Making Nutritious Choices Without Sacrifice

     I started this blog because some of the dieting advice out there is just not realistic for college students. We eat out alot, cost, time and convenience are huge factors and sometimes our friends are bad influences. So I'm always grateful when I find plausible tips out there.

     Now that school's back in session, take-out might be tempting. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has compiled the nutrition information for some common Chinese food into a convenient mock menu. The calorie content in some popular dishes is outrageous. General Tso's Chicken can be expected to have 1300 calories, while Shrimp with Lobster Sauce only has 400. Another good tip they suggest: order food lightly stir-fried.

    MSNBC features reasonable advice in "Get Rid of the Guilt! Trade Up to Healthier Treats." For breakfast, it suggests small changes like trading regular cream cheese for whipped. It doesn't expect you to swear off fast food completely, but does point out that if only McDonald's will do, a regular hamburger is a wiser option than a Big Mac. If going out with friends to a Mexican restaurant, choose chicken fajitas over the quesadilla. The article even offers reasonable dessert choices.

     Even with the best of intentions, students aren't going to be preparing themselves three nutritious meals a day, every day. Making realistic food choices, like those featured at CSPI and MSNBC, keep us from spending unhealthy amounts of time planning food intake, and help prevent future overeating. If you don't deprive yourself, cravings won't become overwhelming later. 

Small Changes

      CNN.com has a weight-loss article out today entitled "5 small changes to help you lose weight." They were good idea the first time I heard them, about ten years ago. CNN makes a valid point, that small changes make diets more feasible than radical ones. They suggest swapping whole milk for 1 percent milk, whole bagels for halves, ice cream for yogurt, and whole milk lattes for skim milk. The article concludes with a staggering suggestion.... take a 20-minute walk each day.

     Most weight-conscious people have already ingrained these habits into their lifestyle. For us, making small changes will require more thought and creativity. It will require careful monitoring of one's intake for a substantial time, then consideration of which foods are providing extra calories. I know I tend to get into the habit of consuming certain foods on a regular basis. How can you cut the calories for a food you regularly consume? If you make chicken wraps often, you could swap sour cream for salsa. If you eat a lot of sandwiches, it might mean trading mayo for mustard, or no condiment at all. It's all about common sense... but it's not quite as simple as CNN implies.