Because we have to (or get to?) balance multiple hours of class and studying with being social and sometimes even working, college kids often turn to energy drinks or caffeinated drinks like coffee to make it through the day.
However, these "energy" drinks are usually full of sugar and give you only a quick rush of energy before draining you. Coffee isn't much better, but that's another story for another day.
What will give you the energy you need to make the A is apple cider vinegar.
Sound gross? Keep reading. Apple cider vinegar has been used since 400 B.C. for its amazing health benefits.
Bragg's website for its ACV (http://bragg.com/products/bragg-organic-apple-cider-vinegar.html) lists the following benefits of apple cider vinegar (along with many more):
Internal benefits:
- Strengthens your immune system
- Helps control weight
- Helps remove toxins from the body
External benefits:
- Maintains healthy skin
- Promotes youthful, healthy bodies
- Removes muscle pain from exercise
You might be wondering why, if this is such an amazing drink, you have never heard of it. Read below.
Warning: This stuff might taste gross at first. Keep in mind that its many benefits make it 300% worth drinking!!!
If you are concerned about the taste, don't worry. Mixing apple cider vinegar with other healthy (and tasty) ingredients makes it much easier to tolerate. For example, my-mother-the-health-guru invented this concoction of ACV to make it taste fruity and delicious:
"Happiness Is" Cocktail:
In a 16 oz jar add:
- 1 oz ACV
- 3 squirts Acai Berry Extract
- 10 drops of Green Tea Peach Extract
- Stevia to Taste
- Dash of ginger
- Dash of Cinnamon
- 1 T honey (optional)
You might enjoy this mixture of ACV and other ingredients, or you might prefer drinking it straight. Either way, you will LOVE the health benefits your body experiences from apple cider vinegar!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Sunday, February 6th
As college kids, we have plenty on our to-do lists. Adding "be healthy" to those lists can be daunting, so here is something easier to do--start a "do not do" list.
This can be a fun little way to trick your mind. Think of it like this: you can do anything you want! All you have to do is NOT eat certain things, like this list of foods to avoid from Dr. Mercola:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/18/worst-foods.aspx
His five worst foods that you should avoid are:
1. Doughnuts
2. Soda
3. French Fries
4. Chips
5. Fried Non-Fish Seafoods
Looking over this list, you might be disappointed to see that some of your favorite foods have made this list. However, there are multiple ways to eat around this list. Whenever you are craving something fried or sweet, for instance, try eating a healthier dessert. Fruit is an ideal dessert, but if you really need something chocolate (like I do constantly), making a dessert yourself will limit the amount of sugar and artificial additives you are consuming. Or, if you are looking for a healthy ice-cream, try something from Ben & Jerry's. This ice cream might be high in calories but it is one of the few brands that does not use milk with the bovine growth horomone!
Again, as college students, avoiding doughnuts, soda, french fries, and chips can be especially difficult. I am still working on cutting these completely out of my diet, but here is a tip: don't try giving all of these up at once. Start with one item--like soda--and concentrate on weening yourself off of it entirely. Then you can move down the list until your diet is free from these disaster foods. Good luck!
This can be a fun little way to trick your mind. Think of it like this: you can do anything you want! All you have to do is NOT eat certain things, like this list of foods to avoid from Dr. Mercola:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/18/worst-foods.aspx
His five worst foods that you should avoid are:
1. Doughnuts
2. Soda
3. French Fries
4. Chips
5. Fried Non-Fish Seafoods
Looking over this list, you might be disappointed to see that some of your favorite foods have made this list. However, there are multiple ways to eat around this list. Whenever you are craving something fried or sweet, for instance, try eating a healthier dessert. Fruit is an ideal dessert, but if you really need something chocolate (like I do constantly), making a dessert yourself will limit the amount of sugar and artificial additives you are consuming. Or, if you are looking for a healthy ice-cream, try something from Ben & Jerry's. This ice cream might be high in calories but it is one of the few brands that does not use milk with the bovine growth horomone!
