The Trouble with Ramen

Ramen Noodles have long been a staple food among college students.  There’s simply nothing better than a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup that costs you virtually nothing to make.  Unfortunately, Ramen Noodles are not a particularly healthy meal choice.  Each package contains 370 calories and 12 grams of fat (including 6 grams of unhealthy saturated fat).  It’s also loaded with 54 grams of carbs, which wouldn’t be so bad if these were from whole grains and included some fiber.  The worst part, though, is that one bowl of Ramen 1,960mg of sodium.  That’s about how much salt you should consume in a single day, but packed into one meal.

So, next time you’re craving a bowl of chicken noodle goodness, reach for one of these better-than-Ramen alternatives:

Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle Soup (1 cup) – 110 calories, 2g fat, 480mg sodium, 3g fiber, 7g protein

50% Less Sodium Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup (1 cup) – 90 calories, 1.5g fat, 470mg sodium, 1g fiber, 7g protein

Campbell’s Low Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup (1 single-serve container) – 130 calories, 4.5g fat, 120mg sodium, 2g fiber, 9g protein

Snacking Smart: Great Study Snacks

For college students, snacking and studying go hand in hand.  Unfortunately, the snacks usually chosen by the hungry studier are chips, cookies, and other unhealthy options.  So, before you dive into a bag of Doritos while cramming for organic chem, take a look at this list of more nutritious snacks.

Veggies & Hummus – Choose crunchy veggies like carrots and celery and dip them in a few tablespoons of hummus.  Crunchy foods can actually help you stay focused!  Don’t like hummus?  Try a bit of salsa or plain Greek yogurt.

Dry Cereal – When you need something easy to munch on, this is a great choice.  Choose a variety that’s low in sugar and packed with whole grains (cheerios are my favorite).  Just make sure you pour the cereal into a bag or bowl, otherwise you might eat the whole box.

Popcorn – A single-serving bag of 94% fat-free popcorn is the perfect substitute for a bag of chips.  Salty, buttery, and you can eat a huge portion of it without doing diet damage.

Apple & Peanut Butter – Cut an apple into slices and enjoy it with no more than 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.  The mix of carbs and protein are gre4at to keep your mind focused and fight fatigue.

Tuna & Wheat Crackers – 4 oz. of tuna spread on a few crackers can help power your brain through a long study session.  The healthy fats in tuna are actually great for your mind!

Bring it Home: Staying Fit on Breaks

Right now, most college students are home for the summer.  While that means a welcome respite from classes and dining hall food, it also means no more free gym or easy-access salad bar.  Sure, it might be tempting to fill up on Mom’s home-cooked pasta and meatballs, or go out with old friends for some ice cream, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t end after finals.  If you’ve made a commitment to being fit, that commitment should be year-round.  So, stay active this summer and maybe cook up some healthy meals for your family.  Here are my top tips for staying in shape off-campus.

Join a Gym – Many gyms offer reduced summer membership fees for students.  You may even get a free consultation with a personal trainer.  Pick a gym that suits your exercise style and schedule, and make a commitment to go.

Become a Chef - One way to ensure you eat healthy at home is to become the family cook.  Pick some healthy, easy recipes to start, and wow your household with some tasty dishes.  Some of my favorite recipe sites are myrecipes.com and recipezaar.com.

Take a Class – If you join a gym, check to see if they offer any fun classes like kickboxing or yoga.  Not a gym member?  Check your local community center for summer fitness classes.  You can also join a summer dance program.  Most dance schools offer summer classes for kids and adults.

Enlist a Friend (or Relative) – Finding a workout buddy at home will help you stay on track.  Grab a friend and head to the gym, take a walk, go for a bike ride, or play a sport.  If you can’t convince any friends to break a sweat with you, try your family.  I joined a gym with my mom.  We travel there together, but workout separately.  It motivates me to go, and is helping her lose weight and conquer some health problems.

Get Fit at Home - When all else fails, make your home your gym.  Its low-cost and easily accessible!  You can pick up some fitness DVDs or find workout videos online to get you started.  Investing in some free weights, a yoga mat, resistance bands, or an exercise ball can help you firm up more efficiently.  You may also want to subscribe to one of the many exercise magazines out there.  They always have great at-home workout routines.

