Eating healthy isn’t always easy. But writing the Intro to Cooking column, and making up new recipes every week, has taught me a few things about making my favorite foods — like spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and beef stew — healthier. These tips won’t change your life, but they will make sure you get a few more nutrients into your diet. That means you can work harder on that term paper (or your weekend dance skills).

1. Cook what you can from scratch.

I do use a lot of premade items in my cooking,  from premade gnocchi to cheesecake filling from Jell-o. So I won’t say I cook everything on my own. But I try to make as much food as possible from scratch on a regular basis. In fact, I’m learning to bake bread so I can stop buying sandwich bread. Opening a can of soup for dinner might seem easy, but it takes just a little more effort and a bit more time to make a quick soup from scratch. Homemade mac and cheese is delicious and a lot healthier than a box of Kraft. Get where I’m going? If you make it yourself, you know what goes into it… and that’s always healthy.

2. Add Spinach.

Not even kidding. I add spinach to anything I possibly can. Spaghetti? Throw in some spinach when you add the noodles. You can’t even tell it’s there. Making a smoothie? Add a handful of spinach. Yes, it turns it slightly green. No, you cannot taste it. Add spinach to salads and sandwiches. Wilt in a pan and mix with ground beef for a bit of extra nutrients in your burgers. The options are endless.

3. Add Fruit to Every Meal.

Having a package of Easy Mac for a quick lunch between classes? Eat an apple as well. Having Raman for dinner? Add an orange or a nectarine. The more fruit you add to your diet, the healthier you’ll be… even if you’re still enjoying the cheap-and-easy staples of college life.

4. Don’t use salt.

I’m a bit of a salt addict. I salt and pepper everything. However, I’ve recently tried to curb my habit and cut out sodium. We do need sodium for our health needs, but if you’re eating premade food items at all, you do not need to be adding sodium to as much stuff. If you eat an entirely natural (homemade everything) diet, you can add salt in small doses. Too much salt is bad for your heart, so use with caution.

5. Enjoy food.

I mean, really enjoy it. We all eat food, think “that was good!”, and try to eat as much of it as possible. But you know how in “Ratatouille,” Rat talks about how he enjoys the flavors and how they make music with each other? Think of your food in that way. Food is a fuel and it’s nice to be able to enjoy it, but learning to truly appreciate the flavors of food will make everything more enjoyable and you’ll come to enjoy fresh, homemade foods over prepacked foods which are not as healthy.

What tips do YOU have to make food healthier?

It’s no secret that our diets affect the way we feel. If you spend a night binge studying and suppressing your late-night stressors with copious amounts of mozz sticks, you (and your brain) will not feel fresh and new. Instead, you will probably feel a bit sluggish, full, bloated, and fat. Not the sexiest feeling for a young college girl.

I’m certainly not ruling out this kind of behavior. Personally, I enjoy dabbling with fried food every Sunday afternoon in an effort to kick my hangover. But, this type of eating can really mess up many students’ digestive systems, causing them to complain about stomach pain, inconsistency, and constipation. In high school my friends and I were in club “we don’t poop” and now in college my friends are I are in  club “does anyone have any gasX?”.

There are various cure-alls to such issues. A healthy diet is numero uno on that list. Followed by various other tips. Although this site provides some great advice for healthy digestion, not all of it is feasible for college students. I mean, if I could keep my stress down, I obviously would. On that note, if I could date Josh Duhamel, I obviously would. But, constantly maintaining a low stress level during college is practically equivalent on the possibility scale to me and Josh getting together.

So, here are CollegeCandy’s 6 tips for college students to maintain healthy digestion:

Healthy Diet means to be sure to incorporate roughage (lots of vegetables and greens) in order to keep things moving in your digestive tract. Also, stay away from processed foods. They’re full of chemicals and unnatural products that your body simply will not agree with. Look for food with high fiber.

Exercise because the more you move, the more things keep moving!

Stay Hydrated by simply consuming water and other liquids, you’re helping your digestive system immensely. Don’t chug Diet Coke to hydrate, though. You’ll  need to focus on consuming water and juices to help your body out.

Eating on a Schedule If you set aside certain times throughout the week, in relation to your class and work schedule, you won’t feel as rushed when eating. This allows your digestive nerves to stay calm and keeps your stomach from getting upset.

