A} EDITOR LEAH GOEBEL LEAH GOEBEL photo Psychology student Meghan Soutar contempates two healthy snack choices. Foods high in protein, like yogurt, are great for giving energy but can be expensive. Fatty acids great for exams You should stock up on foods high in omega-3 fatty acids as they'll help your memory when studying for your next exam By MARTIN WISSMATH need to eat your fat, according to a local nutrition- ist. Foods high in essential omega-3 fatty acids, such as fresh fish and flaxseed, are critical for memory and thinking, said Judy Chambers, a nutritional consultant and personal trainer. “You need fat in the way it’s present in nature,” Cham- bers said. “The typical low-fat diet is defunct.” Three simple ways to add essential fats are to grind up flax or chia seeds over oatmeal, eat a handful of wal- nuts and buy sardines packed in olive oil for a cheaper T: you want to do your best on your next exam, you alternative to wild salmon. Students should be careful with low-fat products like skim milk, Chambers warned, as they can lack neces- sary nutrients. Also, fats typically found in fast food should be avoid- ed. Students pay a high price for fast food in the long term. “Tt actually ends up being more expensive, and at the expense of your health,” Chambers said. She recommends students buy simple, unprocessed foods such as brown rice or old-fashioned oatmeal in large quantities and prepare it on a weekly basis. “It just [requires] being more focused and orga- nized,” Chambers said. “On the weekends, putting aside an hour to make a couple of things in bulk — it might even be one dish — and eat that throughout the week.” Buying fresh, local and seasonal foods is a good way to get the best quality produce. It’s also a great way to add variation to dishes thoughout the year. “T try to eat healthy,” said Reggie Sidal, a political sci- ence student and soccer player. “A lot of meat, vegeta- bles, fruit; a lot of water, and multigrains.” Sidal said too many students eat impulsively and whatever is convenient, until something happens to their health. “That first medical scare they have, ‘[they think] ‘maybe I should change my lifestyle, to live longer,” he said. THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2011 5} od and your budget Eat smartly and you'll benefit both your mind and wallet Good grub is simple wpe made at home Home cooking can be nutritous and delicious without stretching your budget By DANIEL PALMER efore she was a Langara student, Kaitlin Werner used to dine out ev- ery other day. “[m addicted to sushi and you can’t make that at home,” she said. “Being a student means ignoring the craving a lot. I also miss my $15 salads from Whole Foods.” If you want to finish the semester with- out depleting your bank account or ex- panding your waistline, you need to do three things — plan your groceries, cook in bulk and freeze your meals, according to budget food blogger Beth Moncel. “T was definitely cash strapped through college,” said Moncel. “I challenged myself to eat on only $6 a day.” She raved about her homemade food on Facebook and found her friends asking for recipes, prompting her to start budget- bytes.blogspot.com. “IT think most people just aren’t aware of the quality they can get for a lower price,” said Moncel. “It takes a little research, but CHEAP tips you can find good deals and design your recipes and meals to maximize your bud- get.” Moncel said she makes enough food to go seven-to-10 days between cooking and favours soups and stews that have meat, veggies and starches in one dish. Janet LePatourel, a registered dietician and Langara nutrition and food service in- structor, agrees that balancing your meals is key, especially for students. “With students, there’s the well-known freshman 15 pounds,” said LePatourel. She said the best way to avoid gaining weight is to eat breakfast and snack often. Werner said she prefers her thrifty meals now. “Fried rice with tofu is my new best friend. Easy to make, so cheap and so good,” Werner said. “Obviously things like rolled oats are way more budget-savvy than your pull-off- the-shelf packs of cereal,” said LePatourel. “Sumo wrestlers don’t eat breakfast. It’s a very significant strategy for them to get to the weight that they do.” 1 At the end of each week, take a look at what you have in your fridge. Then search online for recipes that combine the ingredients you already have. 2 Make food in bulk and freeze in separate porpotions. Pasta and soup work well for this as they keep their flavour if stored correctly. 3 Use less expensive protein in you cooking. Pork, tofu or lentils are great subsitutes for pricey meats. MARTIN WISSMATH photo Nursing student Iris Ready and theatre student Andrea Hous- sin serve themselves at the salad bar in the Langara Cafeteria. By MATT HYNDMAN about the cafeteria, but they are not alone. The Voice visited Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Vancouver Community College and Douglas College to see how Langara’s caf- eteria compares. Langara’s cafeteria offers Quiznos, Triple 0’s, Tim Hortons and Global Village, which serves different ethnic foods daily. There is also sushi from Bento, refrigerated wraps and sandwiches from Bread Garden, pizza, and a salad bar. [ angara students may have complaints “I try not to eat most of that stuff, besides the salad bar,” said Langara student Jason Chen. “[There’s] not as much nutritional food as other schools.” These “other schools” are universities like UBC and SFU. They have much larger student populations and more food options. Out of the similarly sized colleges, Douglas was the only one to have a salad bar. The New Westminster campus, like Langara, has a Tri- ple 0’s and Tim Hortons. There are also re- frigerated sandwiches, a selection of soups, and stir-fry dishes. Chen says Langara should have an “authen- tic deli” that offers better quality sandwiches. “There’s Quiznos, but it’s not the same,” he said. Kwantlen is the only college out of the three with cafeteria-served deli sandwiches made fresh on campus. The prices are comparable to those at Quiznos. Chris Bence, a history student at Kwantlen, disagrees that it’s better to have more cafete- ria food. “Tim Hortons is popular here, it only makes sense to have more chain outlets at Kwantlen,” he said. “There isn’t even much fresh food, it’s mostly prepackaged food or fast food.” Kwantlen also has Fusion, similar to Langa- ra’s Global Village. Fusion serves a different Langara’s food measures up to the competition When it comes to feeding yourself in a college, one cafeteria is pretty much like another no matter where you are in the Lower Mainland cuisine every day, including pho, pasta and stir-fry. Also available are eight different burgers, chicken strips and grilled cheese sandwiches. At between five and six dollars, burgers there are slightly cheaper than at Triple O’s. Bence is underwhelmed by the options available at his college. “There’s not much choice, but it’s understandable given the size of the campus,” he said. 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