Again, as college students, avoiding doughnuts, soda, french fries, and chips can be especially difficult. I am still working on cutting these completely out of my diet, but here is a tip: don't try giving all of these up at once. Start with one item--like soda--and concentrate on weening yourself off of it entirely. Then you can move down the list until your diet is free from these disaster foods. Good luck!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Saturday, February 5th
Since yesterday I treated myself to a little unhealthy food, today I want to talk about the importance of exercise.
As busy college students, we often don't have time to drag our butts to the gym. Luckily for us, there are other (much easier) ways we can get excercise in without spending an hour a day embarrassing ourselves in the HAC.
The easiest and most obvious way to get the excercise we need is to walk. Every day. I know how tempting it is to get in a warm car and drive down the road to get to class during these cold winter days, but simply walking to and from class is a great way to exercise if you have a busy schedule!
It's also important to be active after eating. I don't mean you have to immediately run a mile, but walking around campus on your way to class after lunch, or even STANDING, is much better than sitting down right after you eat!
That's it for now. Blogging is much harder to do on the weekend, so hopefully these will be longer/more interesting starting Monday. :) Goodnight!
As busy college students, we often don't have time to drag our butts to the gym. Luckily for us, there are other (much easier) ways we can get excercise in without spending an hour a day embarrassing ourselves in the HAC.
The easiest and most obvious way to get the excercise we need is to walk. Every day. I know how tempting it is to get in a warm car and drive down the road to get to class during these cold winter days, but simply walking to and from class is a great way to exercise if you have a busy schedule!
It's also important to be active after eating. I don't mean you have to immediately run a mile, but walking around campus on your way to class after lunch, or even STANDING, is much better than sitting down right after you eat!
That's it for now. Blogging is much harder to do on the weekend, so hopefully these will be longer/more interesting starting Monday. :) Goodnight!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Friday, February 4th
Today I have a very important health message for college kids everywhere:
It's okay to indulge every now and then.
It's admirable of anybody, especially college kids, to try to improve their health, but it's also completely ridiculous to think that college kids can live on a strict health diet 24/7.
Take today for instance. It's cold. It's icing. School's canceled. Since I've been eating relatively healthy for the past few days, I felt no guilt in joining my friends for a little trip to what we call "the salad store." A.K.A. OEC (Oriental Express...Chinese? with Chicken? for Cheap?).
Needless to say, it was probably not the healthiest meal I've eaten all week (DEFINITELY the worst, actually), but balanced with regular workouts and a normally healthy diet, it's okay to eat every now and then. It's okay to be healthy AND a normal college student! :)
It's okay to indulge every now and then.
It's admirable of anybody, especially college kids, to try to improve their health, but it's also completely ridiculous to think that college kids can live on a strict health diet 24/7.
Take today for instance. It's cold. It's icing. School's canceled. Since I've been eating relatively healthy for the past few days, I felt no guilt in joining my friends for a little trip to what we call "the salad store." A.K.A. OEC (Oriental Express...Chinese? with Chicken? for Cheap?).
Needless to say, it was probably not the healthiest meal I've eaten all week (DEFINITELY the worst, actually), but balanced with regular workouts and a normally healthy diet, it's okay to eat every now and then. It's okay to be healthy AND a normal college student! :)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Thursday, February 3rd
I think I'm going to stop posting what I eat for each meal because it's boring. And suspiciously similar each day...
Instead, I need to focus on what I have promised you--EASY and ACHIEVABLE health tips. And I realize that most people reading this don't really have the resources (kitchen...time...) to make healthy chili. So I'll stick to things that you can actually do--things that are quick, easy, and cheap--to improve your health.
Tonight I want to focus on coconut oil. I was suspicious when I first heard about this multi-purpose wonder-oil. I read from numerous sources that it can be used as a body lotion, a face lotion, a hair conditioner, a cooking oil, etc. I even read that some people drink this!! I don't drink the oil straight (I would definitely have a problem with its texture and/or consistency), but I have been lathering it all over my body and face at least once a day. Here are the benefits that I have not only read about, but noticed...
1. It is cheap. Cheaper than other lotions anyway! This is the number one benefit I have listed because it is a main concern for most college students. Why buy expensive fragranted and chemical induced lotions when you can buy coconut oil to be used in cooking AND as a lotion/conditioner?!
