8
MIND WHAT YOU EAT
Passing examination or doing well academically is and can be influenced by the food we eat. A hungry man is often angry and this affects how he concentrates on his books.
First thing first, have food to eat. Most students in the third world face the dilemma of what to eat. Many go to school with empty stomach. I had my experience. Many times I went to school empty and observed that before it was noon, I was beginning to feel weak and tired. I couldn’t concentrate on studying as I should because my body refused to cooperate with my passion for my books. At the end my result showed the difference. From when my finance improved and I had food to eat when I wanted it, my concentration improved.
Here is what happens. When there is no food in our home, our mind wonders away each time because either the worms in the stomach are hurting or you are thinking of where to get the next meal. It’s a difficult scenario when this happens. This takes away our focus and concentration and distracts us such that reading or studying becomes a difficult task. To be a successful student, there must be food enough not just to eat but to be filled.
Becoming a successful student however does not just depend on eating food. We have to eat right. We are taught to eat balanced diet. Balanced diet is meal that contains all the six classes of food. It is sad however that most folks in the third world hardly afford quality meals that contain these classes of food. It is necessary to note that eating right may not cost so much. Students are often advised to take meals that contain so many vitamins and to avoid foods containing fats in order to spur up the development of the vital parts of the brain, the cerebrum.
Proteinous food also helps to develop tissues that help the body fight against diseases. It is necessary that the body develops tough tissues to develop antibodies against sicknesses that arrive as part of studying. Carbohydrate containing food helps the body to maintain strength to withstand tough reading times. Water is a necessity to allow the building of blood and the transportation of necessary vitamins and nutrients across the body. Salt is necessary to supply macro elements into the body as well as to stop the body from giving off too much water. It is necessary that we manage what we eat in order to allow our body the strength and capacity to develop.
Most times as students, we feel those who should eat right are those who come from well to do families or those who can afford it. Well, eating right is affordable. Everyone has each a piece of cloth, what we individually do is to cut it to our sizes. You can cook balanced meal with a dollar and some other person may have two to spend on one meal. Another may have three.
During my years at the university, I hardly cooked because I loved it fast. My friends however cooked and dined eating the best meals. I had more money than they did but they ate better balanced meals than I did because they knew what I never knew. I was always this guy on the move always thinking I had no time while my friends who were my classmates had all the time. I ate some of the best meals in their rooms while they never ate one in mine. I had more money, but they knew that eating right was a necessity to keep them going.
I always laughed at my peers then who gave their time to cooking and eating. I thought they never knew why they were in school. I thought that the university was for those who would devote 24 hours to their books. That wasn’t true however. Whoever had helped me develop that mentality was wrong. It was actually a poverty stricken mentality I had developed just because I was short of funds during my early days at the university.
I stayed with a cousin during my first year and he was the eating type. He loved to cook and he had no money to manage his food hunger. He always collected money from me and I didn’t like him much because he always talked so much about food like it was the most important deal in life. He would tell me that if he dies, his academic pursuit would be useless and that he could go ahead to get even higher degrees if he manages to get over today’s hunger. I thought he was insane but now I know he knew what he was talking about. After many years in the university and out, I know very well that our stomach has to be filled to make meaningful progress in life else we will be making two steps forward and five steps backwards.
Now I know I just have to eat to make my study meaningful and I know I don’t just have to eat but I have to eat right too.