So, is the current diet of students in Ho Chi Minh City nutritious and healthy or is it restricted due to financial constraints?
Eat noodles economically because…
In previous years, Nguyen Lam Quoc Chien (21 years old), a student at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University, often chose to eat out because of its convenience and variety of choices. Then Chien gradually realized that this was the reason why he gained weight uncontrollably.
What are student meals like in Ho Chi Minh City today?
According to him, most of the food in restaurants is prepared using a lot of oil and spices. Besides, Quoc Chien often feels dizzy because of MSG in the food. Therefore, the student has started cooking at home to control his diet.
However, Chien said he still feels like he is not eating healthily and scientifically. "I only eat two meals a day, sometimes only at noon. Many times when I come home from school at night, I feel exhausted due to the low-carb diet. But then I choose to drink water instead of eating more because I am afraid that eating dinner will make me gain weight easily," Chien shared.
Chien also said that although he eats little, he is a "tea addict". The student often spends a lot of money on ordering water and afternoon tea with friends. According to Chien, "on average, I drink 1 to 2 cups a day, each cup costs from 50,000 to 70,000 VND. Therefore, there are months when I have a deficit in food money, so I have to eat noodles to save money".
Ngoc Khai drank coffee and bought an energy drink to stay awake while doing his homework.
Talking about his diet, Vo Ngoc Khai (19 years old), a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology, said that he often works on deadlines until very late at night, cannot wake up early to eat breakfast, so he often combines two meals into one for lunch, leading to eating late at night and often skipping meals.
"The amount of homework at school is large, so I apply this method continuously. The foods are also temporary like instant noodles, bread, food bought from convenience stores. Sometimes I am so hungry that I am so tired that I cannot eat, accompanied by symptoms of stomachache, headache, and mental exhaustion," Khai shared.
During the peak concentration period to do the test, Khai prioritizes drinking instead of nutritious food. Khai said: "Staying up late significantly reduces my productivity during the day. Therefore, I often drink coffee while doing the test. If I'm still sleepy, I have to buy more energy drinks to stay awake. After drinking, my heart beats faster and I concentrate better, while eating takes a lot of time and makes me sleepy."
Many students choose to eat at restaurants outside because it is convenient.
After that, Khai chose to "compensate" himself after this time with luxurious meals such as grilled meat buffets and sushi at restaurant chains. Khai was willing to spend more than half of his income even though he knew he had to "save every penny" for other expenses. However, this habit often made Khai fall into a situation of both laughter and tears, drinking coffee instead of rice to focus on his studies as well as save money on rent.
Had to go to hospital because of diet
Sharing with Thanh Nien reporter, Le Quynh Giao (18 years old) from Van Lang University, said that when she first came to Ho Chi Minh City to study, because she didn't know how to cook, Giao mainly bought pre-made dishes at convenience stores or street stalls. On days when she didn't go to school, she would order food delivery through the app or "go without food to stay healthy".
In addition, Giao said that he often goes out with friends: "Every time like that, my group of friends and I often choose snack shops, spicy noodles, milk tea to "have atmosphere" because eating healthy food is not suitable. Especially fried fish ball buffet, there are times when I eat 3-4 times/week".
However, after 3 months, Giao lost weight, had acne, digestive disorders, was tired and had frequent stomach aches. When Giao went to the hospital, she was diagnosed with stomach ulcers, had to take medication and change her lifestyle.
"Going to Ho Chi Minh City to study, just need to eat well, have enough nutrients..."
In contrast to Chien, Khai and Giao, Truong Thanh Long (19 years old), currently studying at a medical university in Ho Chi Minh City, said he strictly controls his eating habits. Accordingly, Long's "standard" for each meal is 30,000 VND, plus snacks, each day Long said he is allowed to spend 100,000 VND on food.
Long strictly manages his food spending.
The student kept a spending diary, managing his eating and living expenses.
"I follow the need to eat well and wear warm clothes, not to eat well and dress well, because I decided to go to Ho Chi Minh City to study, so I usually just need to eat well and have enough nutrients. In fact, I don't spend more than 100,000 VND on food every day, for example, in the morning I eat bread, vermicelli... about 15,000 VND or less, so at the end of the month I still have money left over for food, that amount of money can buy many "luxurious" meals", Long said.
Meanwhile, Long’s lunch and dinner are mainly rice portions costing 30,000 VND. The student said that the meals are filling, provide enough energy and nutrition for studying, so he is quite satisfied with his meals out.
"Basically, what I need is just energy, so a meal only needs to be full of carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, fiber and water. In fact, a 30,000 VND meal ensures all the nutritional groups I have listed, and is rarely lacking. Most of the time, if it is lacking, it is lacking soup, but if it is lacking, I can just drink water to make up for it," Long said.
Long was satisfied with his meal.
To manage his spending well during his student years, Long also kept a "spending diary" every day. Thanks to this diary, the young man said he never had to "eat pork ribs in the morning, and soy sauce in the afternoon", but instead saved money in a "public secret fund" to use in necessary cases.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/che-do-dinh-duong-cua-sinh-vien-o-tphcm-dau-thang-com-suon-cuoi-thang-com-nuoc-tuong-185241029103537893.htm
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