With the new year comes a new semester filled with promises of better grades and a renewed commitment to stop procrastinating. These hopeful beginnings inspire us to make resolutions to change our old habits or create new ones.
One common New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier, and on a college campus, it’s easy to fall under the spell of fast food options and the convenience they bring. Now that our accounts are overflowing with meal swipes and Flex dollars, here are some ways to stick to your resolution.
A good way to gauge what kind of changes you need to make in your diet is to track what you eat in a day. By keeping an account, you’ll be able to pinpoint specific weaknesses. Maybe you snack mindlessly throughout the day, or maybe you need to increase your protein consumption. Tracking what you eat allows you to evaluate your current diet and provides a starting point for improvement.
When trying to change your diet, a frequent obstacle is the number of meal options that are available on campus. To combat these distractions, it is important to plan ahead. Know what time, where and what you want to eat.
If you know you’re going to eat a wrap at Scooter’s later that night, get a salad from T’s for lunch. Repetition gets boring fast, and variations on where and what you’re eating will keep you satisfied with each meal. Creating a plan will help you to stay on track and away from the distractions that will halt your progress.
Speaking of distractions, the options available at the View on a daily basis can be overwhelming. Take a moment, survey the scene, and when in doubt, here are some good ideas for any meal, based on advice from college nutritionist Rachel Paul’s blog found at.
Breakfast: The omelette station is a great way to start your day. Eggs are high in protein and veggies have lots of nutrients! One of my personal favorites is scrambled eggs paired with whole wheat toast or bagel on Bagel Wednesday.
Salad Bar: Paul uses this formula for making a satisfying salad: 2 cups of greens (lettuce, spinach, etc.), 1 cup of veggies, 1 serving of protein, 100-200 calories of fats (¼ cup nuts, ⅓ cup cheese), 1 tbls dressing
Grill: A lean, high-protein choice is a grilled chicken breast. It’s also easy to pair with the salad bar. Paul suggests getting a burger (regular or black bean) and topping it with cheese, lettuce, and tomato.
Deli: Open faced sandwiches will keep your carb intake low, otherwise stick with lean meats, vegetables, and restrict the amount of dressing.
Taste of Italy: Don’t deny your cravings! If you want pizza, get some pizza and a side salad. The important thing is serving size and eating unhealthy foods in moderation.
Others: Try to hit each of the food groups, especially be sure to get protein on your plate.
At Scooter’s, a salad is always a good low-carb option, but other simple switches you could make include substituting crispy chicken for grilled chicken or the side of fries for fresh fruit.
Two important things to remember about overall health include hydration and gut health. There are water bottle refill stations all around campus, so get a reusable bottle that you love and keep it with you throughout the day.
According to the online blog Silver Sneakers, “a growing body of research shows your gut microbiome (the scientific name for the trillions of microorganisms living in your digestive tract) may play a role in almost every aspect of health, including: digestion, immunity, weight, heart health and even memory.”
Probiotics and prebiotics can rebalance the bacteria found in the gut and promote a person’s overall wellbeing. Foods high in probiotics include yogurt, soft cheeses like cheddar, gouda, or mozzarella, chickpeas, sour pickles and kombucha. Prebiotics can be found in blueberries, asparagus, green bananas, honey, legumes, oats, garlic and onion.
Here on campus, we Tommies have opportunities to eat healthier and promote our wellbeing. Whether we’re doing it to feel good or to look good, it’s all for the common good. Plus, who knows? Maybe if we improve our dietary habits, our grades will follow suit.
Kayla Mayer can be reached at maye8518@stthomas.edu