This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Notre Dame chapter.
The key aspect of the phrase “New Year” is, in fact, the word “new”. There is something quite romantic and enticing towards the concept of a fresh, clean slate. Perhaps that explains why so many individuals around the globe create a “New Years Resolution”. According to details.com, fourty-five percent of Americans typically set some sort of resolution. Furthermore, sixty-six percent of those individuals will set a fitness or health related goal for the year. Details also reports that almost seventy-five percent of Americans end up giving up on their resolutions.
Especially in college, setting a resolution for healthier eating can be difficult. Not only are most college students strapped for cash, but it is often hard trying to navigate cooking or visiting the dining hall when there are few options available and little time to accomplish the feeding task. I wouldn’t blame college students to give up because sometimes it’s too difficult to eat healthily when there are so many barriers.
One amazingly fast, inexpensive, and delicious breakfast/snack concept was recently featured in a Buzzfeed article. The article offers nineteen different recipes for overnight oats. According to the article, you fill a vessel (mason jars are their favorite) with equal parts rolled oats and a liquid. You also add any mixins (dried fruit, peanut butter, etc.), and then leave them sealed overnight in the refridgerator to enjoy the next morning.
Why oats? Aren’t we supposed to be cutting carbohydrates? Oats are actually a good type of grain. Accoriding to a website called About Health, oats are high in fiber, manganese, zinc, and selenium. They also contain a decent amount of protein, and from personal experience, are extremely filling. The website also mentions the positive effects of oats on cholesterol, bowel movements (go fiber!), the immune system, diabetes, and blood sugar levels. Combining oats with yogurt or milk will provide even more calcium and protein, while a juice will offer key vitamins that the body needs to stay healthy. One could even add in fresh fruit or nuts to help supplement the health benefits.
The trick to overnight oats is making it fast, easy, and conveniant for you!. You need to cater your own tastebuds and budget to what you will eat on a regular basis. I have personally fallen in love with eating my oats after my morning workout. Not only do they keep me very full throughout the day, but they are also delicioius! Here are some hacks that I have found when preparing my morning oats that will make it as convenient for you dorm dwellers as possible.
To begin, I would buy some disposible cups, Glad Press-N-Seal wraps, plastic spoons, and tape. The cups and spoons make it so that you do not have to wash your silverware after every use, or carry around a dirty cup/spoon with crusty oats all day. The Glad wraps allow for you to throw the oats in your backpack without having to worry if they will spill all over while also allowing for the air-tight environment they need. Finally, I like to personally tape my spoon to the outside of my cup, as I am very forgetful in the morning and typically will end up hating myself for forgetting to remember to bring a spoon.
Here is one inexpensive recipe I have found to thorougly enjoy, and have found the materials that are necessary to craft this masterpiece last a long time:
– 1 and 1/4 cups of oats
– 1 and 1/4 cups of fat free milk
– 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of chocolate chip morsels
– 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of dried cranberries
– 1/2 a tablespoon of honey
This tastes like a wet oatmeal cookie, which satisfies my sweet tooth, fills me up when I have the post-workout munchies, and keeps me full from 8am to 5pm when I get out of work.
If you’re like me and are worried about looking like a horse this summer (which I am perfectly sure you absolutely will not), then you need to eat like one. Try integrating oats into your New Years diet! Your body, dream board, and bowels will thank you!
HCND XO!