Wow, time flies!  Can’t believe my challenge is over – or at least my blogging commitment! I have to say that while I am a bit sad, I am also relieved. It isn’t always easy to be mindful of what you are eating, especially when so many factors are conspiring against you. For example, if you work within a team of only males, they aren’t likely to be super enthusiastic about catering to your diet needs. At first, despite my protestations, my co-workers had a hard time understanding that I wasn’t doing this challenge because I felt a need to lose weight or was on the verge of an eating disorder, but because I wanted to make a concerted effort to be healthier. However, not all was lost on them, as I did manage to inspire one to do the challenge with me. Sometimes I even had to explain to him that the point of the challenge was NOT self-deprivation but rather self-consciousness (in a positive sense)!

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Over the past few weeks I’ve developed the strangest of obsessions: green beans. As a child, I hated the things, probably because my mother only knew how to serve green beans out of a can. They were gray, sour-tasting and pretty disgusting. I couldn’t stomach them. However, a few months ago, I made myself a promise: I would learn to love green beans. Why?

Because they are good for me, I told myself as I trimmed the ends and stared at them. They laid in a yellow strainer in my kitchen sink giving me the stink eye. They knew I was terrified of them. I devised a plan to cover them with enough of something delicious to forget that I was eating green beans. And guess what, guys? I ended up loving them. Read More »

When it gets hot and humid out, the last thing I want to do is eat anything with steam coming out of it. While I usually turn to ice cold drinks, popsicles, or ice cream for my summer feasts, I was actually a bit surprised to learn that there are plenty of cool-down foods that aren’t 1000 calories each.

While I’ll admit, I don’t think I could ever stomach any type of cold soup or a VLT (a BLT made with vegan bacon), there are some great salad ideas. Not to mention, aren’t the hipsters really into coconut water right now? Well, they might not be after everyone reads this article and finds out about it.

Maybe it’s just the lazy, fat American in me, but when faced with the option between a creamsicle and gazpacho, I’m probably going to choose the sugary orange goodness pop, but hey, if you’re looking to stay healthy and save money by not chasing down the ice cream truck, a big bowl of quinoa might be just what you need.

Finals are done, break is here, and Christmas songs are a playin’.  Life is as sweet as mom’s home-made apple pie.  As we enjoy this holiday season, with the glistening, bright lights, beautifully decorated Christmas trees, and much needed home-cooked food, it is also time to start planning those annual New Year’s resolutions.  As a senior in college, I can report from experience that there is a prevailing rationalization among my peers that, given its deleterious consequences on one’s health, clearly needs to stop. Hence, a perfect New Year’s resolution.  The rationalization spoken among my peers goes very much like this:

“Because I am young and in college, I can now treat my body like crap and get away with it.  After all, college really is only about three things: studying, relationships and overindulgence.  Heck everyone else is drinking to what would technically be considered alcoholism in the real world, indulging in all-you-can-eat dining halls, pulling all-nighters and living off of coffee and candy in between.  What is socially acceptable must be okay! I’m still healthy because [insert a plethora of excuses here].”

If this sounds a bit like you, I’m going to bring you back to reality.  Even if you feel reasonably fine now, this lifestyle will surely lead to ill health in the long run and will just perpetuate bad health habits post graduation. There is a reason why over two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and cancer and heart disease rates are skyrocketing. Our bodies cannot handle the stresses we are placing on them over time and the long-term effects are sure to appear if we do not take action NOW to protect ourselves.

After all, there is nothing more empowering than taking care of oneself and feeling great. Why not make this year’s New Year’s resolution about just that?  Here’s a list of suggestions, along with motivating facts, to make a healthy New Year’s resolution become a reality: Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Emmy gave up meat. She tried (and loved) new things, she tried (and didn't love so much) some others. She felt great. And now she's done. Let's see what she's learned, shall we?]

October is finally almost over, and while I am frantically scrambling to come up with another costume for tonight, I am also thrilled that I am only one day away from being done with my meatless month. I can’t believe it’s been a month since my last beefy indulgence. I am really surprised by how well I did and the fact that I didn’t have even a morsel of meat during this whole time.

Being meatless has been a great way to shake things up and make sure that I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. A bunch of my girlfriends were talking at dinner the other night about how one girl had been vegetarian for a while, and she actually GAINED weight because all she ate was carbs. That has definitely not been my experience at all. October has been an insanely busy week with academics, and I haven’t had enough time to work out as often as I regularly do. Yet not only have I not gained weight, I lost some! I don’t own a scale, but I can feel it in my clothes. Losing weight was in no way my goal in going meatless, but it’s not a bad side effect at all!

