are getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need is to con- sume a balanced and well- varied diet. Because this is a huge topic, I'll only focus on the four which are most com- monly deficient in North American society. However, the best way to determine if you are getting enough is to visit a doctor or nutritionist who can best evaluate your needs and give you guiudance to get on the right track.

Calcium

We all know that cal- cium is found in milk and products, and that it is incred- ibly important for bones and teeth. We also might know that it is most important for growing children, adoles- cents, and in pregnancy. Cal- cium, however, is also found in comparative quantities within dark green vegetables and shellfish. This mineral is also a big part of blood clot- ting, muscular function, and stress. Because calcium is son easily lost in stress, sources of calcium are impor- tant for restoring the body.

Tron

This mineral is essen- tial for blood content, trans- porting oxygen through the body and within muscles. Anemia, or deficiency, can be detected from extreme skin pallor, fatigue, and dif- ficult breathing. Women’s needs for iron are almost dou- ble that of men due to monthly blood loss through menstruation and the de- mands of pregnancy. Veg- etarians tend to have a lower iron status than meat-eaters, although a well-planned veg- etarian diet can meet iron needs.

Athletes also miss out on iron as the heavy pound- ing of running or exercising can destroy blood cells. Greater muscle mass means more myoglobin is produced, further raising iron needs. “Sports anemia” is well- documented in professional female athletes and can affect their capacity to train to peak levels. Lean red meat is the best source of iron because it is not only rich in iron but the iron is well-absorbed by the body, as around 40 per cent of meat’s iron is in the form of heme iron. Generally the redder the meat, the richer it is in iron.

Other sources, grains, iron-enriched breakfast cere- als, vegetables, legumes, (beans and lentils), nuts and eggs contain iron, but the iron is not absorbed as well as from meat. If you don’t eat meat, you can absorb iron with the help of vitamin C, one of the “enhancers” of iron uptake. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid reacts with non- haem iron, making it an “easier”molecule for absorp- tion. Adding a glass of fruit juice or some tomato or cap- sicum (all rich in vitamin C) to a meal increases the amount of iron from grains or lentils.

Food and Stress

As students with scant time and money, it can be challenging to maintain a healthy diet on top of all of the other stresses we encoun- ter. However, eating well plays a large part in the way our minds and bodies can prepare for and handle stress.

Physiological reac- tions to stress are logically based. When faced with any real or perceived level of stress, our metabolism goes into overdrive. Systems help-

ing us to fight or flee, such as the heart, lungs and limbs, are favoured over the less helpful systems such as di- gestion, immunity and ab- sorption. This is why colds are often caught when you least need them. Fats, pro- teins and carbohydrates, cal- cium and potassium are used up to support the accelerated metabolism, so deficiencies in these areas can occur. When you are stressed, it is important to find a way to balance these levels in spite of extremes in the appetite.

When you are stressed, good foods to eat are those with a lot of vitamin C, like oranges and green leafy veggies, or bananas to in- crease potassium. For long- term stress, nuts are excellent and healthy sources of fat and protein when you feel fa- tigued.

Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating (as of 1994)

It’s nice when someone com- piles a helpful guide for your convenient use, so I’ Il include the general recommendations for adults:

*2 to 3 servings of meats or alternatives

*2-4 servings of milk prod- ucts

*5-10 servings of fruits and vegetables

*5-12 servings of grains and cereals.

*Moderate consumption of all other food forms

This is a guide com- piled to suit the general needs of all Canadian adults, but it serves as a great way to roughly measure your diet with what is ideal.

16 March 1999

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