Well, another week has come and gone – I can honestly say that I have done my best to stay away from fried foods, microwaveable meals, simple carbs and all of those things that critics claim are causing America to be fat.

…And what have I discovered?

1. Most of the stuff that I do like is in fact healthy! Salmon and Avocado are a girl’s best friends – especially when combined in a yummy sushi roll (brown rice of course!).

2. I feel more in control! Being forced to think about what I am putting in my mouth hasn’t stopped me from eating but it has made me more conscious of what I am choosing to put into my body.

3. Eating out can be scary! Especially if you start to pay attention not only to portion sizes but also the sheer fat and grease that makes its way onto your plate – even if you think that it’s the healthier option. Ordering can be a minefield!

4. Sometimes all you really want is a cheesy slice of pizza! And that is no reason to be ashamed – or deny yourself a treat once in awhile.

5. Not everyone is going to be as excited about your health-kick as you are. Now more than ever, it is clear to me how complicated one’s relationship with food can really be. Some people engage with food as though each meal is passionate encounter with a love and for some it is merely the fuel that gets you from point A to point B.  Some people are afraid of food and events that revolve around eating. I think for the majority of us, myself included, it is a combination of all of these things.

So what have I been eating?  Well, here is a list of my trusty favorites:

• Avocadoes (I cannot stress this enough – yay Omega 3s!)
• Eggs
• Olive Oil
• Fish
• Whole-wheat pasta
• Apples
• Kefir – a Greek yogurt/drink that is proven to help with digestion among other things
• Small baked potatoes (Russett & sweet potatoes)
• Sushi

 These foods have definitely been keeping my energy up and my eating clean! Know of any other great foods that would be in keeping with this challenge?

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So we are in a little bit of a predicament, my friends. On the one hand, summer is almost here, meaning bikinis, boats, and (hopefully) cute boys to hang out with in said bikinis on said boats. On the other hand, summer is almost here (wah wah), meaning we are not only spending these weeks studying our little (or big) badonk-a-donks off, but any moment not spent studying (or stress eating) is spent drinking with our pals because hey, we only have a few more weeks left and we want to remember all those good times we spent drinking together until we didn’t remember drinking together. Ah, those times are the greatest. I think.

The only problem is that situation numero dos (the drinking/not remembering eating that entire pizza at 2am) doesn’t help us out with situation number one (bikinis and fitting our booties into one).

When we drink (and we all know this by now), we’re not only consuming a ton of calories from our friend the frozen marg, but much like that fabulous children’s book “If You Give A Moose A Muffin,” if you give me a tequila shot, I’m going to want some mac and cheese/pizza/other late night snack to go with it. And that means may-jor (Rachel Zoe voice) extra fat and calories.

Unless you have some healthier versions of your favorite tasty treats up your sleeve, which – yay! – I do.  I’ve spent some time playing around my kitchen and come up with a trusty arsenal of late night foods that satisfy the late night craving minus the late night calories. Seems too good to be true? Well, whip these up in your kitchen (or dorm room) and you’ll realize that it’s not! Read More »

This past week, I attended the IHRSA fitness convention here in San Francisco. Besides ogling all of the ridiculously ripped trainers, I got a sneak peek at our industry’s latest innovations. Boy, is there a lot of new equipment out there! So long to those boring dumbbells and hello to these quirky new toys.

This post provided by college nutritionist, author, and all around excellent source of healthful info, Melanie Jatsek.

If I were to tell you that eating certain foods in the right combination will make you more alert and focused, would you give them a try?  How about if I told you that some of your food choices are literally draining your brain power? Would you think twice before chowin’ down on them?

The bad news – it’s true!
The good news – you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet in order to get results.

Three factors influence what I like to call your “brain power”:  meal composition (the foods that make up your meal), meal size and meal frequency. Allow me to break it all down for you: Read More »

“I’m a vegan.” Though you are seeing those words on the internet, I am fairly certain you have a mental image of the girl you ascribe them to. She probably has long hair, perhaps in dreadlocks, and there’s not a doubt that she drives her Prius to Omega for summer vacation, right?

Wrong.

I have never fit that description but for 6 months I somehow adhered to veganism, an experience that proved to be much different than I ever thought it would be. So how did I transition from a lifestyle wrought with skim milk and Hamburger Helper to one without any foods from animal sources? Well, by now we all know that college has some very strange effects on the mind . . .

Just before I started college, I cleaned up my eating habits quite a bit. Once there, I stood in line with my plastic tray in hand, standing on tiptoes to see what was waiting behind the sneeze protectors. It dawned on me that I didn’t want to touch any of the meat in the dining hall. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing tastier than a well-stuffed pork chop, but where in the world was this meat coming from? Were the animals coming from a place that would gross me out if I had seen it in person? I couldn’t be sure, and so I decided to bypass traveling tacos and mystery meat until further notice.

Around the same time, I was (unfairly) blaming the dining hall food for the terrible cramps and bloating I had begun experiencing. I talked to a good friend and health food guru about it. “I don’t think it’s the food that’s bothering you,” she insisted. “It’s dairy. You know that stuff’s no good for you. Don’t have any for 2 weeks and see how you feel.” Read More »

Melanie Jatsek is a speaker, author and registered dietitian who teaches college students how to eat to look better, feel better, think better and stress less!  She is getting ready to publish her book, written especially for college students, called “Brain Food for College Students,” so we thought we’d bring her on board to share some of her best advice with our CollegeCandies. Get to know Melanie here, then come back every week for advice on staying healthy from welcome week through finals and beyond.

