If you’re anything like me, the authoritative influences in your life have probably told you to choose fruit over candy, whole wheat over white bread and vegetables over saltines when snacking. Well, as I’ve said before, you’re in college now.
You don’t have to listen to anyone about what you should eat. You can eat whatever you want—“can” being the operative word in this sentence.
You can eat whatever you want, but do you really want to eat candy while you’re studying for your midterms? I mean, really?
Maybe your answer is yes, and if it is I probably won’t change your mind, but I’m going to suggest a few reasons why maybe you don’t really want to write a ten-page paper while fueled solely by Kit-Kats.
As a proficient and semi-constant snacker, I have two rules for snacking that have helped me snack well.
The first rule is: only snack when you’re hungry. The follow-up to this rule is that if you are hungry, snack by all means!
Your body is much better equipped to handle many small meals in a day than a few large ones.
However, if you feel like you have to snack constantly, it’s probably time for a full meal.
Fun fact: Did you know that if you sit down while eating your body will be more likely to register that you have fed it a good meal and not just a quick snack?
It’s also important to think about what you’re snacking on and how much sustenance it will give you, which brings us to the second rule of snacking.
The second rule of snacking is choose good protein (and no, it’s not to help you build crazy muscles).
The reason I often choose protein for snacks is that you can eat a small amount of high protein foods and they will give you energy for a good chunk of time.
Peanut butter is an awesome protein (on apples, graham crackers, toast with bananas and honey, all that good stuff). Nuts in general are a great choice.
One of my new favorite sources of protein is Fage Greek yogurt. Seriously, it’s amazing. Way more amazing than other kinds of Greek yogurt.
Here’s the thing, in one six-ounce container there are 18 grams of protein. 18 grams! That is as much protein as there is in a chicken breast, people.
This yogurt is a miracle. Also, I get the nonfat variety, and it is as creamy as any other type of yogurt available.
I eat the plain yogurt with a little raspberry jam or honey, and it’s awesome. I’m really plugging for this one, y’all. It’ll change your world.
For more protein ideas, you have the classic cheese and crackers (have you ever had Milton’s crackers? Look for them in the purple box).
Hummus is a great choice, which also goes great with Milton’s crackers or the veggie of your choice.
It’s always good to incorporate fruit or vegetables when you can, but I usually don’t eat them by themselves because then I’m hungry again in about five seconds. Bananas can be a good choice, though, especially with a little peanut butter.
Fun fact: Foods that require a lot of chewing—apples, carrots, crackers—will wake up your brain. This is a good trick when you’re lagging at three in the morning and you’ve already had enough coffee to keep Diversions in business for a whole day.
If you have any suggestions for future articles regarding recipes, cooking techniques or healthy options as well as questions regarding past articles, please do not hesitate to send an email to trailae@pugetsound.edu.