Go Outside – Its summer, which means the weather is perfect for some outdoor activity.  Go for a bike ride, run around the block, take a hike, or hit the pool for some laps.  All of these are great cardio activities.  If you live near the water, take your workout to the beach.  Walking or running on sand burns extra calories, and beach sports like surfing or volleyball are excellent ways to workout.  Even a little bit of activity will make a difference.  Take a walk, volunteer to mow the lawn, water the plants; whatever you can to keep active.  Just be sure to practice summer sun safety (wear sunscreen!).

Surviving the Delivery Guy: Healthy Take-Out Choices

College students love delivery food. It’s quick, cheap, easy, and, most importantly, not from the dining hall. Unfortunately, most options brought straight to your door are not particularly healthy. So, am I suggesting you turn down your roommate’s offer to get Chinese? Absolutely not! Just make sure you indulge intelligently. Pick healthier options and the delivery man will not be bringing you extra pounds.

Chinese Food

Tip #1 – Avoid fried food! This means say no to the sweet and sour chicken and fried won-tons. Instead, try and pick steamed options (steamed dumplings are my favorite) loaded with vegetables.

Tip #2 – Limit the sauce. Most Chinese food comes bathed in a high-salt, high-fat sauce. Ask for your sauce to be delivered on the side and use it sparingly.

Tip #3 – Choose your rice wisely. Chinese food inevitably includes a heaping portion of rice. Try and remember that 1/2 cup of rice is a healthy serving (that’s around 1/4 of a pint). Also, definately avoid the fried rice, and, if possible, choose brown instead of white.

Mexican

Tip #1 – Hold the cheese. Full-fat, melted cheese is a staple of many Mexican options and is loaded with saturated fat. Pick a cheese-free meal, or ask them to skip the cheese on your taco.

Tip #2 – Go soft. Crispy tortillas and chips usually have more fat and salt than their softer siblings. So, choose a soft tortilla and skip the nachos.

Tip #3 – Watch the toppings. Sour cream is a bad choice for topping off your meal. It adds lots of unnecessary calories and fat. While guacamole is made from healthy avocado, only a very small amount (a couple of tablespoons) is considered a healthy portion. Your best option is to choose fresh salsa or a little hot sauce.

Italian

Tip #1 – Say “No” to parmigiana. Dishes that come breaded are always a poor choice. Breadcrumbs contain processed carbs and salt, and fat is usually added during the breading process (from eggs or milk).

Tip #2 – Watch your portions. If you are going to get pasta (and most of us do), be careful how much you eat. Most places give you three or more servings in one dish. So, share with a friend or save some for lunch. If possible, try and get whole-wheat pasta, or skip the pasta entirely and choose something else. Wraps and sandwiches on whole-wheat bread can be a great choice, or order a meat dish with a side of vegetables.

Tip #3 – Avoid fatty sauces. Alfredo, vodka, meat, and cream sauces have tons of excess fat and calories. Stick with marinara or clam sauce on your pasta. Garlic and oil is also a decent option, but be aware of how much oil is used.

Pizza

Tip #1 – Go thin. Choose thin-crust pizza and your meal gets a lot lighter and healthier.

TIp #2 – Skip the meat. Pick vegetable toppings to make yourself a healthier pie.

Tip #3 – Share. Ordering a personal pie means you’re likely to eat the whole thing. Instead, split a medium pie with a few friends and stop after two slices.

Eat Breakfast! It Matters.

I know it sounds like a cliche, but breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. This is especially true for college students. It might seem easier to roll out of bed 10 minutes before your first class, but you’ll learn a lot better if you get up a littler earlier and make time for a quick morning meal. Breakfast helps fuel your brain and increases your focus. Additionally, it helps stabilize your blood sugar, so you’ll be less moody and tired. Plus, you’ll be less hungry by lunchtime and less likely to indulge in unhealthy eating habits throughout the day.

