Before I began, I had a lot a questions like “What is clean eating?” and “What foods are clean?” Well to be honest, even after doing loads of reading since my first post on the subject, I am still not entirely sure, so I have decided that I am going to slowly, but smartly, build my way up to much healthier eating. My first stop has been to cut out fried foods, microwaveable meals and simple carbohydrates (whole-wheat spaghetti = yum!).

So how has this been working out for me? I believe that a writer, like any artist, needs to be fully dedicated to her art – even if that requires perseverance in the face of pain, terror and piping hot broccoli soup. Yes, you read that right.  Broccoli soup.

Always a planner, yours truly scheduled herself to have two of her wisdom teeth taken out earlier in the week – which most of you know is no picnic. Yet, a week of yogurt, soup and healthy frozen yogurt didn’t sound so hard.  In fact it sounded quite refreshing – and easy. Read More »

No, I’m not talking about a new diet from the Kardashian Klan (God, can you even imagine what that would entail?). This DASH Diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, was named the number one diet for the second year in a row by U.S. News. Though it was designed for individuals suffering from hypertension — not those specifically looking to lose weight — the diet is one of the most nutritious and most-well rounded out there.

If you’re looking to kick off 2012 by revamping your healthy eating habits, check and see if the DASH Diet works for your lifestyle.

Once the New Year has been rung in, it’s time to face the facts. The holiday season is over, and there is no excuse to keep gorging on Christmas cookies. You have a few more months to hide in your fat pants, but before you know it bikini season will be here, so don’t get left behind!

I know it’s a rough transition from eating like Santa to hitting the gym, so use these tips to take it slow.

First off, don’t make your New Year’s Resolution “lose 20 lbs.” This is typically a trap. You will go to the gym for maybe half of January, meanwhile still enjoying those holiday leftovers, and quit when you don’t see the results. Set realistic goals like, “I want to be able to button my jeans a little easier,” or simply promising yourself to hit the gym more regularly. Read More »

Over the past few decades, obesity – especially childhood obesity – has come to be regarded as one of the biggest health problems facing America. Obesity negatively affects every organ system in the body, and can lead to major health issues. It’s also one reason why life expectancy in America is thought to lag so far behind that of other developed countries. Ending this epidemic has recently become First Lady Michelle Obama’s pet project, with her initiative Let’s Move!

The Let’s Move! program focuses on teaching families how to raise their children in a healthy way, and encourages parents to set good examples for their kids. It also seeks to make nutritious food available in schools, and turn the battle against obesity into a community and family effort. 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. Last month, Khalea gave up fried food. This month, Michelle is going to come face to face with stress eating. Can she stop the emotional ice cream binges? We'll find out....]

Stress eating – who doesn’t do it? Comfort foods have come to define college life. Macaroni and cheese, ramen noodles, peanut butter anything… And honestly, how can you not like comfort food? I mean, it’s called ‘comfort’ food for a reason. When you’re stuck at home studying for a test and it’s 2am, mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of ice cream tastes delicious. Stress eating can take its toll though – digestive problems, weight gain, lowered self-esteem… It’s not good for anybody.

For the month of June, I’m going to try to stop stress eating. You know what that means? No chocolate chip cookie at 2pm when I’m feeling drained (but not hungry). No candy snack at the check-out in the grocery store. No crunchy potato chips when I’m browsing Craiglist at night and wondering what I’m going to do with my life. No eating when I feel an unpleasant emotion… I guess I’ll just have to, you know, feel it.

This week, we’ll look at what stress eating actually is and what steps I’m going to take to curb my stress eating.  Anyone who wants to can take this challenge with me, but you are free to choose your own methods and goals. I will be completely honest for the next month: when I’ve succeeded, when I’ve failed, and most of all, what I’ve felt along the way. Read More »

GET IN MY BELLY.

[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, Khalea is giving up....wait for it....FRIED FOOD. She tripped up a bit in the beginning, then she embraced the faux fry, and now? Let's find out!]

Well, this is it. My last week of a whole month without deep-fried goodies.

It’s been beneficial, but it’s also been pure hell.

Coming from a place where battered items are nearly a food group, I basically had to change the way that I shopped and ate completely. Sure, finding new recipes was fun but it was also super expensive! $6.99 for a block of mozzarella cheese? I could’ve paid half of that for an order of cheese sticks at White Castle!

