Eating healthy sounds like another chore to college students, but being healthy in college is a must if you want to get through your four years in one piece. A healthy body translates to a healthy mind, which means more knowledge retention. If you’re loading up on a ton of sugary junk foods, then your energy levels are going to plummet. This is especially true if you’re not practicing good sleeping habits. If you’re serious about your college studies at Chicago State University, then it’s time to take your health just as seriously.
Here are four tips to help make eating healthier a breeze.
1. Don’t Look at Healthy Eating as Dieting
Dieting and eating healthy are definitely not the same. For one, dieting means counting calories and prohibiting yourself from eating at certain times. When you eat healthy, you don’t have to worry about counting calories or other restrictions. In fact, you can eat as much fruit and salads as you want without worrying about getting fat or sick. Of course, there’s a lot more you can eat other than fruit and salads. You can get very creative at mealtime, eating lentils, grains, oats, legumes and other fresh or cooked veggies.
2. Focus on What You Can Eat, Not What You Can’t Eat
You don’t want to create a sense of negativity when it comes time to eat. Rather than thinking about all of the foods you shouldn’t be eating, like processed foods, cakes, donuts and candy, start thinking about what you can eat. Focus on healthy food options that you actually like to eat. You should search around YouTube and Google to see if you can find any recipes that you can try.
3. Make Alternative Versions of Your Favorite Dishes
You don’t have to completely give up your favorite foods – just many of the ingredients used in them. All you have to do is substitute them. For instance, you can bake your own pizza using organic wheat, fresh tomatoes, organic sugar, organic cheese, mushrooms, sea salt, onions and peppers. You can find healthy alternatives for just about every delicious recipe out there.
4. Plan Meals Around Your Classes
Ordinarily, you would wake up and eat breakfast, take a break for lunch midday, then have dinner at a reasonable time. However, when your classes at George Washington University are clumped together in a six-hour window, this isn’t possible. This is why you need to create a schedule that will enable you to eat around your classes. This way, you don’t skip meals and have your stomach growling in the middle of a lecture.
As a bonus tip, you should try to keep your dorm or apartment stocked up with healthy snacks. Snacking is one of the biggest issues college students have. Late night study sessions and hanging out with friends usually means whipping out a bag of chips or a box of cookies. It’s fine to snack, just make sure you’re snacking on something that’s healthy. You can try granola bars, fruit, trail mixes, pretzels and baked chips with sea salt.
