'Eating hastily and then burying yourself in studying and working extra is a mistake'

A student restaurant in front of Co May dormitory, a meal costs from 25,000 - 30,000 VND, students get free extra rice

Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong, lecturer of the Department of Nutrition, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, still remembers the days of her residency in the US, with a rice cooker and a microwave, she was able to prepare many hot, nutritious dishes very quickly and without taking much time. But many students today do not think like her. They take student meals lightly.

Many young people think that when they go to university, eating is not as important as grades, academic achievements, extracurricular activities, and soft skills. This leads to serious health consequences later on.

At noon, the self-study area of ​​a university on An Duong Vuong Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City is quite crowded with students gathering to eat lunch and do group assignments. On a long table, a group of female students are drinking milk tea and eating fried fish balls. HA, a first-year female student, said this was her lunch.

Milk tea 20k (20,000 VND), fried fish balls 20k. Or many days, she replaced fried fish balls with a bag of mixed rice paper 15k. The total was still 35k - 40k, not cheap. The more important problem was that this was an unbalanced menu. Milk tea could provide protein. Fried fish balls could provide starch. But the meal lacked green vegetables and fruits.

New students from the countryside come to Ho Chi Minh City to complete admission procedures in early September 2023

Broken rice 25,000 VND in the area near Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry

Mixed rice paper, a favorite dish of many students, has a little bit of flour (rice paper), a little green mango (fruit), a few quail eggs (protein), but the nutritional content is too little while the amount of sugar and salt is high, such a meal is nutritionally unbalanced.

HA does not eat according to a fixed meal. If she eats breakfast late in the morning and is still full, she will skip lunch and save that money for dinner. Meals do not necessarily include rice, pho, or hu tieu. Because she lives in a dormitory and does not cook at home, she often eats out. Depending on her schedule and her job as a tutor, HA eats wherever is convenient. Sometimes her student meal is "street food", sometimes a cup of milk tea with a loaf of bread is enough. Sometimes in the evening, when her friends invite her out, she chooses to have dinner with milk tea, mixed rice paper, or fried fish balls. A diet lacking in green vegetables, vitamins, and fruits over a period of time makes her facial skin worse, her resistance decreases, and she often gets sick...

HA is not a rare number of students today who do not understand the importance of food and a balanced scientific diet. Many of them think that student meals are just enough to fill their stomachs and get through the meal, and that they are not babies who need to worry about drinking milk every day and eating enough of the necessary food groups to grow tall? Students think that student meals are simple and cost-effective, but in fact, they are wasting their health.

Students who care about their meals are making a long-term investment in their future.

Home-cooked student meal of Truong Ha Uyen, medical student at Vo Truong Toan University, Hau Giang with enough food groups of protein, starch, fruits, and vegetables

It's not just kids who need to worry about what they eat!

Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong said that if students eat fast food but have enough necessary food groups, it is okay. Each meal needs groups of starch, protein, green vegetables, and fruits. The balanced nutrition model "My Plate" is an example of a balanced diet. In every meal, students need to eat enough food groups of protein, starch, fruit, vegetables, and milk.

For example, a string of fried fish balls + a piece of sweet bread is not okay. But if students have lunch with a string of fried fish balls, a box of salad and a bun, it is okay. In addition, students also need to supplement nutrition through snacks such as milk and fruit.

Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong

"Students need to change their mindset about meals. It's not only when we are young that we need to care for and look after our meals. When students go to school or work, food nourishes the brain, is good for memory, good for their studies, and provides them with a solid foundation of health to prepare them for life. Students still need to drink milk, because milk is needed for all ages. We need to eliminate the mindset that student meals are careless. Eating carelessly and then burying your head in studying, working, and earning money is wrong. How will your physical and mental health be nourished with an unbalanced diet?", Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong emphasized.

A long-term strategy

Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong said that the cost of food for students today is not the biggest problem. Because the standard of living has increased, many families have 1-2 children going to school, providing quite enough living expenses for their children. And secondly, many students are active, diligent in studying, working part-time, can take the initiative in their living expenses to improve the quality of their meals, can rent safe places to stay, can cook and take care of themselves.

Truong Ha Uyen's nutritious home-cooked student meal

Notably, not only is the student meal with a balanced diet, Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong also pays attention to the issue of scientific living, physical exercise, and hard work of young people. This is also a long-term strategy for you to conquer your goals and plans ahead.

Not only going to the gym, swimming pool, golf course is the only way to exercise, students can take the stairs, walk around the dormitory, choose to take the bus, cycle, skateboard... short distances. Because chronic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, metabolic disorders... are getting younger, a large part comes from the uncontrolled, unbalanced diet and lack of exercise of young people.

"Changing consciousness is the most important change. Paying attention to student meals is not only about living healthy and well today, but it is also a way for you to prepare your mind, body, and spirit to start your life and career in the future. It all starts with the right investment in your physical health, along with self-discipline and the spirit of overcoming yourself," said a lecturer in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City.

New students are arranging accommodation at Co May dormitory. They believe that eating scientifically and living healthily is an investment for the future.

Fast, convenient, and healthy food

According to Master Truong Nhat Khue Tuong, students in dormitories cannot cook, but they can supplement their student meals with many salads from convenience stores, fruits, and milk, to make their meals more nutritious and balanced.

For those who live in rented rooms or houses, cooking is much simpler. Nowadays, the refrigerator has become a familiar device for many students who live in rented rooms. You have a variety of food sources sent from your family in the countryside, or if you spend time going to the market or supermarket, you can buy safe food sources at affordable prices. With a microwave or a rice cooker, you can cook many convenient dishes without spending much time.

For example, put noodles, vermicelli, glass noodles in a bowl with the seasoning packet, add leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, spinach, etc., water. Sliced ​​beef, minced lean meat, minced shrimp to add. Or eggs, tofu are also protein-rich foods that are easy to buy and cook quickly. You can easily cook this dish in the microwave.

Foods such as sausages, fish balls, beef balls, etc. can also provide a certain amount of nutrition. Students should observe and buy reputable brands. Because depending on the production facility, the product has a different ratio of starch.

Or with a rice cooker, you can also cook student meals with rice, soup, salty dishes... Foods like pork pieces, chicken pieces need to be cooked at a higher temperature, for a longer time, so students can cook them in a rice cooker, steamer...

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