While I might not ever learn to like tofu, I have definitely expanded the variety of foods that I eat. Morningstar Farms Chik’n Nuggets (SO GOOD!) are something that will definitely stay on my regular grocery shopping list, as will the mass amounts of fruits and vegetables I’ve been buying. Read More »

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

Campus dining halls are amazing places.  Besides a Las Vegas buffet, where else can you find Chinese food, Mexican food, and a pasta, deli, salad and dessert bar all in one room?  They are amazing, but amazing doesn’t always equal good for you.  Sometimes it can be down right challenging to navigate through the lines and find something that isn’t fried or covered in some sort of sauce.  To make it easy for you, here are the top 5 dining hall food traps to watch out for. Some may surprise you!

Wraps or Burritos:

You’re probably wondering why.  Most tortillas used to make wraps and burritos contain trans fats (trans fatty acids), which are even worse for you than saturated fats!  The scary thing about them is, they make their way into your brain and disrupt communication between your brain cells.  It’s sort of like when you use your cell phone to call your friend’s cell phone and the two of you keep dropping the call – you can’t seem to make a connection!  The only way to tell for sure if a tortilla contains trans fats is by looking at the nutrition facts label on the package for the words “partially hydrogenated oils.”  Obviously you can’t do this in your dining hall, so you may want to ask the food service staff to take a peak for you. Read More »

There is nothing like waking up ready to start a new day, only to behold what appears to be a gargantuan pimple on your face. Believe me, I’ve been there. Suddenly, what could have been a pleasant morning heads directly towards Awfulsville.  Instead of looking forward to running into a crush, the goal becomes to walk very quickly in the opposite direction….with your face buried behind your hair. Granted, I do realize that there are infinitely worse scenarios that can be inflicted upon a person, but at the same time us ladies should not have to face the awfulness of pimples amidst all the other chaos in our lives.

Simply put, the world would be a much better place if pimples did not exist.

So the question is: do these loathsome little suckers form haphazardly or can we control their formation?  It used to be that doctors claimed diet has nothing to do with acne. Well not anymore.  Upon doing some investigation, it turns out the medical research indicates that there is indeed much we can do to prevent zits – actions that don’t involve buying hoards of benzoyl peroxide creams and cover up.  In fact, what we eat largely determines how healthy our skin looks.

Welcome to my one-article class on eating your way to healthy skin. Nom nom. Read More »

I live for the summer.  In the spring, I count down the days until my last final and I miss it terribly during the fall.  I love the way the sun‘s rays touch my skin, I love reading novels lazily on the beach, my morning outdoor runs, and enjoying picnics and BBQs.  I love the skin-exposing, brightly colored fashions I get to wear.  I want nothing more than to be carefree during my favorite season, but unhappily I cannot be. There are two frightening words that come to mind whenever I’m wanting to bask in the sun and they are a constant reminder to apply sunscreen and limit my beloved time in the sun: skin cancer.

With that in mind it certainly is important to apply sunscreen, avoid tanning beds, and limit hours in the sunlight. But obvious these steps are not all that we can do to protect oneself from the sun’s damaging rays. It turns out that the foods we eat can have a protective effect! Read More »

I am destined to be big-boned. That practically became my mantra throughout high school as day after day I sat next to my beautiful, svelte friends and felt like a blob. While I clearly couldn’t metabolize chocolate-covered pretzels and pizza like they could, looking back I realize that even I slimmed down just by correcting a few errors in thinking. If you’re so fed up with dieting that you’re ready to cry, a few simple tips may help you finally break through.

1. Do not skip meals.

Sleeping through breakfast seems like the easiest way to cut calories and lose weight, right? Wrong! In high school, I did just that. I also decided to spend my lunch period most days talking instead of eating. I would never put food in my body until 3PM, and I wouldn’t stop eating until around 10PM. I justified my grazing by saying, “Hey, I haven’t eaten all day, after all!” By the time my body got fed, it had no idea what to do with so much disgusting, unhealthy food. The pounds finally started to budge when I put my body on a system. Eat something wholesome (oatmeal, whole-grain toast, an egg) as soon as you wake up. Give your stomach something to work on all day. Our tummies love consistency, so don’t forget lunch and dinner, either!

2. EAT your calories.

Even on days when you don’t think you’re eating much, you might be loading up on “blind calories” — calories you don’t even realize — just by what you drink. Anything other than water, black coffee, or plain tea is a weight conscious gal’s worst nightmare. While sports drinks and mineral water may be alluring, the sugar and additives are sure to sidetrack your best intentions. It’s the common misconception that fruit juices are must-have staples to a diet. The truth is, you are getting loads of sugar from the fruit itself (even if it’s unsweetened juice, check out the grams of natural sugar) and none of the fiber. Don’t have a glass of orange juice – eat an orange. Same goes for apple juice or cranberry juice or…, well, you get the idea. In general, allotting your calories for food rather than beverages will leave you much more satisfied. 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 »