Does it feel like October slapped you in the face? I was unaware that time sped up, but apparently it did. You know what this means, don’t you? Midterms are almost here. Campus is about to get chaotic: Freshmen will be flipping out about their first big tests. Sophomores are going to try to act cool in the library and be really noisy. Juniors will curl up in the fetal position as they realize it’s the hardest year. Seniors like me will be banging their heads against the wall because that class was supposed to be easy. Everyone is going to be cranky and sleep deprived. Prescription drug deals will be happening at every bus stop. This is real (college) life.

To help you fight the good fight this semester, we’ve rounded up some of the best and worst ways to help you stay awake while you’re studying: Read More »

Sometimes all you need to spruce up a dull salad or your run-of-the-mill Wednesday dinner is an ingredient swap. If chicken caesar has lost its bite, and you simply can’t look at another plate of turkey and veggies without yawning, say hello to my leetle friend (sorry, had to!): shrimp!

Did you know these bite-sized crustaceans have virtually no fat and are very low in calories, AND are a tremendous source of protein? Just one 3 oz serving carries 84 calories, 1g of fat and 18g of protein! They’re also rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for you, and cholesterol, which is not. That same serving will give you more than half of your daily recommended intake of cholesterol, so don’t go overboard!

Easy Swap-out Suggestions:

1. Ditch turkey and cobb salads for shrimp in a salad with mesclun greens, sugar snap peas, avocado, and a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette. Deeelish.
2. Sick of carrots and hummus? Boil shrimp and serve with cocktail sauce as a quick snack instead.
3. Kick up your pasta dish by switching chicken for sauteed shrimp in tomato sauce for drizzling over your fettuccine.

This Week’s Recipe: Grilled Shrimp Marinade

I tried this recipe with frozen shrimp from the grocery store–they’re easy to keep on hand for a meal in a pinch, and this marinade is essentially foolproof…and a great way to impress the roommates.

Ingredients:

2 pounds jumbo shrimp
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 bunch green onions, with a few inches of green, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (dry) brown rice, cooked
1 bag spinach, steamed

Instructions

1. Place shrimp in a glass bowl. Stir remaining ingredients together; pour over shrimp. Cover and marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
2. Grill on the stove for about 5 to 7 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Serve over brown rice, with a side of steamed spinach. Serves 4-6.

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 »

College life isn’t kind to the carnivore. Meat is often expensive and time-consuming to cook, not to mention extremely perishable, and the Mystery Meat served in the caf won’t exactly sate a craving for prime rib. So what’s a girl gotta do for some quick, cheap, protein? Short of settling for cold cuts, which could possibly shorten your life and are very high in sodium, why not take a page out of the vegetarian handbook and opt for filling, delicious chickpeas?

This Week’s Ingredient: Chickpeas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are often very low in price and are great to have in the pantry as they keep very well. They have a wonderfully nutty, smooth flavor and are the primary ingredient in hummus. (Editor’s Note: Mmmmmmm hummus.) In addition to being a great source of fiber (which keeps you fuller for longer), chickpeas are high in molybdenum, a mineral necessary for the production of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which breaks down sulfites–preservatives found in deli meats. Oh yeah, and they’re a lean source of protein, with 15 grams per cup.

Easy meals:

1. Toss over a salad for extra protein and flavor.
2. Roast for 35 mins at 350 degrees in a pan with diced eggplant, curry powder, tumeric, and pepper for a spicy, hearty, low-calorie side dish.
3. Mix with black- and kidney beans, basil, olive oil, and feta cheese for a light three-bean salad.

The Recipe: Chana Saag

Did you know that eating spicy food in the summer helps you stay cool? By doing so, your body starts to sweat and cool down, without actually raising your internal body temperature. No wonder hot-n-humid India has such a spicy cuisine! Try this easy version of a vegetarian favorite, chana saag, which is named for the two primary ingredients, chickpeas and spinach. Read More »

Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday I wake up and head to the gym. (OK, so sometimes those Sunday morning workouts don’t happen, but I digress….) Sometimes, I will take a class or meet with a Pilates instructor. Usually, however, I hop onto the elliptical, set my iPOD to F-U-N and set myself up for a 45 minute cardio challenge.

And for the past six months, my workout routine has given me very visible results: smaller thighs, better butt, and all around weight loss.

But recently things seemed to have…well….stopped.

It seems that my body has gotten quite used to the old routine. And while experts call this a “plateau,” I call it just plain crappy. I mean, it’s nearly June, dammit. Time to put on the little tops, short skirts and – gasp – bathing suits. This is not the time for a f**king plateau!

