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- by Charlotte King
- In Other
Posted July 13, 2015
How Vitamin D Can Improve Your Grades
As many of us know, what you eat impacts how you are - your energy levels, your stamina, a whole bunch of things. But did you know that one of the big things that lots of people lack in their diet is also one of the things that can make a huge difference to your studies?
Vitamin D is responsible for a variety of things, notably the ability to properly make use of calcium (it's not good drinking all that milk if your body can't process it, after all) and iron (which let's face it, students end up lacking all the time). Most importantly for postgrads though, it helps keep your immune system in brilliant condition, meaning you're less likely to get sick - and when you do get sick, you're more likely to recover quickly. Perfect way of reducing the stress of getting ill around important dates, right? In particular, it can help reduce your chances of getting the flu !
Most of our intake of vitamin D comes via sunlight - and let's face it, as postgrads you almost certainly don't get enough. Sunlight filtered through windows lacks the same benefits, so no amount of sunny hours in the library will make up for it. You can make it up via your diet - in particular, dark leafy greens are a great source, but that's just adding another thing onto your list of things to worry about when it comes to food shopping. Not to mention that living on a budget often makes it harder to get fresh, healthy food. You can take vitamin D supplements to avoid this - they're much easier to keep track of.
Generally, assessing your vitamin and mineral intake is a great way to help boost your postgraduate grades. Many issues you might encounter - lethargy, regular illness or irritability - can often be traced back to deficiences in your diet (though of course, if they feel pretty extreme, seeing a doctor is always a good plan). Vitamin D is the one we're highlighting since most people (especially those who spend their days indoors!) are almost certainly lacking in it, but it's worth watching out for others as well. For postgraduates in particular you want to watch:
- Omega-3, or, brain food! Found mostly in fish, omega-3 is the reason your parents probably tried to feed you fish liver oil as a child. Great for improving brain function, having good levels of this can help you study.
- Vitamin C - boost that immune system! Vitamin C is a great all rounder, keeping you healthy and alert (though it won't quite fix those all nighters, I'm afraid)
- Calcium - if you're anything like the students I know, when crunch time comes your health goes a bit out of the window. Calcium keeps your hair, teeth, bones and nails nice so even at your worst you won't feel too rickety.
In general, keeping on top of things like this is well worthwhile, as it's something you can easily take control of and one that can make a big difference to your health. Just remember: it's always better to add them in in your diet, rather than via supplements, if you can - it's easier to regulate that way!
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Vitamin D is responsible for a variety of things, notably the ability to properly make use of calcium (it's not good drinking all that milk if your body can't process it, after all) and iron (which let's face it, students end up lacking all the time). Most importantly for postgrads though, it helps keep your immune system in brilliant condition, meaning you're less likely to get sick - and when you do get sick, you're more likely to recover quickly. Perfect way of reducing the stress of getting ill around important dates, right? In particular, it can help reduce your chances of getting the flu !
Most of our intake of vitamin D comes via sunlight - and let's face it, as postgrads you almost certainly don't get enough. Sunlight filtered through windows lacks the same benefits, so no amount of sunny hours in the library will make up for it. You can make it up via your diet - in particular, dark leafy greens are a great source, but that's just adding another thing onto your list of things to worry about when it comes to food shopping. Not to mention that living on a budget often makes it harder to get fresh, healthy food. You can take vitamin D supplements to avoid this - they're much easier to keep track of.
Generally, assessing your vitamin and mineral intake is a great way to help boost your postgraduate grades. Many issues you might encounter - lethargy, regular illness or irritability - can often be traced back to deficiences in your diet (though of course, if they feel pretty extreme, seeing a doctor is always a good plan). Vitamin D is the one we're highlighting since most people (especially those who spend their days indoors!) are almost certainly lacking in it, but it's worth watching out for others as well. For postgraduates in particular you want to watch:
- Omega-3, or, brain food! Found mostly in fish, omega-3 is the reason your parents probably tried to feed you fish liver oil as a child. Great for improving brain function, having good levels of this can help you study.
- Vitamin C - boost that immune system! Vitamin C is a great all rounder, keeping you healthy and alert (though it won't quite fix those all nighters, I'm afraid)
- Calcium - if you're anything like the students I know, when crunch time comes your health goes a bit out of the window. Calcium keeps your hair, teeth, bones and nails nice so even at your worst you won't feel too rickety.
In general, keeping on top of things like this is well worthwhile, as it's something you can easily take control of and one that can make a big difference to your health. Just remember: it's always better to add them in in your diet, rather than via supplements, if you can - it's easier to regulate that way!
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