If you’re anything like me, a college student juggling a busy schedule, making time for your physical health is not always easy. As someone who has struggled with chronic illness, I have become a self-proclaimed gut health enthusiast. However, mustering the energy and finding time to cook for yourself can be challenging.
When looking for quick and easy food between classes, clubs and job interviews, I focus on three criteria: Is it fast, does it have some gut-healthy component and is it cute? In my experience, having been on my health journey for over three years, it is essential to be excited about what you make; hence the cuteness factor.
Now, why even prioritize gut health in your diet? How much does it matter? For everyone, but college students in particular, cultivating the gut microbiome is so important.
What happens in our gut dictates the health of the rest of our body. Poor gut health can lead to issues like breakouts, bloating and inflammation, mental health decline and trouble focusing, not to mention the discomfort of stomach pain. These symptoms do not bode well for success, academically or otherwise. There is no time or energy left to deal with the effects of poor gut health on top of the bustle and demands of college life.
So, what even are gut-healthy foods? There is so much information out there about probiotics, prebiotics and other nutritional supplements that it can be hard to know where to start. In my personal gut health journey, I try to prioritize fermented foods with natural probiotics (pickling my own ginger, yogurt, kefir, kimchi, etc.) and foods with known gut benefits that can support overall health. This includes protein sources like chickpeas and beans, veggies like cauliflower, asparagus and beets, as well as foods where preparation matters, like rice (cooking, cooling and reheating activates health benefits) or apples (they release pectin when cooked, which is amazing for supporting a healthy gut).
This is a lot to think about. Beginning a gut health or wellness journey can seem super overwhelming, but here are three recipes I have honed for quick, easy, cute and nourishing foods.
Onigiri: These are essentially filled rice balls shaped into triangles. There are only a few base ingredients, but the fillings are largely customizable. Start with rice (optionally seasoned with furikake, mirin and ginger powder), and press a base layer into an onigiri mold or shape it with damp hands. Add the filling and top it with more rice, then mold the onigiri into a triangle. Finally, wrap them in a sheet of nori (seaweed), and they’re ready to eat or store for later! In terms of fillings, there are endless combinations that can be customized to suit your own taste. Personally, I tend to go for spicy tuna, egg salad, cooked proteins like chicken or pork, kimchi or umeboshi (pickled plum). While these fillings vary, I find that bonito fish flakes pair well with most of them, aside from the pickled plum. Onigiri are one of my favorite quick snacks to make and are definitely one of the cutest ways to prioritize wellness for gut health girls!
Spam musubi: Similarly to onigiri, these little snacks are adorably molded combinations of rice and toppings. To begin, I first slice my can of Spam into about quarter-inch-thick slices. The slices are then fried and cooked in a simple mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. I also love adding garlic, onion powder, sesame seeds, ginger powder and green onion for extra flavor. After prepping the rice, Spam and optionally a simple egg omelet, it is time to assemble everything. I love using a musubi mold; it makes the process a bit easier and cuter, but assembling using the Spam can works just as well for girlies looking to save kitchen space and money. To assemble, I layer the spam beneath the egg and rice, then push down to mold the rice into the shape of the musubi. After removing them from the mold, I wrap them in a small sheet of nori and either eat them or cover them in plastic to save for later.
Sheet pan dinner: Snacks are great for between classes, clubs and studying, but nourishing yourself with a proper dinner at the end of the day is even more important! It’s not always easy to dedicate time or energy to making a meal, so this is perfect for when you just want to pop something in the oven and have dinner ready with minimal effort.
To begin, I chop my chosen veggies for the night. For this dish, I love to go with potato, cauliflower and broccoli, but you can swap in anything based on preference. Once everything is chopped and ready, I toss it onto a sheet pan with garlic, onion powder, paprika and za’atar seasoning. I pop this in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees while I do homework, chat with my roommates or scroll on social media. When the time is up, I serve the veggies over a plate of beet hummus (either DIY or the Ithaca brand from Whole Foods), olive oil and a bit of extra za’atar. I love to pair this with some naan for dipping, though it’s definitely optional. This dinner is awesome not only for the gut health girlies but also for anyone looking to save time, prioritize veggies or explore non-meat protein alternatives.
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed with all the nutrition advice out there, but focusing on gut health doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With cute, simple and customizable meals, maintaining a healthy gut can be both fun and practical, even for those in a time crunch. Finding small ways to incorporate gut-healthy foods into your diet can help reduce the physical discomfort of poor gut health while also boosting energy and mental clarity. While it may be true that hot girls have stomach issues, that doesn’t mean we can’t prioritize gut wellness!