While eating something for breakfast is always better than eating nothing, what you choose for your morning meal matters. Heading to the dining hall for a huge waffle floating in syrup or a plate full of scrambled eggs might seem like a great idea, but those meals have tons of excess fat and calories. The best way to fuel your body and your mind is to eat a breakfast roughly equal to 1/6 your daily calories and loaded with fiber, protein, and a little healthy fat.  Since fiber and protein digest slowly, they will stabilize your blood sugar and keep you full until lunch.  The healthy fat is meant to boost your brain power for those morning classes.  Just remember, healthy fat is NOT saturated fat, so don’t try to pass some greasy bacon off as your fat requirement.  Looking for some healthy breakfast choices?  Some of my favorites are listed below.

Eggs - Eggs are loaded with protein and important B-vitamins. Just be careful ordering them at the dining hall. Find out if your eggs are prepared with oil or butter, which can add unhealthy fats.  Also, keep the portion size small.  Eggs have a lot of cholesterol, and even young adults should be wary of consuming too much.  If possible, see if you can get an egg-white only omelet loaded with veggies.

Cereal - Cereal is a dining hall staple.  Just be sure to pick one that without a lot of sugar and processed carbohydrates. Try a wheat or bran cereal (Frosted Mini-Wheats, Total Raisin Bran, etc.) or stick with a less-sweet choice like Cheerios or Corn Flakes. Add some skim milk for added protein!

Fruit - Fresh fruit is an excellent addition to breakfast. Pick any fruit you like as long as its fresh (not part of a syrupy fruit salad).

Yogurt - Yogurt is a great breakfast option, as long as you choose low-fat or fat-free varieties. It’s loaded with calcium and protein. Plus, yogurt goes great with some fresh fruit!

Cottage Cheese - Cottage cheese is a great alternative to yogurt, which can contain lots of sugar.  Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese has a ton of protein and calcium and goes great with fruit or on toast!

Whole Wheat Toast - One or two pieces of whole wheat toast can add some fiber to your morning meal. Just be careful what you top that toast with.  Low-fat or fat-free cream cheese is great for protein and calcium. Peanut butter is another healthy choice. Butter is obviously a bad pick, and so is margarine.  While margarine might be lower in fat and cholesterol, it usually contains those dreaded trans fats. This might sound surprising, but you should also avoid dining hall jelly and jam. These are generally made with artificial ingredients (instead of fresh fruit) and loaded with added sugar.   Finally, use moderation when you spread extras on your toast. Don’t add more than 2 tablespoons of your choice spread, especially if you pick something calorie-dense like peanut butter.

Skim Milk - Drink some of this with your meal to get some protein and calcium.  Also, try putting some in your cereal instead of whole milk.

Try combining some of the above options to make a delicious meal!  Experiment and see what choices make you feel the best in the morning.  Some of my favorite combinations are:

whole wheat toast + peanut butter + banana

whole wheat toast + non-fat cream cheese + sliced apple

non-fat yogurt + fresh berries + cereal

cottage cheese + melon

Combining Exercise and Studying

Let’s face it, spending hours cramming for a test is just part of college life.  After all, we do need to pass our classes to get a good job, right?  Sadly, though, most of those hours are spent sitting in a chair with a giant latte or bag of chips within reach.  It might seem like there is simply no other way to get the work done, but think of all the excess calories you’re eating.  Plus, you’ll burn off virtually none of those study snacks just sitting there.  So, what other options do you have?  Take those notes and head to the gym!

You might think I’m crazy to suggest reading notes while working out, but it’s actually a great combination.  I’m not saying you should balance a book in one hand and a dumbell in the other, but you can set the treadmill to a comfortable pace and take a walk while you review last weeks chem notes or read a chapter on Alexander the Great.  If the treadmill isn’t your thing, choose an elliptical or a stationary bike.  Just be sure to keep the pace steady enough to actually absorb what you are reading.  Ultimately, you’ll burn extra calories, get your heart pumping, and up your GPA.  In fact, I find studying while moving actually helps me focus on the information more.  So, why not give it a shot?  Grab a book and get moving!

Navigating the Dining Hall

College life inevitably means eating cafeteria-quality food at the dining hall.  Whether its greasy pizza, salty fries, or sugary cookies, the dining hall is full of mediocre food that packs on the pounds.  Buffet-style halls can make it even harder to avoid the “Freshman 15.”  When you can load up your tray with as much as you want, you are liable to consume more than 1,000 calories per meal!  Even the seemingly “healthy” choices can be deceptive.  My college did a study last year and found the dining hall chefs added shortening (vegetable oil loaded with trans fats) to pasta, stews, mashed potatoes, cakes, and more.  Salt content can also be outrageously high in dining hall food.  Many options are prepackaged and bought in bulk to accommodate large numbers of diners.  Consequently, the food has excess amounts of sodium from preservatives.

