Second installment of “The Somewhat Answers” column 

Eating healthy is difficult, but eating healthy in college is a whole new level of hard. I’ve recently been working on changing my lifestyle, including the way I eat. Let me tell you, it’s irritating as hell; all I want to do is shove Culver’s cheese curds in my face while curled up in a ball on my couch avoiding all my other responsibilities. But because I have a goal, I need to fight the odd cravings I get in the middle of the night. And no I’m not pregnant; I just want sugar-filled Krispy Kreme Donuts.

Keep yourself accountable. The only one who is responsible for putting food and drinks into your body is you. If keeping a food diary works for you, do it. Whatever you need to do to make sure you aren’t stuck on old habits, this will benefit you in the long run. If you need help tracking your food, check out the app store. The health section is full of apps; one in particular I favor is Lose It-Calorie Counter.

Make better choices. I’m not saying you have to give up everything you love in one night and only eat fruits and veggies tomorrow. If changing lifestyles was that easy, I’m pretty sure everyone would have done it by now. I am saying if you have the option to eat strawberries over a strawberry-flavored granola bar, pick the real fruit. Real sugar is better for you than processed sugar. Every small victory is worth celebrating; it takes small steps to begin the race. Soon you will be seeing big changes in your health, weight, mood and complexion.

Plan your schedule. It’s important to know which nights you are gone and when you will need to pack a lunch verses when you are home and can cook a meal. For me, I am gone on Monday and Wednesday nights which means I need to plan out my meals accordingly to ensure I am still getting proper nutrients on the days I’m not home.

Meal prepping. Meal prepping works hand in hand with planning out your schedule. Knowing you won’t be home will allow you to meal prep according. I know I need to cook enough food on Sundays that will carry over into Mondays. Doing this allows me to continue eating healthy even on the go. Personally, I think chicken is the easiest to meal prep with. Easy and Healthy.

Cheat Meal. Science has proved that a cheat meal often results success but if you don’t believe me you can check out The British Psychology Society’s Blog Page. According to The British Psychology Society’s blog, Research Digest, planning cheat meals can actually help you reach your goals. Through their research they found that not allowing yourself to eat any junk food was joyless and often resulted in ending one’s diet. They say it’s best to plan “naughty” meals, to make you feel as if you’re in control. This will help you be successful.  

These tips on eating healthy in college will help you reach your goals, whether it be losing/maintaining weight, wanting to be healthier or even just trying to fit in your clothes better. Scheduling is important when you’re a college student and time isn’t something we all have. However, one of the best sayings I’ve heard during my journey is, “You make time for the things you want to do.” If gaining a healthy lifestyle is important to you, time is then just a factor.