I’m starting to think that there is some truth to the rule, “You are what you eat.” I think my muffintop would attest to that statement. In general, I stick to a healthy diet (of cupcakes), but when it comes time to crack the books I know that my typical eating habits will affect my scholastic performance. While I usually opt for a bag of M&Ms at the library, I now know that a giant bag of sugar is not the best thing to get me through the hours of cramming.

In contrast, there are foods out there that have been shown to improve memory retention and attention span. Read: The foods I should be eating. I am one who will do anything to pass an exam, even if it means eating my way to better grades. Because what could be better?

Eat? For better grades? Grad school may be for me after all.

When it comes to the basics, we all know the rules: “Don’t skip breakfast,” “Drink lots of water,” “An apple a day…blah, blah, blah.”But when it comes to college life, we need more than just a healthy diet - we need to feed our brains. So I’ve compiled a list of some snack foods to help our neurons rock and roll. Read More »

I’ve got to get this out. Joy Bauer pisses me the f*ck off.

For those of you who have saved yourself by not knowing who this lady is, I’m about to ruin you — Joy Bauer is the nutritionist correspondent for the Today Show. She’s also published a ton of books and written about eating your veggies for a bunch of publications. Basically, she’s the Martha Stewart of the health world.

So why do I hate her? Because she’s systematically trying to destroy my happy relationship with food.

Every time I turn on the Today Show (read: while I’m on the elliptical at the ass crack of dawn or getting ready to brave the day) Bauer seems to be running her mouth about all the fantastic! and easy! ways for Americans to lose weight. As she gestures with her skinny arms (I want to know if this lady has ever lived a day over 115 pounds) to bad foods! and their subsequent good food! counterparts, I can’t help but want to shake that way-too-wide grin off her face.

Because she wouldn’t be so happy if she was actually taking all of her grey, lifeless advice.

Her recent “4 Weeks to a Better Body” segment illustrates exactly what I’m taking about. Her advice to get thin in 4 weeks? Basically: make your life so boring food wise the pounds will drop off your body in pity.

Some example “tips”:

1) keep only one or two snack items in the house

One or two snack items? Who the hell enjoys eating the same damn thing over and over again? Even peanut butter filled pretzel bites lose their appeal if they’re my only “snack” source for an extended period of time. This method is sure to make me start hating foods I once loved. Read More »

Basically, I ran out of things to eat.

Yeah, yeah, it shouldn’t be that hard. But somehow nothing seems quite satisfying enough, quite interesting enough when I have to think so hard about my food.

I am not the kind of girl who diets. In fact, I’ve never been on a diet in my entire life (excluding this “Passover diet” that I go on every year for a week). And I’ll tell you, I don’t like it. If I had to be so careful about what I ate all the time, I would definitely be a much bigger bitch.

Which is really making me a better person. Because now when someone is rude to me on the train, I can think, “oh, they must be on a diet,” and let it go. Thanks, Passover!

In any event, the last couple of days were annoying. I missed out on free Beard Papa cream puffs, on free cookies, on going out to (not free, but still) pizza with friends, etc. etc.

I ate Pinkberry frozen yogurt for lunch one day when I was in a rush and couldn’t think of anything else that was fast.

I was not always nice to my boyfriend. Read More »

One of the hardest things about committing to a diet and staying on track is remaining motivated throughout the tough times. Going through a break up or just didn’t do so hot on a big exam? Eating junk food and sweets is a really easy way to deal with your emotions. But, unfortunately, they are only a temporary satisfaction that will probably leave you feeling even worse than you did to begin with.

A great way to remain positive and keep your new lifestyle change at the forefront of your brain is to read diet and nutrition blogs. Other than following my fellow CC girl, Olua’s, kick ass weight loss journey posts, here are a few of my favorites to check out on a regular basis:

-Body By Glamour Weight Loss blog - A Glamour magazine staffer takes us along on her quest to lose weight and tranform her life. Packed with great tips and personal anecdotes that almost every girl can relate to, this blog is an entertaining and helpful resource for anyone struggling to take off extra pounds.

-Diet Blog - This outlet tends to focus more on the scientific research and studies behind new diet trends, fads, or products. An extremely informative spot with well written and objective pieces on all aspects of nutrition and weight loss.

Read More »

Let’s banish this idea once and for all: Carbs are not the devil! Although past fad diets like Atkins dwell on depriving yourself of carbohydrates, other healthy diet lifestyles such as Weight Watchers insist that it’s okay to include carbs in your diet, as long as they’re the right kinds (even the Skinny Bitch lifestyle includes yummy carbs!).

Often, whole grains get lumped into the scary carbohydrate category and people are hesitant to include them in their diets. Well, a new study should completely put your fears to rest and even encourage you to factor them back into your daily intake.

Researchers at Penn State found that people who trimmed calories and increased their whole-grain intake shed more belly fat. In comparison, dieters in the study who mainly ate refined grains, like white bread, were able to lose weight, but they trimmed less fat from the middle.

So, here are just a few of my favorite whole grain snacks and foods that are quick and easy to eat in between classes and extracurriculars…

Read More »

“My diet starts tomorrow…right after I devour this pizza, plate of chicken tenders, and a six pack of beer today”

How many times have you been in this situation in college or heard one of your friends say they are going to start eating healthy at a certain time in the future? Everyone always assumes that one more greasy, fatty meal won’t make a difference. But now, researchers are proving that you are only as healthy as your last meal.

One cheeseburger can do damage to your health, reports Time. “Just one high-fat, high-sugar meal can trigger a biochemical cascade, causing inflammation of blood vessels and immediate, detrimental changes to the nervous system,” explains a study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

But, wait, don’t worry, there’s also some good news published in this study! Read More »

I hated diets. Every other week I was going back on one, I swore…until I ate a cookie, or forgot to order my caramel macchiato with skim, or ate a handful of fries at happy hour. Then it was always back to the downward spiral of binging until I felt remorse and a little squishier than before.

Then came Weight Watchers, and I realized that dieting doesn’t have to be absolutely miserable.

I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s all sunshine and daisies. Changing your eating habits is not fun. It takes me a good 2 weeks to get in the dieting mentality, and I bitch and moan during all of it.

I want to eat all the time. I don’t want to look at nutrition facts or give up bagels or happy hour. I just want to feel better and get some sort of instant gratification, which is just not the way the game is played. If you want anything good, you’ve got to be willing to work toward it. And so, you suck it up and deal.

With WW you’re looking at three key nutrition facts: fat grams, calories, and dietary fiber. You’re allowed a certain number of points per day, depending on your weight at present, and you spend them however you want. If you really want that bagel, go for it. It’s 6 points without shmear. Budget ‘em wisely. You also earn more points for yourself to eat by working out, AND you get a weekly budget of 35 Flex Points with the Flex plan, which can be spent however you want in addition to your daily allotment. Read More »

Okay, before you all jump down my throat for that title…This post is in reference to a real book that has been published, and is actually on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Although I find the title mildly offensive, it has truly changed the way I eat, helped me drop those pesky extra post-college pounds, and improved my health overall.

Skinny Bitch, written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, is a straight-forward (and sometimes abrasive) book detailing their philosophy for girls who want to “stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!” I mean, who doesn’t want that? The authors go into detail explaining evidence and scientific research behind what actually goes into all types of food and definitely do not hold their feelings back!

Although the book basically preaches a vegan lifestyle (no meat, dairy, etc.), I think everyone can take something away from their overall philosophy: You should know what you’re eating and where it came from, and food that is natural or organic is better for you than all the processed crap we eat daily.

After reading this book, I decided to change a few of my own habits and the results have been amazing… Read More »