So, what’s a hungry college student to do?  Well, the dining hall is not a complete diet disaster.  Many schools now display nutritional information to help you make an informed decision.  If yours doesn’t, consider talking to the dining hall manager to get the details you want.   Still looking for suggestions? Here are some of my top dining hall picks for a healthy meal:

• Salad Bar – Make yourself a large, delicious, and healthy salad.  Make sure to add plenty of fresh veggies in a variety of colors.  Some of my favorites are broccoli, tomatoes, and sliced peppers.  Also, check for lean protein options (beans, poultry, tofu).  What to skip?  Cheese!  Most halls use overly-processed, full-fat cheese.  Be wary of salad dressings too.  Most are full of fat, calories, and sodium.  A better option is to use some oil and vinegar.  Just remember, pick olive oil (it has a lot of healthy fat) and use no more than a tablespoon.  Personally, I skip the olive oil and just use a little red wine vinegar, but pick what works for you.
• Sandwich Bar – A custom-made sandwich can be a great choice for lunch or dinner.  Choose whole-wheat bread, lean meat (turkey or chicken), and fresh vegetables.  One slice of cheese is fine, but don’t overdo it, and be sure to skip the mayo (try oil and vinegar or mustard instead).
• Omelets - Many schools have an omelet bar where you can pick your toppings from an array of fresh vegetables.  In fact, some dining halls now offer egg white only omelets!  Just be sure to avoid ingredients like bacon, sausage, and cheese.  Also, make sure the omelets aren’t cooked with tons of oil, and ask if you can get yours entirely without oil (if its a custom omelet bar, they will usually accommodate this request).
• Fresh Fruit – On any given day you can probably find at least three kinds of fresh fruit in the dining hall.  You can add peanut butter to apples or bananas for some added protein and healthy fats (keep the peanut butter to around a tablespoon).  You can even put this combo on some whole-wheat bread for a vegetarian sandwich option.  Another great idea is to add fruit to a bowl of healthy cereal, low-fat cottage cheese, or yogurt for a healthy breakfast.  Looking for dessert?  Grab a piece of fruit and bypass the cakes and cookies.
• Skim Milk – Skip the sodas and artificial juices.  Skim milk adds protein and calcium to your meal without contributing the fat and sugar of other drink options.  If skim milk seems to watery for you, see if your school has 1% milk.

Make Friends with the Campus Gym

Finding the space to workout in a cramped dorm room is nearly impossible, but who wants to spend tons of money on a gym membership? The good news is that nearly every campus has its own fitness center available to students. While some of these facilities may have separate membership fees, most schools include the gym fee in your regular tuition bill. So, if you’re already paying for it, why not use it? It would basically be wasting money not to stop in and workout.

Most campus gyms will have a variety of cardio equipment, free weights, and strength-training machines. If you don’t know what to use or how to use it, enlist the help of a trainer. Many schools (including mine) have student athletic trainers available for FREE. A trainer can help you assess your current level of fitness and pick an appropriate exercise routine. Some schools also offer workout classes. Running on the treadmill not your thing? Try yoga or kickboxing!

Every school is different, so do some quick research and find out what your campus has to offer.

Welcome to College Fit!

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to College Fit, a blog for students who want to avoid the dreaded “Freshman 15″ and get into great shape without missing out on all the fun of being in college.

College is filled with dining halls, parties, and take-out.  Navigating the college lifestyle without gaining weight is hard enough, and finding time to get in shape can seem nearly impossible.  As a college student myself, I have learned how to balance great grades with friends and a healthy lifestyle.  Back in high school, I couldn’t even run a mile.  Now, as a Junior in college, I am truly in the best shape of my life!  I read tons of health and fitness articles to improve my healthy lifestyle, and have learned that making even small changes can really impact your body.  So, read on and I’ll share some great tips with my fellow college students (and anyone else interested in improving their lifestyle)!