Be Careful at the Cafeteria. There are many rumors that most college cafeterias lace their foods with laxatives. Although this has never been proven, it’s probably not true. Usually, an upset stomach after a visit to your caf is due to overeating. Just because your meal plan guarantees a never-ending buffet doesn’t mean you should take it to the limit every meal.

Go when you have to go. Nothing is worse for your intestines than holding it in because you’re embarrassed to go while someone is brushing her teeth. We assure you. Everyone in your dorm poops.

But head honchos at Texas A&M don’t agree.

The University, in attempts to cut $60 million of their budget campus wide, is hoping to remove $82,000 from their budget first by leaving the dormitories sans TP.  Yep, that’s right. Texas A&M is not stocking dormitories with the one thing we really need on a Sunday morning (after extensive partying, the discovery of cheap vodka and the obligatory late night burrito).

Associate vice president for communications, Susan Sherylon Carroll says, “We looked at what areas can we cut and not negatively affect our students’ academics, and it was that.”  Really, Susan Sherylon? You really think not having potty essentials to clean up shop isn’t going to negatively affect all of the students who are consuming DORM FOOD? (And speaking of food, if they’re taking away TP, can you imagine what sort of cuts they are making with the grub? Um, ew.)

I have a firm belief that not being able to wipe (or sprinting to buildings where they can) is going to affect any students studying rituals and academic performance. 

Let us brainstorm.  I’m sure there are a ton of other things they can remove from the life of a college student that is not going to negatively affect their academic performance (or force them to drip dry….).  How about all of those fancy ‘University’ magazines they send out to families, that weird salad nobody eats in the caf, the inflated salaries of the worst professors on campus, gas expenses for those little maintenance cars that push people off sidewalks on the way to class, or the vice president’s assistant salary?

We’re in a recession, I get it, but there’s got to be a better way for universities to cut their losses than by taking away students’ rights to wipe. I mean, if we’re already stooping this low, what’s next? Shower curtains? Indoor plumbing? Charging for office hours? Come on!

All I have to say is, “I’m not sure I’m going out tonight because it’s hailing fully formed snowmen,” and within in seconds I have 14 texts, 9 IMs, and 1 roommate chirping out: “We only have 12 more Mondays to go out!” And of course the countdown always makes me give in.

It’s not that I doubt I will have plenty of Mondays in my future to get drunk (recession, unemployment, YES) but it’s more like I only have 12 more Mondays to get drunk in a socially acceptable way. After that it’s drinking alone on Mondays from old Manischewitz bottles that I find in the back of the fridge. And nothing good ever follows Manischewitz (although my brother will be the only one to argue that gelfite fish follows Manischewitz and gelfite fish is good).

And as the days start winding down I find myself nostalgic for the past three years. But not only for the normal things like the nights I’ll never remember with the friends I’ll never forget (stole that quote from my 12yr old sister’s MySpace), but also for things I promised myself that I would never miss. I pass freshmen with their Styrofoam dining hall boxes and instead of trying to make them envious by bragging about my full fridge, I approach them and ask for just a peak inside…will it be greasy chicken fingers or just a box full of cocoa puffs? Either way, all I can think about is how good they have it. Endless amounts of food prepared for them! Trays to transport the food! Someone to wash the dishes after they eat the food!

It’s hard to believe that at this point sophomore year I was sitting in the dining hall eating wilted lettuce leaves complaining about how I couldn’t believe we had three more months of this garbage. Now I’m asking freshman to pass back their ID and let me see that salad bar one last time, let me see those smiling cooks under their hair nets, let me see the unrefrigerated egg salad!

But more than I miss the limitless frozen yogurt machine at the dining halls, I’m nostalgic for how dumb I was. Everyday was an adventure and I believed everyone was there to help guide me; from the saleslady who claimed I would need $300 snowpants to survive Syracuse to the the frat “brother” who forgot which room was his and insisted the hallway was suitable. I believed spring began after spring break. I believed R.A’s actually had power. I believed that liquor before beer meant I was in the clear and, most of all, I believed that the mummy I kissed during Freshman Halloween would at least wait until I walked away before grabbing my friend and kissing her.

And even though all these beliefs were eventually proved wrong (turns out brothers don’t forget which room they live in) it was still fun not knowing what was around every corner. Literally every corner had something new. An underage basement bar! A middle-eastern restaurant! The friend that I made first week and never spoke to again! Just because I’m better fed, legally able to drink, and no longer a moron, I still can’t help but miss it.

It seems like everyone’s FB status is something about “ONE MORE WEEK!”– even people who are totally thriving and happy college freshmen.

