issues & ideas wrorxsucnicovems THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2018 7 Langara students, with lunches from home and from the cafeteria, eat together in the Langara Students’ Union Time Is all it takes to eat well Bringing lunch from home and budget-planning can save money By AMY JONES ealthier eating can be afford- able for students with the help of a little extra planning. Un- healthy food options that are carb-heavy or deep-fried are usually cheaper at cafeterias and restaurants but students can save their money and their health by thinking ahead. With treat-filled holidays like Hal- loween and Christmas around the cor- ner, there are many temptations to in- dulge. Finding ways to eat healthy and stick to your budget are easier than you might think. Nutrition instructor Monica Molag says that eating healthy food is not more expensive, but it does take plan- ning and thought. “Tt’s not one of those things [where] you can walk up into the cafeteria and go, ‘OK, today I’m going to eat healthy,” said Molag. “It takes a thought ahead of time. That’s where being nutritional is expensive, it’s expensive in time.” She warns that by eating in restau- rants and cafeterias you get too much fat, salt and pay too much money. By shopping ahead of time, planning meals and choosing cheaper, healthier options, students can avoid being at the mercy of someone else’s menu. “If people put as much thought into their meals as they did into their cloth- ing or their social time they would probably come out better money- and health-wise,” said Molag. She said that vegetarian options are often the cheapest, pointing out nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, fruit and vege- tables that are in season. For healthier holiday treats she suggests chocolate- covered peanuts or raisins. UBC and SFU operate meal-plan pro- grams that give students the option of paying ahead for their on-campus meals during the semester. With no such plan at Langara and no current advice from financial aid on food spend- ing, students must take it upon them- selves to budget for their meals and bring their lunches from home. “T wouldn’t pay a lot for a good sal- ad,” said general studies student Joan- na Pilet. “I would just make it at home and save money.” AMY JONES photo TIPS FOR shopping 1 Stock up on canned good 2 Freeze bread to avoid waste Store brands are cheaper 4 Use beans, lentils and other legumes Buy fruit and veg that are in season Source: healthycanadians.gc.ca Staying fit during the term Langara students have options on campus to keep in shape during the rain- filled, winter months By BILL EVERITT inter is coming and Langara Wissen wanting to stay active amid the chill and rain can take advantage of drop-in sports and clubs on campus. Athletics department assistant Car- ly Scarr said the activities on offer can improve mental outlook. “Tt can be kind of depressing during winter time. “T think getting out and doing some activity helps to keep people’s minds bright.” The athletics department offers drop-in basketball, indoor soccer and badminton. Students can borrow equipment from the athletics department on a first-come, first-served basis. Tennis courts located at Langara Park on Ontario Street and 56 Avenue. are also available to students free of charge. Walking or jogging the trail around the Lan- gara golf course is another op- tion for stu- dents. “It’s a decent distance and it’s . DEAN TSATOUHAS a little bit of a hill coming up Co-founder of the Cambie,” said Run Club Searr. Another — al- ternative is the running club. They meet three times per week, year round. The running club is organizing an “energizer race” on Nov. 2, which will see runners sporting headlamps for a nighttime run. People who would like to participate in the energizer run can sign up on the Langara Run Club Facebook page. “We also organize one or two work- shops on running,” said Dean Tsatou- has, co-founder of the club. Vancouver-based running coach An- gela James returns to Langara Oct. 22 for a seminar on “ChiRunning,” a form of running designed to reduce damage to muscles and joints caused by impact with hard surfaces. Getting out and exercising doesn’t have to occupy your whole life, accord- ing to Daniel Sam, program and fund- ing manager at the YMCA. “You're talking 20 to 30 minutes for a workout,” he said. Home gardens grow roots in Vancouver Planting food at home is an inexpensive option for Vancouver residents to get healthy, organic foods By KENDRA WONG creasingly popular because South Vancouver residents are con- cerned about the food they’re putting in their bodies. Home gardens allow gardeners to control the healthiness of crops and the amount of pesticides and chemicals used. H::: gardens are becoming in- “People are more concerned about their health, so they don’t want to go to the store and buy produce that they don’t know what’s being sprayed on them or if they’re being genetically modified,” said Amanda Jarrett, organ- ic master gardener course instructor. The prices at the stores are very expen- sive. It comes back to necessity.” Jarrett is one of many Lower Main- land residents who craft their own home gardens, growing a variety of plants such as potatoes, tomatoes and kale year-round. She thinks this trend of planting your own food will be tak- ing off in Vancouver. “A lot of people are really getting into it. The organic movement is really taking hold.” Foods from home gardens are also richer in flavour because natural sug- ars are retained, noted Jarrett. “That alone makes food taste better and more nutritious because it doesn’t have a long way to go,” Jarrett said. “When they pick it from the field, they have to truck it. Those sugars are diminished within the travel time and when it’s stored on shelves.” Peggy Harowitz, program coordina- tor of sustainable communities at Lan- gara, said home gardens also allow people to create a connection to the ori- gins of their food. “[People] have no concept or aware- ness of where their food comes from.” Ly Sa oto KENDRA WONG ph Amanda Jarrett, instructor, uses the Langara commu- nity gardens to teach her class about composting.