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| EXACTLY!!! |
As you guys know I AM in Culinary school so food is my freakin LIFE.
I blame Mama [my grandma], she's the whole reason why I love to cook so much ;)
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| hahahaha!!! |
But the ONE thing I find VERY difficult, especially being a college student, is finding good, cheap, HEALTHY foods to eat...
...cause we all know that if it ain't fries and burgers from the caf [or Five Guys ;) ], that we're scarfin down Oodles of Noodles or SOME type of Chef Boyardee/Campbell's product. -__-
Back when I was at my first college, I was unaware that those cheap, processed foods are soo bad for us! But, unfortunately, when you're on a budget you gotta do what you gotta do...which is the story for most of us college kids now.
I PERSONALLY know that, due to how most of our schedules are, MOST of us don't find the time to eat breakfast...and if we DO, it's usually some coffee or a Poptart or something.
So...
TIP#1: EAT BREAKFAST !!
They don't say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day for nothin!
Breakfast helps to kick start your metabolism and revs up your brain to retain information throughout the day. It also keeps you alert in class [unless it's boring as hell -_-] and allows you to not feel so sluggish through the day.
One thing I recommend is buying some bagels/bread & Peanut butter and Jelly to make a quick lil sandwich in the morning, or buying breakfast bars, trail mix, dry cereal, microwaveable oatmeal or some canned fruit. Cause there ARE times where we wake up 10mins before class starts and we don't have time to stop at the caf or Starbucks to grab somethin right quick; this way you'll have your own stash ;)
If your dorms are sketchy about having microwaves and/or fridges in the rooms (like my last school was) you might wanna stick to the breakfast bars, trail mix and cereal you like to eat dry. AND if you wanna heat up your bread/ bagel, wrap it in some foil FIRST, then grab that iron, turn that sucker on High/ Cotton, or WHATEVA your setting is and toast it until it's brown...i'd say about 3mins per side [yeah, we get ghetto up in here] ;)
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| Make healthier decisions!! |
At my last school, we didn't have a salad bar like my recent school does; we had pre- prepared salads that weren't fresh, they BARELY served us vegetables/fruit, and all we had was soda and juice to choose from.
The menu choices were bad for us [pizza, wings, burgers, etc..] but we had no choice but to eat it. When I tell you, that mess catches up with you...FAST! At one point I was eating Buffalo Wings and fries EVERY.DAY. Can you say constipated??
T.M.I I know, but it's the truth!
This is what some of us go through at certain colleges that don't give us healthy options: we get fat, we can't poop, and we get sluggish & cranky... -__-
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| Student at Univ. of Arkansas petitioning for real food |
TIP#2: GET YOUR MONEY'S WORTH
If you're in a predicament such as this and you find yourself wanting healthier choices, try to make a suggestion to the head of the caf, or even the president of the school.
This is YOUR money they're using...you are allowed to make suggestions and demand healthier food choices because YOU'RE paying THEM. They aren't paying you.
Meanwhile, if you have money, go to your local grocery store/ marketplace and get some fruits that you know you love to eat. If you're one of those ppl that doesn't like eating fruit, try V8 Splash or V8 Fusion...they're freakin delicious! And they give you the nutrients you need from fruits AND vegetables, without you having to eat them :)
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| This is what we look like most of the time..lol, |
At this stage of our lives where we're claiming our independence and learning how to be on our own, we need to learn how to take PROPER care of ourselves because no one else is gonna do it for us. That's one of MANY things I realized while being on my own. One benefit of being in Culinary school is that they make us so aware of processed foods and how bad they are for us...it's REALLY eye-opening and gut wrenching because you sit there and listen to/read/watch what they're saying..and in your mind you think.."I was putting THAT in my body???" *barf face*
Being in college, we like cheap, fast food that we can eat on the go and be satisfied until our bellies start interrupting our teacher during lecture with their loud, obnoxious growling...
..but little do we know what that food goes through and, in return, what it puts our BODIES through. If I had known 10 years ago what McDonald's does to their food...I would have neva wanted to see another Happy Meal in my LIFE. Foreal guys...it's THAT scary!
TIP#3: KNOW YOUR FOOD AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR BODY
A book series I will NEVER stop recommending is Eat This, Not That.
I freakin LIVE by this book!!
It shows you regular old grocery foods/fast food foods/ foods you can prepare yourself...
...and it compares them to better, HEALTHIER options, either by that same brand, company or store!
The best part about it is that..you don't even have to buy the book [I know some of us are a lil short on change ;) ] You can go right to the website RIGHT HERE
...or
The site is full of slideshows and stuff, so it's not a whole bunch of reading like the book is, but it's FULL of basic, useful information that we can all apply to our lives.
And I'm PRETTY sure they have an app for iPhones/iPods and Android phones so you can have it wherever you go!
You
don't have to give up on the cheap fast or processed foods, but it IS
important that you limit the intake and make the healthier choice.
So go online and look up some info and facts...it's a lil time consuming, but the info is soooo helpful. It'll help you stay healthy without busting your wallet...who doesn't want THAT??
Some websites I recommend:
Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own any of these pictures. No copyright infringement intended
