The first time I ate in my college dining hall was the first time I realized that putting on that Freshman 15 wasn’t due to just drinking more alcohol. How on earth can I avoid the temptation of returning to the dessert bar…three times?

Never in my life had tons of food been readily available to me and all paid for. The moment I saw the glimmer of that giant soft serve machine was the moment I knew I was doomed. But I’ve found the solution, people! By keeping some delicious (and healthy) snacks in my room constantly, it’s easier to avoid extras at every meal in the dining hall by reminding myself I can healthfully indulge in between meals. Worried about looking like a food hoarder? I’ve included some cute ways to display your morsels of goodness.

1. Hershey’s Kisses
If you haven’t had a Hershey’s Kiss in a while, let me tell you– they last WAY longer than you’d expect, especially if you let them melt in your mouth. At 25 calories each, you could have four or five before you hit the hay. Plus, they look really cute in a curvy apothecary jar, and I promise you’ll have friends stopping by juuust a little more often if the jar has easy access to visitors. Bonus points for buying the red and green foils during the holidays.

2. Energy Bars
I don’t know about you, but I’m a HUGE energy bar fan. I love trying new ones and have found a few winners for both taste and nutrition: Kashi TLC bars, Powerbar Pria bars (110 calories) and Luna Bars (usually around 180 calories– or try the Mini versions at 80 calories!). Read More »

100-Calorie Packs are the new Starbucks Skinny Latte. They are taking over the world, one grocery store shelf at a time. Though these snacks are making bank for Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Frito Lay, and every other conglomerate on the single-serving bandwagon, there has been some recent media backlash, which brings to light the fact that:

a) The 100-calorie packs are often more than twice as expensive per ounce as the products they mimic.

b) In meeting the 100-calorie limit, the snacks or sweets inside the packs are sometimes pale imitations of the originals. The 100-calorie Oreos, for example, are 20 mini “chocolate thin crisps.”

c) Smaller portions don’t make snacks good for you, especially when they are as highly-processed as 100-Cal Packs.

Still, as Americans, we have issues with self-control. I can go through a box of Cheez-Its in three days and think nothing of it, until I look at the box and realize I averaged about 5 servings of Cheez-Its a day. So, when a small package helps me know when to stop, I dig it. I do agree with above comment on the 100-calorie Oreos: these are a waste of money. So, friends, what follows is a list of my top five picks. All of these are so tasty, I thank my lucky stars that they are measured out for me in 100 calorie intervals. Read More »

The New York Times recently came out with a list of the top 11 easily accessible foods of which people should really be eating more. While I can’t say there are any real shockers on the list, I am pretty happy with my diet where it stands.

It’s definitely nice to know that the Times was thinking about regular people and regular grocery stores when they made this list (for example, you won’t find any pleas to track down and eat foods like arrowroot or Cornish game hens), but honestly, who is going to read this list and think, “Swiss chard and fresh beets! Now that I know this, I’d better get a move on to the grocery store!”?

Without further ado, I present to you the list and my own personal commentary on each food:

1. Beets. I’m not going to lie; I actually kind of like beets, but I haven’t eaten them for years, not since they were prepared for me from a can in my school’s cafeteria. Actually, that’s not true—I did buy some actual fresh beets a few weeks ago and try to cook them in the oven, but it was a disaster. They ended up not softening enough and dyeing those hard-to-reach spots between my fingernails fuchsia for two days. Read More »

Once upon a time, I was skinny. Not to say that I’m not within my healthy weight range now, but back then, I was mind-blowlingly small. I didn’t do anything special, really. I practiced yoga a few times a week in my basement bedroom with the door locked and mood music playing (and because of that, felt I could totally splurge on the double quarter pounder with cheese meal at McDonald’s if the urge struck.) Now, however, keeping my girlish figure takes twice the work – and my days of gorging myself with red meat are long gone.

But, when I waved goodbye to foods high in trans fat and grease and hello to raw, healthy food I discovered quite a few green gems in the world of fruits and veggies. Among them, my personal fave, the avocado.

I know what you’ve heard. Avocados are high in (gasp!) fat. But, they’re high in the good kind of fat – monosaturated fat. They also contain vitamins, dietary fiber and potassium.

But perhaps the best thing about the avocado is how effing delicious it is. It’s not super-sweet, but it is super easy to incorporate into appetizers, meals or store in the fridge as an alternative, nutritious late-night snack .

Here are a few ways you can add the av to your next meal: 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 »

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 »