Campus Nutrition

So one thing that I struggle with and assume many others do as well is how to eat healthier on the go.  I hate feeling trapped in my food choices on campus or on the town.  Now I should mention that I'm not a nutrition snob and refuse to eat anything not organic, free range, pulled with my own two hands or what have you.  In fact a good article on this can be found here.  While I do "watch" what I eat I try not to be snobby about it.  Yes, I eat organic when possible and I limit my red meat and refined flour intake.  Yes, I go out to dinner and eat steaks, bacon cheese burgers, fries, drink beer and enjoy pizza like the next guy.  I do all this while keeping in mind portions, how often I'm partaking in said debauchery, and where I am for the week.  To me this is a responsible and sustainable approach to eating.  I mean if you're counting and weighing and passing on delicious food why are you here?  Life is meant to be enjoyed not only physically but with all your senses.  Don't short yourself by missing out on food you WANT to eat!

O.k. off my soap box and back onto topic.  Campus nutrition is tough.  When I look at the selections in the cafeteria I see pizza, burgers, chicken, salad, chips, pop, and everything else college folk eat.  I'm not 18.  I have noticed that my metabolism has slowed as I coast down the backside of my twenties.  It's really amazing actually how fast it turned for the worst.  One day I was eating anything I wanted and the next day the love handles and belly began to grow and my face started to fill out.  Crazy.  To think I've been told it's only downhill from here.  Wohoo?  I'm determined to change that trend for myself.

O.k. back on track again.  campus food is not only very limited, but expensive.  Me being the cheap guy I am (see medicine ball build) I bring my own food/snacks.  One of the things I bring are these freeze dried fruit crisps by Brothers All Natural.  They come in a couple different flavors, but I love the Fuji apple and Asian pear. 

What's nice about is these is they don't bruise!  I hate it when I go to eat a some fruit and it's been smashed, dented, bruised or whatever from being in a backpack with 30#s of books.  The second snack I take to get me through the school day is something salty.  I have a sweet with the fruit, but sometimes that's not enough OR I just want salt.  Enter my new favorite "chip" garden veggie chips.

Believe me when I say that these taste nothing like a healthy chip.  They have three flavors that I know of; sea salt (flat, ribbed chip), lightly salted (they're shaped into straws), and rosemary olive oil (Stacy's favorite).  I'm providing a link because unlike the fruit crisps just a Google search may not be enough.  Check them out here.

That's it!  Add in some water and it gets me through my day without feeling terribly hungry until I'm able to get home and eat a usually late lunch.

Till next time I'd be interested to hear ideas of what anyone else does for food/snacks on the run, at work, or during class?  Post below!