The Freshmen 15
My topic of discussion for this week is one that has many incoming freshmen panic: “Oh god I'm going to get fat in college!â€
We have all heard of this urban legend (seriously folks this is a myth), and for those of you living under a rock I'll explain. The freshman 15 is the belief that freshmen college students' gain 15 pounds their first school year. Like most urban legends there is some truth. Keep in mind any college student can gain weight in school, but the average amount a new college student gains is usually 5-7 pounds. Not the feared 15. However, you can prevent unhealthy weight gain from ever happening.
First I want you all to consider you own personal diet. Do you have a wicked sweet tooth? Do you find yourself eating when you are bored, depressed, or angry? Do you eat more brown, crispy, and greasy foods than colorful, juicy, and leafy foods? If you answered yes to most or all of these questions than I want you to change you're eating habits, because you could be at risk in gaining some unwanted padding.
Now I'm not saying cut out all your favorite foods and candy (try moderation, but if you can seriously cut out processed foods more power to you). Nevertheless, I do want you to consider trying a new healthier diet. Now when I say “diet†I don't mean calorie counting, carb termination, and sugar withdrawals. What I mean by diet is what we consume as fuel for our bodies, and some fuels are better than others.
In college there is no shortage of food. For instance when going to breakfast in the cafeteria I'll find foods like French toast, waffles, sausage, eggs, bacon, and 5 different kinds of cereals. All this food is at my disposal, but I know I can't eat a breakfast with a little bit of everything like this everyday.
For instance I've learned that eating a starchy white bagel won't keep me full throughout my 3 hour morning class (and I don't want to eat more empty calorie foods to keep me full till lunch time). Instead what I'll eat to fuel my body is whole grain-whole wheat toast with a nice spread of peanut butter, because the whole grain toast is a good source of fiber, and it will digest slowly to keep me full. The peanut butter is important too! Because Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein to keep me energized, and not famished after breakfast.
Yummm! I always start my day with a healthy breakfast!
I don't want anyone to conclude that just because they are a freshmen (or are going to be a freshmen) that you will inevitably gain weight. I want you to learn that in college you need to make healthy choices if you want to be healthy individual. So for homework I want any of my willing readers to tweak their diet a little bit. Try different vegetables. Eat more leafy colorful foods.Snack on a piece of fruit (apples, pears, bananas), instead of a sugary sweet. Tell me what you think. Did you feel less hungry? Did you sleep better? Did you do better on a test than you expected? I want to know. Hopefully “fueling†your body will be better for you than fueling your cravings.
A healthy study snack.
I'll try to bring more healthy information to my blogg readers next time. If you would like to learn more about eating healthy in college, and outside of college I must recommend Daphne Oz's book The Dorm Room Diet.
