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When it comes to eating right, many students are aware of nutrition recommendations, but we now live in a nation with high inflation and expensive food. The most affordable foods are usually highly processed with added sugars. The challenge for students can be getting their daily recommended fruits and vegetables and micronutrients required for optimum health.

During Nutrition Month in March, and year-round, CUE is offering programs and resources to help students and employees make the right choices when it comes to eating right. Campus Wellness Manager, Nicole Houghtaling, says living on a tight budget doesn’t need to be an obstacle to students eating well.

Making your own meals instead of ordering take out is a great way to save money on food. It still might take some planning so you can ensure only purchasing what you need for the week to reduce food waste. “Students can really benefit from cooking skills and reading labels properly,” says Nicole. “We recently purchased equipment so we can hold cooking classes – and we had a class this March.”

For sports teams at CUE they can tap into Nicole’s expertise in sports nutrition. She is helping when she can with the women’s soccer team and she held a cooking class with them this past January, and a nutrition workshop during Nutrition Month – this March. “Sports nutrition is a one-on-one kind of class and we’re going to reconnect closer to when their season starts by doing some more specific programming.”

Nicole Houghtaling, Campus Wellness Manager

How to spot false claims

Speaking about nutrition, Nicole says that it’s very easy for people to get misinformation on the internet and on social media.

“Nutrition information is highly accessible, but not much of it is credible,” Nicole explains.

Substituting poor nutritional practices for practical choices can lead to people missing the important nutrients they need.  

While it might be tricky to weed out the deceptive advice from well-researched advice, some tips are to look for credentials before taking their advice, such as advice from Nicole, who is a qualified dietician. Also, steer clear of sponsored content (like advice toted by influencers) and avoid any restrictive diets with unrealistic results. 

Nicole also says that you cannot just give broad advice to everyone. “Every athlete, every person is an individual – so what meets one athlete’s needs doesn’t necessarily meet another athlete’s needs.”

Learning how to shop well on a budget

For a lot of people who think they can’t afford to eat well, Nicole says that is a myth. “It doesn’t have to cost more, but you have to learn the tricks in the grocery store. For example, at this time of year frozen fruit is cheaper and is often healthier because they are picking it ripe,” explains Nicole. Choosing inexpensive protein sources can also save you money – some of the least expensive choices are eggs, canned tuna, nut and seed butters, and beans and lentils. 

To teach students the best way to shop, Nicole takes students on grocery tours. “We go to a grocery store close to campus and we tour the store while I show them some low-cost tricks so they stick to their budget.”

For international students, the shopping experience can be especially challenging when they don’t even know what some foods are. “A hurdle for some students is finding culturally appropriate foods in the Edmonton area – they don’t always recognize the foods, so we plan to show them what some of the staples are, and how to use them by doing a cooking class.”

Eating well during times of exam stress

Nicole also stresses that during exam time, skipping hours of sleep to study can have a negative effect on what we want to put in our mouths. “When you don’t get enough sleep it can increase your cortisol levels and you can crave salty sugary foods – it’s survival mode type of foods.”

She says students can still turn to Canada’s Food Guidelines. “Canada’s nutrition guidelines are evidence based – the plate had recently been updated, and some changes were that dairy was less prominent,” Nicole adds. “Dairy still has its place as a good protein source and it’s great way to get calcium and vitamin D.”

As Canadians we definitely have to be cognizant of how much vitamin D we are getting, Nicole stresses. She says, “It’s a myth that we can get our vitamin D from the sun during the winter months. Living so far north we are just not going to get the right amount of vitamin D, no matter how much time we spend outside between the months of October and May.”

Besides the important role Vitamin D has in our bodies ability to absorb calcium, Nicole says it also likely plays a role in our mental health. 

“We are starting to see a connection between Vitamin D and our mood.” – Nicole

According to a 2011 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who ate more vitamin D-rich foods had a lower risk of depression than women who had less of the vitamin in their diets.  However, since there are so many associated factors that contribute to depression, many studies have not been able to show the exact pattern between food and mental health.

What other nutrition events are happening at CUE?

There are many ways to experience different food experiences at CUE, not only do we have a number of cooking classes, but we also have a Supper Club where students can go on a journey of local restaurants, to socialize and experience affordable food from different cultures. 

Throughout the year we distributed WeCan baskets – food in bulk that is distributed by a community-based depot. ”We get a price comparison with other stores like Walmart or Superstore,” says Nicole. “Generally for $35 you get the equivalent of $60-$70 worth of healthy produce –  plenty of veggies, fruit and meat – you can also opt out of meat if you prefer.” Although this program is on hold, we hope to bring it back in the Fall. 

Keep your eye out throughout the year for produce available from our Tower Gardens. Kale, rainbow chard, mint, sage and basil grow right here on campus and we have seed kits during Nutrition Month available so you can grow your own produce at home – while supplies last. 

There was a cooking class during Nutrition Month, and if you’ve missed it, try out the simple and delicious recipe we have posted on our Campus Wellness website.