Maintaining a balanced diet messed with my pockets. It was difficult finding foods that were healthy and cheap in Manhattan where I began working. The battle between a $2.99 cheeseburger and a $6.99 wrap was a hard one to overcome.

Without French fries and chicken nuggets, foods that I usually turned to for my broke college student budget lunch, I came home and went to bed with my stomach rumbling. Yeah, I know I said I’d try a side salad instead, but that’s just not me. I’ve never been the small salad, no meat kinda gal anyway. Read More »

I don't need no stinkin' fried food!

[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, Khalea is giving up....wait for it....FRIED FOOD. She tripped up a bit last week, but it looks like the fried tide may be turning.]

For the first time in weeks, I don’t have any dreams about mozzarella sticks.

I don’t wake up longing for the crunchy taste of hash browns in my mouth. I don’t even want a chicken wing….that much.

Even though I miss them, I’m really getting used to life without fried foods in my diet. I feel like I’m cutting so many calories from my daily intake and it feels amazing!

You guys know that the beginning was a struggle. But the comments from the readers in my last post really helped me get through this week. I’ve been having so much fun finding ways around my restrictions. At first I was afraid that everything would taste really bland without my favorites, but I was totally wrong. 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, Khalea is giving up....wait for it....FRIED FOOD. Let's see how she's holding up....]

I’ll admit it. I cheated.

On Wednesday, I had 13 fries and two chicken nuggets from McDonald’s.

I feel like Kanye the morning after he dissed Taylor Swift at the Grammys.

Until then, I was doing really well. No fried foods at all. I lost the urge to dig into a drummette and enjoyed an apple or a granola bar instead—out of sight, out of mind. After I nixed fried foods, I made better choices in my diet like I thought I would.

Until Monday’s office party when I had a spoonful of shrimp fried rice.

I know, I know. Cheating twice in seven days doesn’t scream commitment. When the fried food is right in front of my face, staring me down, it’s like I can’t say no.  I’m ashamed of myself—I thought I was stronger. But other than those two weak moments, I really think I can do this. My family, friends and Facebook acquaintances were all rooting for me when I wrote about my first week. 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. For April, Jill gave up restaurants. This month? Khalea is giving up....wait for it....FRIED FOOD. Can she do it? We shall see.....]

I’ve lived in the South for a good portion of my life, which means that everything is deep fried – vegetables, candy, cookies and my absolute favorite – chicken. If it doesn’t have a crispy, golden brown finish then I usually stay away from it. From the bacon and hash browns I have in the morning to the French fries I eat with my dinner, I can honestly say that I don’t have the healthiest diet at all. And when my physician told me that I’m at risk for diabetes, it was obvious that something had to change. African Americans are the leading race plagued with diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol. The lack of exercise and greasy, indulgent soul food has to be a factor. I don’t want to be a statistic – I have too many dreams for my future…and too many clothes to buy.

So I decided it was time to make a change. A big one. A one-month one.
For the entire month of May, I’m giving up fried foods. I won’t be eating any of it. At all. Not one fried thing.

I think that cutting fried foods out of my diet will begin a slew of healthy habits. I already workout (Flirty Girl Fitness works wonders), but I still indulge in the occasional Chick-fil-A sandwich or a Bloomin’ Onion. Talk about counter productivity! I’m hoping that cutting out fatty fried foods will cut major calories from my diet and leave me with more energy to exercise. It’s quite a healthy change, and just the change I need  for myself, my family and Strappy, the Dolce and Gabbana number I want to fit into one day. Why not start now? Read More »

Ever have one of those days where you were supposed to make an appearance at the gym but got caught up in a marathon study session and platefuls of tater tots instead? Yeah, me too. It’s called Saturday. But don’t beat yourself up about those less active days; compensate for them!

There are a lot of simple changes you can make in your life that will not only undo those lazy days, but really make a difference in your overall health and fitness. If you can do at least one per day, I guarantee that you’ll be making a positive change in your lifestyle. You ready for the easiest health advice of your life?

1. Take the stairs
Studies have shown that taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator will burn 2 times more calories. That makes sense, since taking the latter means just standing there and awkwardly not talking to the other people just standing there. Even if it’s just a few stories up to your next class, make the effort to walk there. If you don’t want to make the 6-story trek to your biology class, then start by taking the stairs down.  Any little effort makes a huge difference. Read More »