by Alexandra Fish,
Posted in on Monday, Oct 20
I went on a personal quest to find out what college students at SUNY Cortland think is difficult about eating healthy, especially in a college setting. I got a variety of responses ranging from, “I don’t have time to cook”, “I don’t have the money”, to “Eating healthy just isn’t a priority of mine.” I made the change from a junk food addict to a health nut. Eating healthy is so much easier than someone might think. Yes, everyone can do it. Not only are you going to feel better if you make the switch, you might lose some weight. I’m going to provide a few tips and tricks that might help out a college student who is looking to eat better. Implementing all of these methods might prove to be very difficult, so start slow and work your way up.
My first word of advice would be to cut out soda, even diet soda. There is nothing nutritious about it and it actually makes you hungrier. The sugar content of regular soda is really high and can make you slow and lethargic. It also creates an acidic environment in your stomach. Diet soda contains aspirtame, an artificial sweetener. Not only have certain studies shown that diet soda can actually cause weight gain, but there are a plethora of ailments that aspirtame is linked to. The word diet seems to validate the consumption of this very misleading product. Instead of having a soda with lunch, try a glass of ice water with lemon or orange. It can clear up skin and make you look thinner.
A friend told me, “I don’t drink a lot of water because it makes your body hold water weight.” Actually the opposite it true. If you drink enough water, your body doesn’t need to store that H2O in your cells. It will be shed constantly, along with the toxins that build up in your blood and muscles. So choose water over soda, you will feel much better and have more energy.
There seems to be a huge emphasis on eating breakfast lately and I couldn’t be more thrilled about that. Don’t skip breakfast because you will overeat later on in the day. The food people eat for lunch, if they skip breakfast, tends to be higher in fat and calorie content. If you eat breakfast, you will have a great deal of energy to get through your morning classes. I like to do my work in the morning, so I have a large breakfast that might consist of an apple, a yogurt, 2 slices of wheat toast with peanut butter and honey and a cup of green tea. All of this food is nutritious and I’m full for a very long time.
If you are eating in the dining hall or shopping for your off campus house, try to replace products with whole grain products, such as wheat or oat. They taste great and after eating them for a week, you won’t notice the difference. In fact, you might end up enjoying them more.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are so good for you. They can help prevent you from getting sick, fight cancer and heart disease and make you feel great. Why wouldn’t someone want to eat them? Every dining hall has fresh fruits and veggies readily available. Grab some when you can and have them as a snack when you get hungry. There is a Farmer’s Market on Main Street every Tuesday and Saturday from 8AM to 3PM until November. Support local markets and buy their delicious produce, honey, maple syrup and other great goods.
Next, try to limit the intake of high fructose corn syrup. It’s bad stuff because since the production cost is low, and it’s found in so many products, overconsumption is the main problem. This sugar is not recognizable by the body because it has been altered from its original state, and is converted into fat. Obesity and health problems are the result. When you are grocery shopping, check the labels of the things you are buying. It doesn’t take much time and you can check the fat and sodium content while you’re at it. Limiting corn syrup with definitely help you lose weight.
Junk food is great, it really is. I love pizza. Let me put that into perspective for you. I routinely ate pizza from our local pizza shop about 4 to 5 times a week last semester. Some would call that excessive and they are right. I still eat pizza, I just go less. It saves money and I’m not weighed down by all the grease and cheese. Limiting junk food is easy. Just make the conscious choice to choose something healthy. Going to the grocery store hungry does not help in making good healthy choices, trust me. If you limit junk food, chances are you won’t miss it because whole food tastes better. The chemicals in junk food trick your brain into thinking it tastes good. Cut out most of it and reward yourself with a treat every once and a while and you’re “golden. “
My last tip is the most difficult for people. Try to limit your intake of meats. Everyone loves meat. I love meat and I’m a vegetarian. I can tell you from personal experience, cutting out meat has made me a new person. I have so much more energy and I don’t get sick as often. Animals are routinely injected with hormones and antibiotics so they don’t die from the conditions that they live in. Although they are not dying, they are still sick and bathing in their own excrement. Hormones make an animal grow faster, which raises profits because more meat is shipped out as a result. As a meat consumer, you are eating the same hormones and antibiotics. You are also eating an unhealthy animal that has died months before you put it on the table. You don’t need to cut it out completely, just try to limit it and add more fresh produce and whole foods to your diet.
Switching to healthy foods is not expensive. My grocery bill is slightly higher than my roommates, but my food lasts longer. Implementing good habits now, could ensure good habits when you are out in the big working world. If you are money conscious, budget your food money and make a list before going to the grocery store. By doing this, you can eliminate unwanted purchases.
Eating healthier does not mean eat bad-tasting food. The few tricks I mentioned can turn around a diet. It doesn’t mean cutting out the food you love, it means just limiting them. They will taste even better if you don’t eat them all the time anyway. Replacing really bad foods with whole and organic foods with keep you from getting sick and give you more energy. No one wants to be sick during school. Couple that with a little exercise at the gym and you will never feel better. You mood with improve and your focus in school will be better. Eating healthy is a choice but you will be satisfied and happy with your commitment with in the end. Go into being a healthy person with an open mind and you will realize a whole new world.
I’ve included a couple great recipes. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Treats
2 cups of Raw Almonds, finely ground
1/3 cup Cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup Raisins
¾ cup Agave Nectar
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Put all “dry” ingredients in a bowl, stir
Add agave nectar and olive oil until you have a dough-like consistency.
You may not need all the nectar and olive oil
Roll into 2” balls. Refrigerate in sealed container.
Chocolate Girls
2 cups Raw Almonds, finely ground
½ cup Carob Powder
1/3 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional)
1 cup shredded Unsweetened Coconut
¾ cup Agave Nectar
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Put all “dry” ingredients in a bowl, stir
Add agave nectar and olive oil until you have a dough-like consistency.
You may not need all the nectar and olive oil
Roll into 2” balls. Refrigerate in sealed container.
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