How to Eat Healthy

Essay and photo by Janete Cavaleiro

As students, we have a busy life with classes, assignments, and studying, and sometimes we do not have time for healthy eating. Without food, nothing works in our body, especially our brain; therefore, you need to make sure that you have all meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are two different ways that you can eat healthy. First, you can select your own food in a supermarket or purchase it in a restaurant.

To choose a healthy food, you need to know what a balanced diet is. A balanced diet consists of carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta, and cereals), protein (chicken, fish, meat, and milk products), fresh vegetables, and fruit. The best energy source is carbohydrate, present in large amounts in pasta and bread; it is the main fuel for the brain, for it maintains the physical and mental strength of the body. You can find some good supermarkets in College Station that will provide you a healthy balanced diet such as HEB and Walmart. I usually buy at Walmart because I think it is cheaper. As an international student, sometimes it is difficult to find the ingredients that you are accustomed to, but there you can find several kinds of food. At Texas A&M University you do not have to worry about transportation. You can get easily to the supermarkets. You just have to know the nearest bus route to your house.

If you do not like to cook, or if it is not allowed to cook in your dormitory, you can go to a restaurant in this town. Here you will find a lot of places to dine; you just have to know how to select. I recommend you to go to Chipotle Mexican Grill if you like Mexican food; Denny´s is also a good place to go, for they serve great salads. In Pita Pit, you can find Arabic food. In Grub Burger Bar, you find tasteful and low fat burgers.

I know that not everyone has the possibility to cook, but if you do, try to prepare your own meal instead of eating outside. You can prepare a healthy meal and take it with you; that way you can save money and eat something that you like.