Did you know that adequate nutrition in college students plays a major role in academic achievement? There is a never-ending list of factors that have an effect on academic achievement, but adequate nutrition is a leading element. Naturally your future success as a college graduate is heavily impacted by your successes during your time in college. Within this article I am looking to provide you with clarity on this topic. First, I will explain three ways that adequate nutrition can affect your academic achievement. Then I will give advice I received from professionals on how to maintain a well-balanced diet. Lastly, I will give you four tips and tricks on low cost and low effort options for busy college students.

3 Ways Adequate Nutrition Affects Your Academic Achievement

What you put into your body has numerous effects on how well you do in college. When considering the relationship between food and academic performance, research shows that brain function is a leading factor of cognitive capability. What you put into your body can affect your ability to focus, comprehension, evaluation, and application. Of course, factors like having a regular sleep schedule and exercise are important, but what you eat is more important than you would initially assume. So, here are three ways that nutrition can help you improve your academic achievement in college.

1.     Dietary Components Have Essential Roles in Brain Function

A journal from the National Library of Medicine states that, folate, iron, and omega 3 are all micronutrients that support the development and functioning of your brain. Therefore, you need to make sure you are consuming food rich in micronutrients like these. Foods high in folate include dark leafy greens, beans, peanuts, fresh fruits, whole grains, and more. Foods high in iron include red meat, beans, dried fruit, and more. Foods high in omega 3 include fish and other seafood, nuts and seeds, and plant oils. Taking the steps to consume some of these options will help you as a college student to support brain function and in turn academic achievement.

2.     Regular Breakfast Consumption   

I know you have heard the saying ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ before! Now I’m here to tell you that there is truth behind it. John Hopkins Medicine says we need to wake up to the benefits of breakfast since there is science to support it. Research shows previous studies focusing on regular consumption of a nutritional breakfast having positive associations with academic achievement. Beyond that, Victoria Lambert, a registered dietician, said you should “Aim for having your first meal of the day within about one hour of waking up”. There are several negative effects that can come from skipping breakfast. So, you need to make sure that you are not skipping the most important meal of the day since it can boost your brain power first thing in the morning.

3.     Your Brain Requires Regular Amounts of Energy

If you want your brain to function optimally you must attend to it and one way to do so is through eating. According to Victoria Lambert, “If you don't eat regularly and consistently in response to natural hunger cues, you may be overriding your body's communication efforts. This may be due to stress, being overly scheduled and busy, mental health conditions, or a lack of general connection to your body. In all cases, energy levels and mood can be negatively impacted”. So, you must make sure to eat meals throughout the day and not skip any. Lambert recommends that you do this by eating something every three to five hours.

Following these three ways to feed your brain will help improve your overall brain function, energy and in turn academic achievement. A study looking at the effects of adequate nutrition in college students academic performance explains that colleges who promote the health of their students supports effective learning. 

Professional Advice on Maintaining a Well-Balanced Diet

I know that it can be extremely hard to keep up with eating a well-balanced diet while in college, but it is worth it. So, I have gathered advice for your from professionals in related fields. First from Rachel Paul, a registered dietician who says, “There are many benefits to adapting a healthy eating lifestyle while you’re in college. It can be difficult because the junk food options are plenty, but it is so worth it” within her pieces of advice. Then from two personal interviews with Victoria Lambert, also a registered dietician and Jean Llamas, a registered nurse. Here’s what these experts had to say:

• Plan your meals

• Have healthy snack options readily available

• Keep glucose levels stable

• Eat a colorful diet

• Use nutritional phone apps

Rachel Paul says one simple way you can make your life easier while trying to stay healthy is planning your meals out in advance. This will hold you accountable to follow what you have scheduled. When you have nothing planned out it is easy to choose quick and poor nutritional options.

In addition, Paul says having healthy snack options is extremely important to you as a college student. You are always on the go and need to make sure you are eating regularly even when you do not have time for a whole meal. Try to purchase snacks such as apples and carrot sticks instead of snacks like chips and cookies. Apples and carrots contain healthy sugars while chips and cookies contain bad sugars.

Glucose is a form of sugar which is your bodies main source of energy and can have many effects on your body and brain. Harvard Medical School says, you need to provide your body with the right kinds of sugar otherwise it “restricts blood flow in the brain, causing cognitive difficulties”. Fluctuations in glucose from poor nutrition or long periods of not eating can result in symptoms of increased hunger. Victoria Lambert says, “If you are not attuned to your body's hunger cues or mistake these symptoms for something other than hunger, you can be left feeling irritable, unable to focus, and easily distracted”.

Lambert also talked about the importance of consuming a colorful diet. She says, “eat a colorful diet comprised of ample fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plant fats, with your choice of animal or plant sources of dairy and protein, all based on individual preferences”. Through doing so you will get plenty of the nutrients your body needs.

Lastly, Jean Llamas says, “It is best to use a nutritional application in order to enter all of the food into the program to find out the nutritional value”. This will help you better understand what you are putting into your body and keep track of what you are eating.

Who better to take advice from then related professionals like registered dieticians Rachel Paul and Victoria Lambert and registered nurse Jean Llamas? Each of these individuals has great credibility on the topic and went through the busy college lifestyle.