Thursday, November 5, 2009

Picks and Passes for secret killers:

So you may be wondering what is a "secret killer." Well they are foods that you think are healthy but really are not. So below I have a few items that I consider secret killers and some items that you should swap them for that are in fact pretty healthy.

#1. Baked Potato Chips: Tons of grease and excess fat
Pick instead: tortilla chips, or pita chips (full of fiber to make you feel fuller longer.

#2. Diet Soda
Pick instead: flavored water or carbonated lemonade

#3. Light Ice Cream
Pick instead: frozen yogurt

#4. Low fat cookies
Pick instead: rice cakes or rice crispy treats

#5. Non-fat salad dressing: These are still super high in sugar so be weary.
Pick instead: low calorie dressing. Put this on your salad in moderation though.

I am back!!

Hey guys I know its been a while since I have posted on this and I apologize for that but I have been super busy. I am no settled into college and trying to get by in all of my classes, and have so much to say about nutrition and staying healthy at college. So I came to campus in really good shape and on a very healthy diet that I was happy with. I thought that it would not be very hard for me to continue the intense workout plan that I was followed and my nutritious eating habits. I was very wrong. As an engineering major I have tons of homework and group projects which keeps me pretty busy. I also got involved in a few other things on campus like clubs and a sorority. So between school and extra-cirricular activities I do not have that much time on my hands to work out. I also do not have that much time to prepare a meal, or think about what I am eating. So you are probably thinking, well if she doesnt have that much time to eat then she must have lost a lot of weight. Wrong. I have gained a few unwanted pounds and am very unhappy with my eating habits here. Below is a picture of a lot of the types of food found in the dining halls.
Although the foods in this picture do not look super appetizing, that is not the case in the dining halls of most campuses. The food is great! which is the problem. There are the stations like make your own pizza/pasta, create your own quesadilla, the fried food sections, the "home style" section, which is really just all carbs and fat (lovely I know), and of course you cant forget the desert station, which consists of EVERY type of desert ever known to man, we have the ice cream (with the chocolate/carmel sauce and candy toppings of course), the cake (all different types), the cookies, the puddings, and numerous other baked goods. Oh and I almost forgot about the create your own waffle station, that is open for EVERY meal, not just breakfast. Now this one is the killer for me sometimes because I love waffles. So now let me ask you, how easy is it for you to say no to delicious foods like the foods shown below when they are right in front of your face.
In conclusion, I think the problem is that all of the delicious foods in the dining courts are all super fatty and unhealthy, and they have no nutritious foods that taste good. The salad bars are terrible and the fruit is usually terrible too. I thought it would be much easier to stay healthy at school but now I am starting to realize it is a serious challenge to eat nutritiously every day while living on campus. It is a serious problem. Anyways, keep checking this page for updates because now that I am back I am trying to stay back for good and plan to frequently update this page when I have more tips and thoughts about my attempts at staying healthy at college.