Limited budget, minimal access, and a time crunch play a huge role in the college diet, but there are a few hacks that can help you find the meals and snacks that will stimulate your mind and body during some of the best years of your life.
We all know the so-called staple of the college diet – ramen noodles. You’re in a hurry and you need a fast and easy food option to get you through an all-nighter or an endless day of classes.
This, however, is not the way to keep your body and mind at the top of their game.
Being healthy is an even balance between eating well and staying active. These two combined may seem like a daunting task but they can be done.
Here are some tips on how to improve your eating habits and healthy living routine through those hectic college years.
Prep Meals
This is the easiest way to ensure that you can have quick, easy and healthy meals throughout the week.
“I prep meals on Sundays for the whole week, mostly lunches, so I don’t eat out as often while I’m at work,” said Daniel Williams, and athletic trainer at the College of Charleston.
Williams can make a week’s worth of prepped lunches for $10 rather than spending that $10 just on eating out
Have on-the-go snacks
Having something to nibble on when you need that boost of energy is key.
“I am out of the house almost all day from about 7 in the morning until almost 6 in the evening, only coming home for about 15 minutes before practice, so having snacks or a packed lunch is crucial to me surviving my day,” says Beka Schiff, an exercise science major at the College of Charleston and a member of the varsity sailing team.
Researching the types of fruits, nuts, and veggies that can pack the most energy will be key in putting together on-the-go snacks.
Learn how to eat for your body type and lifestyle
It is very easy to overeat and not know it based on the amount of physical activity one takes part in every day.
Knowing the amount of food you need to consume from every food group is important. Overeating certain foods that you aren’t burning off can lead to weight gain or an unbalanced diet.
C of C’s athletic trainer Williams uses the TDEE equation put together by John Birardi to calculate the amount of food he should be consuming based on his lifestyle.
This formula calculates how many calories your body burns in a 24-hour period.
Stay active
This can be anything from doing crossfit to going for a short walk around the neighborhood.
Anything that gets you out of that desk chair and moving around will help your mood, your clarity of mind, and your focus. Once or twice a day will do the trick.
Deal with stress
Stress can be the biggest factor in a college student’s life, which can wreak havoc on your entire body. Stress can cause bad eating habits, bad skin, and a lot of unwanted tension.
Knowing your own stress relief remedies – and using them – is key.
Whether it’s burning a fantastic smelling candle and a bubble bath or going on a five-mile run, you just need to know how to deal properly wit those stressful times in your life.
All of these steps are very basic beginner steps that you can take to becoming a healthier and better you in so many ways.
-by Morgan Buckley
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