2. IT IS AN AMAZING MOISTERIZER. Like most college students, I have experienced far from perfect skin, and coconut oil has completely rejuvenated the skin on my face and body.
3. You can replace butter with this in cooking! I know, I know, I said I was going to lay off the cooking talk, but I can't ignore this. It is a healthier alternative to butter, olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Just in case any of you future chefs care to know.
Coconut oil used to be thought of as unhealthy, but this has been a huge mistake. Research has proved that coconut oil has numerous health benefits, and studies show that cultures that have used coconut oil in cooking and hygiene are among the healthiest people alive.
Again, this is something EASY you can do to improve your health. Try it out and you will not regret it!
Instead, I need to focus on what I have promised you--EASY and ACHIEVABLE health tips. And I realize that most people reading this don't really have the resources (kitchen...time...) to make healthy chili. So I'll stick to things that you can actually do--things that are quick, easy, and cheap--to improve your health.
Tonight I want to focus on coconut oil. I was suspicious when I first heard about this multi-purpose wonder-oil. I read from numerous sources that it can be used as a body lotion, a face lotion, a hair conditioner, a cooking oil, etc. I even read that some people drink this!! I don't drink the oil straight (I would definitely have a problem with its texture and/or consistency), but I have been lathering it all over my body and face at least once a day. Here are the benefits that I have not only read about, but noticed...
1. It is cheap. Cheaper than other lotions anyway! This is the number one benefit I have listed because it is a main concern for most college students. Why buy expensive fragranted and chemical induced lotions when you can buy coconut oil to be used in cooking AND as a lotion/conditioner?!
2. IT IS AN AMAZING MOISTERIZER. Like most college students, I have experienced far from perfect skin, and coconut oil has completely rejuvenated the skin on my face and body.
3. You can replace butter with this in cooking! I know, I know, I said I was going to lay off the cooking talk, but I can't ignore this. It is a healthier alternative to butter, olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Just in case any of you future chefs care to know.
Coconut oil used to be thought of as unhealthy, but this has been a huge mistake. Research has proved that coconut oil has numerous health benefits, and studies show that cultures that have used coconut oil in cooking and hygiene are among the healthiest people alive.
Again, this is something EASY you can do to improve your health. Try it out and you will not regret it!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday, February 2nd
Breakfast: Apple, Green Tea
Lunch: White Chickenless Chili, Yogurt with Blueberries, Almonds
Dinner: Veggie Chili!
Today was a hard day to be a vegetarian. By dinnertime I wanted nothing more than to go to McDonalds and order McNuggets. But instead, I made more chili. This time, it was the kind of chili that normally includes beef. I had never attempted to make this kind of chili minus the meat, but I am happy to report that it was simply delish. Or I was just really hungry.
I'm not sure if I have explained my interest in becoming a vegetarian. My mother is very interested in health, and not long ago she let me listen to a podcast by some health guru known as The Health Ranger. Don't laugh--he was actually legit. His podcast was the first honest discussion of meat that I had ever listened to, and his words have stuck with me. His main concern was processed meats and how they are linked to cancer. Read below from mercola.com about the dangers of processed meat! Maybe you'll consider becoming a veg-o also!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/22/if-you-eat-processed-meats-youre-risking-your-life.aspx
It just occured to me that I am not including any kind of liquid in the diet I list above, but let me go ahead and say this: DRINK WATER. ONLY. THE EASIEST THING YOU CAN DO TO BE HEALTHY IS TO DRINK WATER!!! I know not every college student has the time and/or resources to make homemade meatless chili's like me, so if you are looking for a small change to make in your diet to become MUCH healthier, this is it. It will not get any easier than drinking water!
...Or, if you don't want to drink water, AT LEAST avoid diet drinks. Diet sodas contain an artificial sweetner called aspartame, and it will give you brain tumors. Well, it could. Is it worth the risk? I'll let you decide.
Lunch: White Chickenless Chili, Yogurt with Blueberries, Almonds
Dinner: Veggie Chili!
Today was a hard day to be a vegetarian. By dinnertime I wanted nothing more than to go to McDonalds and order McNuggets. But instead, I made more chili. This time, it was the kind of chili that normally includes beef. I had never attempted to make this kind of chili minus the meat, but I am happy to report that it was simply delish. Or I was just really hungry.
