1. Call in the subs for your usual snacks
When you go grocery shopping this week, think twice when you reach for a bag of potato chips or candy for your daily snacks. If they’re not in your house you cannot eat them. Instead, grab a bag of baby carrots, sugar snap peas or bell peppers and a container of hummus. If hummus isn’t your thing, try adding half of a dry Ranch packet to a container of plain (not vanilla – plain) Greek yogurt for a veggie dip. (Hot tip: add sriracha to the ranch dip for a kick.)
2. Measuring cups
If there is one tool I rely on to keep myself from accidentally overeating, it’s measuring cups. I use measuring cups for everything; cereal, granola, olive oil, fruit, you name it. Once you become aware of how much you’re consuming it can be really eye opening. If I eyeball a bowl of cereal I probably eat twice as much as if I measure it out.
P.S. no matter how good you think you are at eyeballing a single serving out of a family size bag, trust me you’re not.
3. Stop drinking juice…*
*As a replacement for eating fruits and vegetables. In the juicing process, the skin and pulp of fruits and vegetables are lost, leaving you without the fiber of whole fruit. Juice is high in sugar and calories and often lacks vitamins found in whole fruit. Although some juice does contain vitamins that are found in fruits, it is not a good replacement for consuming whole fruits and vegetables. Whole fruit will keep you full longer and is more nutritious. If you love juice, you don’t need to cut it out of your diet but practice moderation and make sure you know how much you’re drinking a day. You would be amazed at how quickly your daily calories can add up from beverages alone.
4. Use smaller plates
It’s amazing how much more food you FEEL like you’re eating when your plate or bowl is heaping full, compared to a large dinner plate that’s half empty. I love using custard cups for things like ice cream and cottage cheese, and standard shot glasses for things like peanut butter. (Yes, they do have more than one use.)
5. Bring your own snacks to campus
Save money and calories, talk about a win-win. There are nutritious options on campus but lets be honest, are you going to grab the five dollar veggies and dip cup or are you going to change your mind last minute and get twice as much food for the same price at Taco Bell? Buy a box of snack size baggies and measure out snacks as soon as you get home from the grocery store so they’re ready to grab-and-go. Some great snacks for campus include: nuts, dried fruit, string cheese, granola, oranges, bananas, apples, and my go-to favorite: Lara bars. Lara bars are made of dates, fruit, nuts and seasonings.
6. The weekend…
It would be completely unrealistic for me to suggest that a bunch of college students stop drinking… However, you can drink in moderation and rethink what you order at the bar. A vodka club soda is known for being one of the best choices when it comes to a night out. Add a lime or a splash of cranberry juice to liven it up a little. Even though it contains absolutely no nutritious value, it comes in under 100 calories. A long island iced tea can contain up to 800 calories and is usually loaded with sugar and other flavorings. Keep it simple and don’t overdo it.
7. Eating Out
For me, eating out is always a treat. I don’t go out to eat often so when I do I usually don’t choose my meal based on its nutrition. However, if you eat out frequently it is a very important thing to consider. At the very least, it would be great to substitute the side of french fries with veggies or a side salad. Not only is this healthier, you will probably leave feeling much better and will have more energy throughout the day. A burger and fries always feels like it weighs me down for the whole day. Even if you are going out just for apps with friends, get a side salad first. This will fill you up a little so you don’t eat as much deep-fried junk.
8. Try New Things
Most of us are guilty of getting the exact same foods every time we go to the grocery store. As college students, it can be extremely difficult to grocery shop for just one person without wasting a lot of food, but eating the same stuff all the time gets boring. Every time you go shopping try to switch out one usual thing for something new. If you usually get chicken, try lean beef. If you usually get bread for sandwiches try whole grain pita pockets. (Right now I’m obsessed with stuffing pita pockets with salad.) Making small changes can allow for some new things in your diet without the risk of wasting a lot of food. You can also introduce some healthier alternatives to your usual meals during this process.
9. Half of your plate fruits and veggies
There’s a lot more to a balanced diet than this alone, but just try it for a week. At least once a day (for starters) make sure that your plate is half-full of fruits and/or veggies.
10. Quit the guilt trips
So you went to a friend’s house for one glass of wine and ended up binge-watching Netflix, polishing off a bottle and eating half of a pizza. Don’t get down on yourself. Calling it a “cheat” day implies that you’re doing something wrong. If you’re eating balanced the majority of the time there’s nothing wrong with enjoying yourself. Your eating habits should never affect your ability to socialize (or be a typical college student).
*Wine and pizza should be consumed in moderation.