Taking time to eat better improves energy, mood

Editor,

I've been reading all the no-good-food-choices-at-the-SUB complaints and thought I'd offer some perspective before putting out a challenge.

I prefer to eat well, but as with many graduate students, it's really hard for me to make the time to prepare food, because school, work, community and personal obligations consume so much time and energy. So, I often fall into the bad habit of eating SUB food on a regular basis. After a while of this, I'll catch myself and start eating well again.

This cycle has helped me to notice something peculiar - I feel better, I have more energy, and my thinking seems to be clearer and better focused when I eat foods I've prepared. The stark contrast between my two lifestyles becomes evident after only two or three days of better eating. It's really amazing.

I'm no food expert, and I certainly haven't done the research, but I know that when I eat less fat, less sugar, fewer chemicals and fewer carbohydrates, I have more energy - especially the kind of energy that makes for better, easier grades and a more upbeat mood. What I do is replace the junk food with fruits and vegetables, and my staples become quick and easy home-cooked soups, stews and stir-fries. The former two can be thrown into a Crock-Pot, and the latter takes only as long as the rice takes to cook. For in-school lunches, a deli-meat sandwich on whole-grain bread works for me and is way cheaper than SUB food.

So, this is my challenge: Try to get out of your regular eating pattern and, by your best definition, eat healthy. Do this for just a few days, then check how you feel.

If you feel better, then maybe it's time to rethink your current food choices. And by extension, the SUB needs to rethink its food choices to help us be healthier, better students.

Danny Hernandez

UNM student