That being said, I did some research on my problem and found that there are some things I can do to get off this fat-teau and get into that itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, black and pink flowered bikini I’ve been having nightmares about for the past 3 weeks. Read More »

If you’ve been a CollegeCandy reader for some time, you know we run our Intro to Cooking series every week, where even the most kitchen-shy co-ed can find easy, yummy recipes to please her suitemates (and sweet tooth!). Starting today, we’ll be changing things up in Intro to Cooking: you’ll still get the fabulous recipes you love, but we’ll be including background nutritional info on specific ingredients that are must-haves in every college girl’s pantry.

The Ingredient: Greek Yogurt

Every health-conscious girl knows yogurt builds stronger bones and is a good source of protein. But did you know that not all yogurts are created equal? Check out the nutrition label on the cups in your fridge–many “light” and fat-free yogurt brands substitute extra sugar and preservatives for fat. For a leaner, creamier, alternative, try Greek yogurt. It packs a giant protein punch (usually 14g or more, almost a third of your daily value!) and boasts more digestive system-cleansing active cultures than regular yogurt. Plus, it comes in guilt-free, fat-free varieties (with none of the added sugar!), and because it doesn’t separate, it’s great for baking or cooking. Read More »

After pulling on your Nikes and adding that new Jason Derulo song to your iPod, you drag yourself to the gym for an hour. It’s hard to get started, you’re just so tired, but twenty minutes later the endorphins are kicking in and you’re feeling great. You finish your workout, do a little stretch, and walk home feeling happy as a clam.

But that happy feeling won’t last if you don’t eat a little something after all that exercise. You need something to replenish your body, girlfriend! You want to get stronger, not burn yourself out. Your friends have suggested everything from protein shakes to lemon juice.What should you really eat after you workout? I’ll give you a hint: it’s not lemon juice.

Let’s start out simple. First, drinking water is essential for replacing what you  lost in that intense cardio sesh! Everyone knows you should drink 8 glasses of water a day, but you should increase that to 10-12 on days you’re working out.

Now for food: when it comes to eating after a workout, the key is getting a snack in within 45 minutes of finishing. But that doesn’t mean chowing down on a piece of cake or snacking on a few celery sticks. Post-workout snacks should have both carbs and protein in them. The carbs help replenish glycogen, and the protein helps rebuild and rehydrate muscle tissue, as well as stimulate your immune system to keep you healthy. Read More »

I get it. Trust me, I get it. It’s getting nice out and the last thing you want to do is spend an hour or two inside the gym. Who wants to sweat indoors when eating ice-cream by the lake is so much more appealing (and yummy?) But on the flip side, you’ll be donning a bikini before you know it (like, ahem, next week) and you want to look h-o-t.

If only you could snap your fingers Sabrina-the-Teenage-Witch style and have your workout completed and your body looking Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition ready.

Well God is great, but he’s not that nice. Instead, he leaves us messages and makes us feel a little guilty, like the other day when I was waiting for my nails to dry (instead of working out) and I found this pamphlet next to the drying station: “14 Tips and Tricks for Looking Great in Your Swimsuit.” I flipped through the list, somehow managing not to smudge a nail, and now I will share these really great tips with you. (Don’t thank me, thank God. God or the nice Vietnamese people who placed these pamphlets on their drying station).

Brought to you by “Pilatesyourway.com” Read More »

We all love to talk about metabolism. A lot.

Some of us love it (like that girl who never goes to the gym and eats french fries for every meal and somehow still wears a size 00) and some of us hate it (when we eat an apple and our thighs starts rubbing together). But does anyone really know what metabolism is or how it works?

Your (my, our) metabolism is really just your metabolic rate, or BMR, which is roughly the amount of calories that you burn when at rest. Like right now as you sit on your couch, feet up, laptop on your lap and a bowl of cereal in your hand. This is the energy that your body uses to keep organs, cells, and digestion all going. It is influenced by your age, sex, height, weight, and the amount of muscle mass that you have.

There are lots of myths around about things that will “speed up” your metabolism, causing you to burn more calories. There are also many surprising truths. I’m going to separation the fact from the fiction and give you all the tools to control your metabolic destiny. Here we go!

Myths

If your mom has a “slow” metabolism, you will too: This is one is half-true. Heredity does play a role in metabolism, but just because mama passed on that snail’s-pace metabolism doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. There are many ways to speed things up: build muscle mass, eat a balanced breakfast and overall diet, snack throughout the day on low-calorie foods, include protein in your diet, and keep moving!

Grapefruit increases your metabolic rate: Its fiber and water will fill you up, and the Thermogenic Effect of the fruit means that your body will use extra calories to digest it, but it won’t speed your metabolism up more than any other food. Read More »