5 Questions We Ask Everyone

1. What’s your favorite college memory/the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
I was a bit of a nerd in college, so I didn’t get into much trouble. (I got into enough trouble my senior year of high school and must have gotten it all out of my system.)  I would say that my favorite college memory was taking advantage of NOT going to the Ohio State University football games and going shopping!  There were no crowds and I had the whole campus to myself because everyone (except me) was at the game!

2. Name 5 things you can’t live without:
My running shoes
My Smartphone
Cheese
My earplugs (when I sleep)
Coffee!!

3. What is your favorite song to belt out in the car/at the bar/for karaoke?
Even though I am married, “Single Ladies” by Beyonce

4. What is your motto/the advice you live by?
I have two. The first is that I can choose to be happy and make the best out of any situation or complain about it and be miserable. This always helps me stay positive even during the most challenging times! The other is that everything happens for a reason.

5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I will have written 3 books for college students and completed my second or third college speaking tour! Read More »

I know, I know – us glamorous CollegeCandy readers are so busy saving the world, getting better than A+ grades, and flirting with the boy next door, that it’s so hard to incorporate a consistent healthy diet into our daily lives. Yet it’s important to understand that beauty and health last beyond our college years, so we have to do everything in our power to keep the summer glow and prevent any aging wrinkles… or at least offset the 5-day benders that seem to get more and more frequent every year.

Try incorporating any of these five foods into your diet and you will see and feel the positive health benefits. Seems daunting? I’ve even included some ways to sneak these foods into your everyday meals, so now you’ve got no excuses not to get healthy.

1. Fruit: Raspberries
These cute lil’ red things are a great source of fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C. As translation, eating just a cup of berries a day will reduce cholesterol levels, maintain organ balance, and improve your immune system. In fact, studies have shown that these great tasting berries even diminish risks for cancer. Snack on them in between classes, top them on your breakfast parfaits, or cool down in the summer heat with a raspberry-peach smoothie!

2. Nuts: Raw Almonds
Yes, that says RAW. That means no added sugar, salt, “honey-roasted”, or “dipped in chocolate”. If you snack on 20-23 of these organic nuts, you can be guaranteed some heart-healthy fats, 6 grams of protein, and over 35% of your daily need of Vitamin E. Okay, so “raw” and “nuts” doesn’t sound tempting for your belly? Slather some almond-rich, homemade beauty products on your face! Almonds have been proven to create an awesome complexion and soft skin. Read More »

The 4th of July is only a week away and the store mannequins have certainly arrived in their starred and striped bikinis to make sure we don’t forget it.

It’s an American holiday that takes barbecues, fireworks, and beach parties to a whole new level and with it coming up fast, it’s time to pledge our allegiance to our diets. These diet shape-ups will have you ready to don your nautical wear from the first notes of the Star-Spangled Banner and beyond.

Smoothie Sailing: If no one has let you in on the secret yet, let me be the first to inform of the word of the day: SMOOTH-IES. Smoothies can be counted as a meal substitute or an afternoon snack and they are absolutely delicious (provided that you put the right stuff in them). These 8-ounce concoctions will leave you feeling fuller longer and they are great for sitting by the pool. Simply add ¾ cup of milk, 1/2 cup of berries, whey powder and peanut butter and sip your way to slim! Read More »

While the rest of the world is inundated with ads encouraging them to get “slim by summer”, us college ladies are on a slightly different page. You see, for the many of us that aren’t taking summer classes, summer is a time to kick it a little bit slower, relax (while we’re not working or interning), and escape the constant pressure of being surrounded by young, good looking people 24/7.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m exercise’s #1 fan (not really, but I tell myself that trick me into doing it every day). It makes you healthier, happier and hotter. But as my fellow CC gals know, it’s summer time-and that comes with certain duties as a college student. Let’s not kid ourselves here, sometimes day drinking just takes precedence over willpower or dietary discretion- and I don’t know about you guys but I’m still coasting on what’s left of my Spring Break bod.

But alas! Three months fly by too fast, and before we know it, we’re back at school sweet school. And if there’s one goal college women can agree on, it’s that we want to look fierce during welcome week. So put down the margarita and get ready to turn heads on the first day of classes by giving yourself a summer fitness challenge!

First things first: Weigh yourself and figure out your BMI. Set a realistic goal weight and BMI for you to reach by move in day/welcome week/ your first day of classes. Next, determine how many calories you need to eat and burn in order to reach your goal-here’s your secret weapon. The only way to lose weight – the right way – is to burn more calories than you’re eating. To find out how many calories are in whatever food I’m eating (fresh fruit doesn’t have nutrition labels, much to my annoyance) I like to use Calorie King. It has virtually every food’s nutrition facts, along with graphs that show you what percentage of the food is fat, protein, carbs, etc., so it’s easy to make sure you’re getting the right amount of each at every meal. And it tells you exactly how many minutes of various exercises like biking, jogging and rowing it will take to burn those calories off. One warning though, after a moment of weakness I broke down and got Moe’s – seeing how many hours (yes, hours) it would take to completely burn off those calories was slightly traumatic.  I’ll never look at a burrito the same way again. Read More »