So tailgate season is upon us and the time has come to bring out our barbecues, lazily relax outside and revile in the sunshine with our friends while we’ve still got beautiful weather on our side.  Or desperately hot, sticky, and humid weather, depending on where you go to school.  Whatever. The point is, it’s tailgate season and that means hot dogs and hamburgers and various other things cooked on an open fire. You drooling yet? Wait. Before you indulge in that perfectly grilled hot dog, there are a few things you should know.

Note: to those of you who want to continue to consume burgers and hot dogs in ignorant bliss, stop reading now.  If you are intrigued to know what these patriotic foods do to your body, however, let’s keep truckin’.

For all you hot dog, hamburger, and bacon lovers reading this, I really wish I could ease the blow of what I am about to report, but there is really no other way to present the facts: processed meat consumption, even more so than other forms of meat, is correlated to an increased risk of all types of cancer.  Red meat and processed meats contain more totally repulsive saturated and trans fats than any other animal product.  These types of fats have received recent media attention for their harmfulness to the human body, yet the fat issue doesn’t quite tell the whole story of why eating hot dogs, hamburgers, bologna, sausage, and other processed meats is ultra bad for you.  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 we followed Ariel as she went a(n almost) full month sans Facebook. This month things are getting even crazier. Yes, Meredith is giving. up. junk food. Oy.]

I will be the first to admit that I put on some unwanted pounds this summer. Towards the end of August, I was having some boyfriend troubles and was coping with the fact that my dad was getting married in about a month. Because of this, I ate. To name a few favorite treats that I indulged in, I ate funfetti cake, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, fruit snacks, Cape Cod potato chips, Starbursts, Chili’s Chocolate Molton Lava Cake, and many other delicious things.

And it was good.
But no more. For the month of September, I am GIVING UP JUNK FOOD.

I Googled “junk food” just to see what I’m dealing with and the first definition that came up was, “food that tastes good but is high in calories having little nutritional value.” I’m going to stick to that for my definition. No more cake, ice cream, cookies, gummies, chips, pizza, cheeseburgers, frappuccinos…basically anything that contains empty calories. The idea is to do more than merely give up junk food, though; it’s to adopt a generally healthier lifestyle. I’m going to try to introduce more whole grains into my diet, drink more water rather than Coke Zero (one of my many horrible addictions), and work out more. Basically, I’m going to take every aspect of my life, then ask, “Would my hero, Jillian Michaels, approve?” God, I love her. Read More »

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One of the hardest parts of being a friend to someone is actually being a friend to someone.

It’s not like when we were little we were taught how to be a friend outside the realms of “sharing is caring.” There are certain sticky situations, like dealing with a friend in a bad or abusive relationship, where no how-to guide can instruct us how to be a true friend.

Standing by as a friend suffering through an unhealthy relationship can be confusing, frustrating, and often scary. How do you support a friend without doing them an injustice? And at what point do you draw the line between supporting and enabling?

One of my best friends is in a horrible relationship that resembles a really bad re-run episode of Degrassi. Read More »

With all the fuss lately surrounding healthy body images and the perfect abs, it seems a bit surprising that Donna Simpson, a 42 year old New Jersey woman has actually made it her goal t be the world’s fattest woman. She’s even said it would be “a fantasy” to reach 1,000 pounds!

No. A fantasy is stealing Brad Pitt away from Angelina for a night of steamy hot sex. A fantasy is moving to a deserted island with half-naked men fanning you with palm leaves. A fantasy should NOT be holding the world record for World’s Largest Woman, because that translates to poor health and a dramatically shorter life.

There are so many things wrong with this situation. Here are 4:

1. She’s got a daughter
While Simpson actually tries to wolf down enough food to gain another 350 lbs. onto her already obese frame, her three-year-old daughter is still in the picture. Shouldn’t she be less concerned with her goal weight and more concerned with living long enough to see her daughter graduate high school? And the $750 a week eating habit is money that would be better spent on toys, clothes, and outings with her daughter. She might be in the running for a Guinness World Record, but it certainly won’t be for World’s Best Mom. Read More »

Food. Body image. Health. Things we think about everyday. With ads on TV, in magazines, on the radio and with restaurants and fast food places changing menus to provide healthier options, it’s not our fault that food is on our minds a little bit too often. But did you know that even thinking about food could be having a dangerous affect on us?

Eating disorders have always been around, and are spreading like wildfire nowadays. But we’re not just talking about anorexia and bulimia, disorders where you either starve yourself or binge and purge. We’re talking about a new disorder associated with eating healthy. Meet Orthorexia, a serious disorder that may plague a lot more people than you think, including yourself.

