Omesh Saini reads the nutritional information on the cereal box at Safeway in Calgary on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Saini went for his routine groceries, where at the cereal aisle he found an interesting looking cereal box but upon reading, he was shocked to see the amount of sugar in it. (Photo by Uddamveer Singh/The Press)
Immigrating to another country is not an easy task.
Adapting to a different culture, dealing with homesickness, and finding means to survive are some of the many challenges immigrants face. Along with learning a new language, they must also adapt to a new diet.
“I think that is something that a lot of the students struggle very often,” said Brinda Rao, a registered dietician in Calgary.
Many students grow up with their parents preparing meals for them, meaning they don’t have adequate cooking skills when they arrive.
“When you (students) came from India at home, you know, you had a whole slew of support staff at home.” she said.
“So, mom had the cook, you know, vegetables are brought at home. So, food was prepared by somebody else and it was served directly to you. A lot of the students may not have those basic cooking skills and when they come here, they're struggling, and foods are different here.”
The struggle students have to go through resonates with Rao as she grew up in India and later immigrated to Canada.
On comparing the nutritional content in pancakes and aloo paranthas, both are considered breakfast options in Canada and India. It is found the latter is nutritionally better than the pancakes, with providing more dietary fibers, fats and protein and other micronutrients when served with a cup of dahi (yoghurt).
Many international students who follow a vegetarian diet find it difficult to sort through food products that may contain eggs or meat but are not directly labelled. It can be written in the ingredients, but many students tend to ignore those while shopping in a hurry.
“Back in India, the product has the red mark for the food that contains the egg, the non-vegetarian one and the green mark for the vegetarian product, but here in Canada, I face a lot of difficulties,” said Omesh Saini, an international student from India at SAIT.
Saini said he ran into an issue recently after buying a treat from Safeway.
“I came home and just started eating the cookies and then I accidentally saw that on the package, it contains the egg yolk and non-vegetarian thing,” he said. “And I saw there was no mark on that cookie package, and I feel so regret because I have an allergy of egg.”
Many International students work at fast food joints like McDonalds, Wendy’s, KFC, and Domino’s. A lot of the food places they work in provide discounted or free meals, which students choose to eat regularly, leading to health issues like weight gain, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Sukhpreet Kaur, also an international student from India at SAIT, shared her experience working at a pizza place.
“It just totally changed my diet because when I work over there, I get a free meal.” she said. “So, I take advantage of that. As a student I didn't get a time to cook at home, every day in my dinner I eat a pizza. I get some health issues during that time.”
Kaur says she went to see her doctor but wasn’t happy with the advice.
“He just told me to avoid that food because the problem which I'm facing is just because of that fast food,” she said.
Rao names some of the nutritional deficiencies, which are common in the international students.
“One of the things that I find is students or mostly general, the general population, there's a huge, you know, lack of eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, even, you know, some protein.” she said.
“People don't adequately consume dairy. So, on a regular basis. What happens is this can lead to, you know, a variety of deficiencies. I see a lot of iron deficiencies. I see, you know, a lot of people with constipation issues.”
Staying within a limited budget and going for healthier alternatives and choices can become worrisome for students. According to research by University of Guelph in 2020, 53% of the university’s food bank users were international students.
Rao suggests some budget friendly and healthier options for students.
“Cut frozen vegetables that are available. You have both the local vegetables, things like broccoli and carrots and peas.” She said.
“But you also have the traditional South Asian vegetables like okra, which is bhindi. You want to look for bread with at least three grams of fiber and for protein. For students who, you know, who have no time to cook, the canned products are there. canned chickpeas, canned black beans, and it's cheap.”
A balanced diet is a must for not only students but for everyone. Health is wealth, an old saying which stands true to date and will be true forever.
Omesh Saini shopping for his weekly groceries at Safeway in Calgary on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. Saini is an international student from India, He is looking for some healthier snacks but is looking quite confused and puzzled. (Photo by Uddamveer Singh/The Press)