I, however, am completely happy at school. I love my life here and my friends and I don’t really have any homesickness pangs. Don’t get me wrong; I’m excited to see my high school friends, my family, and – AHEM – Pumpkin Pie, but I just don’t feel so uber excited to go home like everyone else.

But since I am going home, I guess there are a few things I can’t wait to leave behind in the dorms for a week….

1. Shower Sandals. I seriously DESPISE wearing sandals in the shower– even though I have really cute pink Havaianas, the whole concept of needing shoes to shield yourself from germs (when you’re trying to get clean in the first place) really bugs me. Oh, and I will not miss the girl on my hall who must lose half her hair every time she showers — the showers/floors look like a salon post-haircut, pre-sweep. Nasty with a capital N. Private shower, here I come.

2. Not needing a key to get in my room. Simple. I have a ghetto key, not a sliding ID card like many of my friends. I’ll be able to walk into my room with stuff in my hands/not have to drop everything to open my door/look like a lunatic when I have to scramble through to depths of my Mary Poppins-esque Hobo bag to find my keys whenever I need to get something from my bed.

3. HOME COOKING. I actually don’t mind the dining hall food at all, but I think it’s because I stick to the simple stuff. I was the girl in high school that baked whenever she had the chance, and I always cooked for myself at home. Getting to use my own kitchen instead of my barren kitchenette will be heavenly.

4. Privacy. I’m on a co-ed floor. The first week of school was a total wake-up call when I realized I can’t leave bras thrown around on my bed or wear mud face masks without being seen by a boy or an RA. People on my hall always bust into my room (unnanounced) whenever they’re bored or want to steal some of my food (I’m stocked in the cookie and Hershey’s kiss department), so it will be nice to be able to change without fear that I will be exposed by a hungry hall-mate.

5. No Class. I may like em, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like not having ‘em.

What are you thankful for leaving behind this Thanksgiving break?

As a freshman, you might have been awed by the mere expanse of food before you. Inspired by the hustle and bustle of upperclassmen milling expertly around the different food stations, you were elated to find that dessert is served at every meal. But come October, the honeymoon glow dimmed to a faint flicker, and your affair with the dining hall turned into something of a mess.

The economic, all-you-can-eat style buffet, serving food that is generally fatty, sugary, and over-processed, leads many collegiates to pack on the pounds as they struggle to navigate this danger zone. Whether you’re shoveling tasteless food as fast as you can to make a class in ten minutes, or leisurely enjoying a couple hours of all-access binging while chatting with friends, the cafeteria offers a wide variety of ways to overindulge. Here are a couple of tricks to help you avoid the pitfalls of college dining:

1. Survey the Scene. Make a tour of the available options of the day so that you don’t load up on all the stuff at the beginning of the line, only to have to nab a second plate for the food at the next station.

2. Use Your Head. You’re in college. You know that salad is healthier than a cheese steak. Make sure that you fill up on foods that are high in fiber, with good protein and complex carbohydrate content, like big leafy salads with lots of veggies, or a sandwich on whole grain bread. In general, limiting fat is a good idea, though there are such things as “good” fats (think avocadoes, or fatty fish, like salmon). Beware though: things that should generally be high in fat and sugar (like cookies or chips) but that claim to be healthier versions are generally just loaded up with sodium and artificial sweeteners, which are TERRIBLE for your body.

3. Subsitution When You Can, Moderation When You Can’t. What this little motto means is that, if you’re happy to enjoy an apple instead of your banana-split sundae, that’s a great way to cut down on sugar- and caloric-intake (obviously). But if you really just can’t make this switch, be sure to observe moderation, whether that means only eating half the portion offered, or maybe even just a couple of bites.

4. DON’T Deprive Yourself. If you’ve ever tried a diet that demands you give up all the “bad” (and often delicious) foods you enjoy, you know that these sort of cold-turkey routines fail. When they do, they leave you diving for the forbidden food, only to gobble up five times the amount that would normally have satisfied you.

This lesson is very relevant in a dining hall setting, where chances are menus will repeat on a bi-weekly basis. Don’t get caught up in the famine-mentality that tells you to eat everything you can now because you’ll never be able to eat this meal again. If you really enjoy a particular dish made at your dining hall, don’t deprive yourself. But if it happens to be a full-fat macaroni and cheese, or a double fudge brownie the size of your knee, make sure that you limit how much you allow yourself to indulge (see tip 3).