By Kaleigh Garraffa
Eating healthy in college always tends to feel like an impossible task. Meal prepping is time consuming, grocery shopping seems like an unnecessary chore, and Rossi’s sandwiches seem to be a much more appealing option. While it may seem like a daunting task, eating healthier isn’t as hard as you may think. Here are five easy ways to incorporate healthy eating into your college life.
1. Eat more vegetables. You don’t need to eat a salad every meal to get vegetables into your diet. While french fries and pizza may seem like a good idea for every meal, try swapping them out for a wrap, burrito bowl, or even pasta with veggies. Adding more vegetables into your diet is an easy way to get more nutrients into your diet, leaving you feeling much focused and clear headed.
2. Eat healthier snacks. If after too many back-to-back classes you are famished, you are way more likely to grab something quick and easy, and probably fried or processed. Things like nuts, cheese, grapes, berries, and granola bars make great snacks that you can have on hand in a pinch. As an added bonus, you’ll spend much less money on food.
3.Cook at home.
You don’t need to make a gourmet meal; even just making pasta or a sandwich at home will often be a lighter option than eating out. By cooking at home you are controlling the amount of oils, cheese, condiments, and other heavy ingredients that are often used in meals.
4. Cut out midnight snacks, (at least on weeknights). After dinner, try to keep snacking to a minimum. Eating desserts, snacks, or even fried foods right before you go to sleep won’t give your body the chance to properly process the food. Your body is much more likely to store these calories as fat, instead of burning them as energy.
5. Drink more water! Most importantly, the easiest way to stay healthy in college is to make sure you’re hydrated. Not only will you feel more energetic and focused, but it helps keep your skin clear too!