Deciding to eat healthy can seem scary and sometimes impossible, especially for a busy college student surrounded by a seemingly endless supply of potato chips and candy bars. Congratulate yourself for being courageous enough to take the first step of towards a healthier lifestyle and start small.
Something as small as changing your snacking habits can help you to feel more in control of your health journey. Below are some of my top 8 snacks for busy students and how to make them; five for on the go and three for in the dorm.
On the go:
Skip the vending machine and opt for homemade goodies in sustainable containers
- Fruit Mix:
Need a little sweetness to start your day? Pack a container with your favorite dried fruits! My go to mix usually contains: Dried mango slices, banana chips, and lightly salted pumpkin seeds to add that pinch of salt to something sweet.
- Cuties Mini Oranges:
Here’s another sweet take on your busy day. Throw two or three easy to peel, no mess mini oranges into a container and be on your way. Those little oranges pack flavor and are so easy to transport in a heavy bookbag.
- Babybel Cheese and Crackers:
Have a shorter class but know you’ll be hungry by the end of it? Pack a few crackers and some Babybel cheese to hold you over until your next class.
- Granola/Granola Bar:
Grab a granola bar instead of a candy bar or fruit snacks from the vending machine. There are tons of healthy protein and probiotic filled granola bars at your local supermarket that will help you feel full without the added sugars, preservatives, and chocolate. If granola bars are too messy or you want to switch it up, grab some regular granola or peanut butter granola and put it in your nifty containers.
- Whole Grain Rice Cakes or Popcorn with a Banana
The pair may seem unlikely- but I promise they balance each other out. These two are my go-to for my busy Monday/Wednesday schedule. The rice cakes or popcorn are good on their own but having a banana in the backpack most times really saves the day when you’re not quite full yet. Bananas are also a great source of potassium!
In the dorm:
Its so easy to reach for the ramen or microwaveable mac and cheese after a long class, but there are better options that are just as easy and filling!
- Whole Wheat/Grain Bread, Peanut Butter and Banana:
Toasted or untoasted, spread some peanut butter on there and cut up the banana to top it off. These three items make for a very filling snack without the harsh preservatives and high sodium that’s found in microwavable foods. Also try and opt for whole grain instead of white bread to get the required amount of grains in your diet!
- Fruit Parfait:
Probiotic filled Greek yogurt with plain granola and a fruit of your choice is an easy way to throw together something that not only looks pretty but tastes great and is healthy too. My go to combination is vanilla Greek yogurt, sliced strawberries and bananas with plain granola to top it off.
- Oatmeal:
Good ole fashioned oatmeal is guaranteed to satisfy, especially on these cold winter days. This easy snack can be done in the microwave, you can even opt for almond milk instead of cows milk to cut down on dairy, if that is part of your health journey.
These small changes to your lifestyle can potentially kickstart something even bigger and redefine your views on healthy eating. Now get snacking!