Orthorexia nervosa is a condition in which people become obsessed with eating the “right” kinds of foods. We may roll our eyes and call them “health freaks” but the truth is that this is a very serious condition. Orthorexia causes people to obsess over what is eaten, how much is eaten, and how it is prepared.

So what’s so bad about being obsessed with eating healthy? Read More »

Gossip and rumors are main staples on college campuses across the nation, and the website Juicy Campus (which was recently shut down), shows just how far people are willing to go to spread gossip. At some point in everyone’s life, gossip comes up – good or bad. Gossip, in moderation, can be just another thing, but in a culture that obsesses about pop culture and dishing dirt (think of websites like Perez Hilton), the fixation of dishing dirt about someone else isn’t going away any time soon.

Although many of us love to gather on Monday nights to watch Gossip Girl and watch the scandals of the Upper East Side unfold, no one likes it when their own personal life is exposed in the cafeteria over wilted lettuce or when private information rolls off the lips of classmates before the professor starts the class. While gossip may seem like something that comes and goes, it can leave its dirty scars behind all too often.

Maybe because it’s an all-women’s college and women often use each other to bring others down, or maybe it is the size of the university, but the Hollins rumor mill never seems to cease on campus. It constantly peeks its nasty little head around the corner for students that least expect it. Whether it hurts friendships, ruins reputations, or isolates students from campus events — gossip can cause tremendous damage. Read More »

I know I’ve taken a mini-hiatus for the holidays on my no smoking resolution, but let me fill you in. The holidays for me require lots of drinks, food, laughs, and the obligatory smoke here and there. So, I let myself smoke when I wanted for the holiday…I smoked up until New Years Eve. One week ago.

And since then, I have been completely 100% smoke free.

No packs. No puffs. No nothing. I went completely cold turkey after NYE and I’ve maintained it for an entire week. It’s very difficult; especially when I had a few glasses of wine this weekend and desperately wanted one, but I had the will power to say NO to myself.

I am a strong willed person and if I set my mind to something, I stick to it. After seeing a series of horrific smoking commercials, I made a serious resolution to myself that, on top of not wanting my teeth to turn yellow and my hair to permanently smell like an ashtray, I don’t want to die from lung cancer (cliché but true).

So, for now, I’ve a week smoke free. I feel cleaner, healthier, and will hopefully continue on this path. Wish me luck!

(Photo courtesy of smokefreezone.org)

…And now researchers have found that there is a new worry for non-smokers out there: “Third-hand smoke.”

According to an article in the New York Times, scientists have discovered a toxic yet invisible residue left behind after someone smokes. Unlike the second-hand smoke that someone can blow out a window or fan out of a room, these dangerous particles get stuck to surfaces like rugs, clothing and the fabric on a couch.

Also unlike second-hand smoke, which people can obviously see, people do not realize that these particles exist, which makes them even more dangerous. The article explains that the smell on someone’s clothes or in a room after someone smokes is a sign that the toxic chemicals are still present. So, just because the smoke has cleared from a room or car doesn’t mean that the air is clean and safe.

“There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them.”

This is something to think about if you are a smoker or know someone who is. This may also be a sign that banning smoking in restaurants and bars isn’t enough; soon they may make you change your clothes when you get back from having that much needed cigarette.

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Ew. Ew. Ew.

I always knew I was consuming extra calories when I had a bar night. But, if you ask me, if you can’t read the “Nutrition Facts” label, the calories don’t count. That’s why I refuse to buy full-fat Ben and Jerry’s, but don’t mind ordering dessert at Olive Garden. What you don’t know can’t hurt you, right?

If that’s your mantra, you may not want to click here.

This lovely little program lets you enter in how many drinks you consumed last night… and then tells you approximately how many calories you imbibed… and then proceeds to tell you how much food would be equivalent to that number.

Let me tell you, I wanted to cry after what was a reasonably low-key night, by my standards. Since I want to lose weight, I’ve been torturing myself with Smart Ones and steamed vegetables. Little did I know, I could have eaten three slices of pizza and a few donuts if I hadn’t downed a bottle and a half of wine last night.

It sucks, because you don’t always get full from drinking, and it’s hard to look at liquids as fatty foods. So many of us brush it off, gain the freshman fifteen, and have new beer guts for bikini season. Well, the new year is upon us, and it’s time for some resolutions. You want some motivation? Click the link.