I'm not sure if I have explained my interest in becoming a vegetarian. My mother is very interested in health, and not long ago she let me listen to a podcast by some health guru known as The Health Ranger. Don't laugh--he was actually legit. His podcast was the first honest discussion of meat that I had ever listened to, and his words have stuck with me. His main concern was processed meats and how they are linked to cancer. Read below from mercola.com about the dangers of processed meat! Maybe you'll consider becoming a veg-o also!
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/22/if-you-eat-processed-meats-youre-risking-your-life.aspx
It just occured to me that I am not including any kind of liquid in the diet I list above, but let me go ahead and say this: DRINK WATER. ONLY. THE EASIEST THING YOU CAN DO TO BE HEALTHY IS TO DRINK WATER!!! I know not every college student has the time and/or resources to make homemade meatless chili's like me, so if you are looking for a small change to make in your diet to become MUCH healthier, this is it. It will not get any easier than drinking water!
...Or, if you don't want to drink water, AT LEAST avoid diet drinks. Diet sodas contain an artificial sweetner called aspartame, and it will give you brain tumors. Well, it could. Is it worth the risk? I'll let you decide.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Tuesday, February 1st
Breakfast: Almonds, Banana, Green Tea
According to my mother (a.k.a. the health guru), almonds are WONDERnuts. I did a little more research on almonds and found out how right she is. Even if you don't eat these for breakfast, almonds make a wonderful snack to munch on throughout the day. As for the rest of my breakfast, I've found that you seriously cannot go wrong with fruit or green tea, which has been proven to lower your risk of cancer!
Lunch: Vegetable soup, Yogurt with Blueberries, Vitamin Supplements
This is altogether a strong, healthy lunch. What I call vegetable soup actually was my homemade white chicken chili soup. However, since I am experimenting with a vegetarian diet, I left out the chicken to make a white chili vegetable soup! See below for the recipe:
Bonnie's White Chicken (optional) Chili:
8 oz. chicken breast (optional)
3 15 oz. cans of white beans
2 T better than bouillon
1/4 c. chopped onions
1/3 c. green pepper
1/4 c. jalapeno pepper
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
Even though this soup is delicious and healthy, an easier (and more convenient for kitchenless college students) healthy lunch option is yogurt. I've read a ton about yogurt, but a quick and easy summary of its benefits can be found at the link below from Women's Health magazine:
http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/content/8-foods-you-should-eat-every-day?article=2&page=1
Dinner: Salad, Egg, Green Tea
I am a firm believer in you can't have too much green tea. It tastes good and is good for you! Along with my tea I enjoyed a scrambled egg (with green bell pepper and onion) and a dressing-free salad. Yum.
According to my mother (a.k.a. the health guru), almonds are WONDERnuts. I did a little more research on almonds and found out how right she is. Even if you don't eat these for breakfast, almonds make a wonderful snack to munch on throughout the day. As for the rest of my breakfast, I've found that you seriously cannot go wrong with fruit or green tea, which has been proven to lower your risk of cancer!
Lunch: Vegetable soup, Yogurt with Blueberries, Vitamin Supplements
This is altogether a strong, healthy lunch. What I call vegetable soup actually was my homemade white chicken chili soup. However, since I am experimenting with a vegetarian diet, I left out the chicken to make a white chili vegetable soup! See below for the recipe:
Bonnie's White Chicken (optional) Chili:
8 oz. chicken breast (optional)
3 15 oz. cans of white beans
2 T better than bouillon
1/4 c. chopped onions
1/3 c. green pepper
1/4 c. jalapeno pepper
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
Even though this soup is delicious and healthy, an easier (and more convenient for kitchenless college students) healthy lunch option is yogurt. I've read a ton about yogurt, but a quick and easy summary of its benefits can be found at the link below from Women's Health magazine:
http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/content/8-foods-you-should-eat-every-day?article=2&page=1
Dinner: Salad, Egg, Green Tea
I am a firm believer in you can't have too much green tea. It tastes good and is good for you! Along with my tea I enjoyed a scrambled egg (with green bell pepper and onion) and a dressing-free salad. Yum.
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