11 Healthy Eating Habits Every College Students Will Appreciate!

Eating healthy is important – and often also extremely hard if you are a college student. There are so many things to take care of and so little time to spend on staying healthy.

However, even if you don’t have much time, you still should try taking care of your health. Proper diet doesn’t simply prevent you from gaining weight and keeps you healthy – it also makes you more productive and gives you enough energy to complete all the daily tasks successfully.

Moreover, eating healthy might be easier than you think. All you need to do to ease the process is to find some time to spend on developing healthier eating habits. Here’s the list of habits that could help you maintain a proper diet on a daily basis.

1. Replace your snacks with the healthy ones.

Snacking keeps you full and energized during the day and prevents you from overeating later. However, if your snacks aren’t healthy, you won’t feel better for long and you’ll get hungry soon. Also, you’ll most likely eat more than you should as despite unhealthy snacks are high in calories, they aren’t nutritious enough.

Therefore, try replacing your snacks with healthy ones, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and so on.

2. Add more “good” food to your daily diet instead of trying to restrict “bad” products.

 

Sure, some of us find it easier to cut the “bad” products from their diet completely. However, to many of us, such approach won’t be effective as denying certain products often leads to cravings which are very hard to fight.

That’s why for some students it would be much easier to start eating healthy by adding more «good» products to their daily diet. The «bad» ones should be minimized, of course, but this process could take as long as you want it to.

3. Prepare your meals in advance.

It could be more tempting to grab an unhealthy snack when you’re hungry. However, when you find some time to prepare all your meals in advance, you ensure that you’ll eat more healthy during the day and that you’ll always have some leftovers in the fridge. This could also help you save money that you could spend on fast food.

4. Come up with a meal plan.

There are two main reasons why meal planning is a great idea. First of all, it also helps you save money as you’ll buy products you’ll definitely eat. Second, it helps you to ensure that your ration will be indeed diverse and nutritious enough.

5. Write a list before you go shopping.

 

When you have a list, you focus on finding products from it. When you don’t have one, you could wander around the store looking at shelves and buying more junk food, sweets, and products you already have in the result.

6. Try new products.

There are so many students eating the products they’re used to and completely ignoring the others they didn’t try before. However, a diet should be as diverse as possible. And trying to add new healthy products to your diet won’t only make it diverse – it would also make the whole experience much more interesting.

7. Find healthy meals you like to eat.

You might not like the most common healthy meals – but there’s a small chance you don’t like literally all of them. Try experimenting with the meals and trying new recipes. And if you like something, add it to your daily ration. Remember that the more you like what you eat, the easier it would be for you to stick to the healthy eating in the long run.

8. Make sure that at least half of your plate is filled with veggies.

 

Did you know that only about 1/3 of adults eat the recommended amount of vegetables every day? Don’t become one of them and try filling half of your plate with veggies.

First of all, this could help you consume fewer calories during the meal, as veggies are low in calories but can make you full. Second, vegetables are very nutritious, so by doing so you’ll ensure that you consume enough vitamins and minerals during the day.

9. Come up with a list of healthy meals that are quick and easy to cook.

Sure, cooking in advance is not always an option. Moreover, sometimes unexpected things could get in the way: for example, you need to spend time on crafting a perfect resume or on preparing to the test – and while you can turn to resume writer for help in the first case, you have to do everything on your own in the second. Under these circumstances, finding time to cook a healthy meal might seem impossible.

That’s why it’s so important to come up with the least of quick and healthy recipes and to keep it close in case something like this happens. This way you won’t need to stress out and spend time thinking what you should eat – instead, you’ll be able to pick one of the recipes and prepare a healthy meal quickly.

10. Carry a water bottle with you.

 

We know that it’s important to stay hydrated during the day: it has a good impact on our skin, general health, and brain function. What not all of us know is that drinking water can help prevent overeating, therefore aiding weight loss – and while this works for older people mostly, there’s a way for students to benefit from drinking water as well.

The thing is that we often confuse hunger with thirst, eating simply because we need to drink something. So each time you feel hungry, consider drinking some water and waiting for 10-15 minutes. Chances are you won’t feel hungry anymore.

11. Eat before going out.

Though maintaining a healthy diet 24/7 isn’t necessary (and is hardly possible when you’re a student), this still doesn’t mean you should overeat each time you have an opportunity to eat junk food. However, keeping this in mind doesn’t help all students avoid overeating – so here’s a tip for those who struggle with refusing another slice of pizza.

If you plan on going out, try eating just before that. Resisting cravings is much easier when you’re already full, and you won’t be able to overeat.

You might find some of those tips easier to stick to, and some – harder. However, in the end, anyone would be able to become healthier using those tips. The important thing you should keep in mind is that a healthy eating has nothing to do with a diet. This isn’t a short-term challenge – this is a lifestyle choice. And this isn’t about refusing yourself things you like – it’s about making healthier choices every day and approaching food and drinks mindfully. As long as you remember this, you will succeed.

BIO: Lori Wade is a content writer who is interested in a wide range of spheres from education and online marketing to entrepreneurship. She is also an aspiring tutor striving to bring education to another level like we all do. If you are interested in writing, you can find her on Twitter or Google+ or find her on other social media. Read and take over Lori’s useful insights!

Please check out why eating organic in college is beneficial!

Do you know any tips that helped you eat healthy during college years?

If yes, please share your stories and experience in the comments below!

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