Purposeful Body

Purposeful body refers to purposeful practices and self-care that promote physical wellness, growth, and fulfillment. To function optimally, your body needs proper nourishment, hydration, physical activity, and sleep. A purposeful body involves learning what it takes to get healthy and what small changes you can make to your daily routine that will have a dramatic impact on how you feel now, as well as your overall health.

Eat to Nourish

Many college students do not adhere to healthy eating habits despite the fact that nutritious eating has been robustly associated with:

• increased energy levels
• improved concentration and performance in school
• improved ability to handle stress
• Improved immune health
• long-term health benefits

According to Max Lugavere (2020), a health and wellness scholar, and author of The Genius Life, as a society, it is extremely difficult to avoid today’s packaged, ultra-processed foods that are densely loaded with empty calories and inflammatory chemicals. These foods are appealing because they are convenient and delicious, but if we want to cultivate a healthier brain and body, we must end our addiction to hyper-palatable foods. Lugavere (2020) stresses that a person’s food choices can either support or combat lethargy, malaise, and disease.

Moreover, according to Lugavere (2020), it’s not a secret that food companies have created formulas that create highly palatable food and drinks to increase their sales. Moreover, these foods are deprived of crucial nutrients that are added back in later, usually in low-quality, synthetic forms.  Foods that are hyper-palatable, such as junk foods or packaged foods, are those that are so enjoyable that they are difficult or impossible to eat in moderation. Whenever possible, eat single-ingredient and seasonal foods.  The ingredients in real foods are the ingredients themselves (Lugavere, 2020).

Brain Foods

“Every meal is another opportunity to turn it all around” ~ Max Lugavere

As described by Lugavere (2020), the foods below will arm your brain with the nutrients necessary to not only produce healthy new brain cells, but also protect it against the many stressors you will encounter throughout your academic journey.

Cost of Food

It’s a common misconception that healthy foods are more expensive. 

With a little planning, they can actually be more affordable. A team of researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (Rao et al., 2013) analyzed the data and came up with a rough answer of how much more it would cost to purchase health foods: about $1.50 extra per person per day. Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health (2013) estimated that was the difference between a nutritious diet rich in fruit, vegetables, nuts, fish, and other forms of healthy protein, compared to a diet filled with ultra-processed foods that are densely packed with empty calories.  Also take into consideration the long-term financial savings associated with healthy eating, such as a decreased chance of serious and expensive chronic diseases as one ages (Lugavere, 2020).

Tips to keep your grocery bill low while eating healthier (Griffin 2017):

• Compare your options, and pay attention to portion size. Sure, a big bag of chips costs less than a bag of apples, but before you grab the bag of chips, think about how many snacks you’ll get out of it.
• Plan before you shop. Tell the truth:  Have you ever gone on a health kick, but a cartful of fruits and vegetables, and then left them to rot in your fridge’s crisper drawer? The best way to avoid that is not to impulse buy. Plan your meals before you go, so you’ll know exactly what you need.
• Select grass-fed ground beef and lamb over steaks.  They were less expensive. Per serving, protein is probably one of the most expensive foods on your shopping list.
• Buy in season. Don’t just keep getting the same fruits and vegetables year round.
• Go frozen. When the fruits and vegetables you want aren’t in season, then buy them frozen. In many ways, you can get just as much nutrition out of frozen produce as you can out of fresh.
• Lugavere (2020) recommended shopping at wholesale supermarkets and getting frozen food from online stores.  He gave options ranging from grass-fed beef and wild fish to fresh produce.
• Lugavere (2020) also suggested buying organic whenever you eat something that has “skin.” He explained that avocados and citrus can be conventional, but berries, apples, leafy greens, and bell peppers, should be organic whenever possible.

Water and Nutrition

As mentioned in the video, your health also depends on drinking enough water every day.

Researchers have discovered that water consumption improves cognition. The effects of dehydration on cognitive performance and mood are negative for both adults and children (Pross, 2017). In recent studies, drinking more water has been linked with improved cognitive performance on memory and attention tests (Edmonds, 2012).

Lugavere (2020) explained that to stay hydrated, a general guideline for how much water you need to drink is to have a cup of water upon waking and to continue drinking water throughout the day to ensure your urine is clear or light yellow at its darkest.  Additionally, drinking drink water-based foods such as soups, broths, and decaffeinated teas lower your water requirement, as can consuming fruits and vegetables which are high in water (Lugavere, 2020).

Tips to drink more water (CDC, 2021):

• Carry a water bottle with you and refill it throughout the day
• Freeze some freezer-safe water bottles.  Take one with you for ice-cold water all day long
• Choose water over sugary drinks
• Serve water during meals
• Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water. This can help improve the taste and help you drink more water than usual

Resources

Throughout the valley, there are a variety of resources for nutritious food, such as community gardens and organizations that provide food and meals.  In fact, some MCCCD colleges also have community gardens and food pantries on campus that are accessible to students. Here are some resources for food assistance and healthy eating on a budget.

• MCCCD Food Resources Page
• Community Gardens in the Phoenix-metro area
• SNAP Nutrition Assistance
• Healthy Eating on a Budget