I'll admit it; I'm one of those demented health and fitness freaks that take a vitamin packet every morning and drink enough water bottles to fill up a small single in Lewis.
If I could, I would run across campus in total Tufts paraphernalia and blast Snap's "I've got the power!" but family and friends would most likely cease to associate themselves with me, so I've conglomerated all of this crazy, creative energy into my column.
Get ready to change up those unhealthy eating patterns. Let's talk about how to make proper dining choices when we are confronted with so many enticing treats. We all cheat ... with food, that is.
When my schedule feels loaded to the brim and I can't possibly fit one more item onto my plate, I start to add more onto the other plate - the food plate! Let's face it; no one's perfect. When we all have 239,283 things to get done, can't say no to one of them, and also want to be there for every friend, family member and random person under the sun, it's difficult to eat right all of the time.
But that's not to say that it is impossible to make healthier choices that will eventually cross over into your life even beyond Tufts. Right now, we live in a particularly toxic food environment. With the ability to eat as much food as we want at Dewick and Carmichael, the ubiquitous snack machines, and points, points and more points to buy anything from buffalo wings to fuzzy peaches at Jumbo Express, it becomes very difficult to see an end to this unhealthy buffet of madness.
So what do we do when we're tempted by the fried chicken or chocolate chip cake in the dining halls? What are some of the healthier choices in that are "guilt-free"?
One of the ways to help kick off a healthier eating pattern is to plan out your meals. Luckily, you can actually see the menus online (http://www.tuftslife. com/dininghalls) and plan your meals accordingly for the week.
For example, this Thursday, Dewick is serving a broiled salmon with nuts as an entr?©e, and as sides, bulgar rice with vegetables and whole green beans with sprouts. As you scour the buffet with these in mind, you probably will not be so easily enticed by the less healthy options, since you had originally prepared a meal to your liking in advance.
Prior planning will accomplish the following: one, you will suddenly be aware of the healthier choices accessible to you, and two, you will be motivated by your own goal to curb temptation once you arrive at the dining hall.
If there is one other thing that you can do to make your diet healthier, eat vegetables! According to the Food and Drug Administration, vegetables are a lean source of the nutrients that can help your body fight off chronic disease while providing low-calorie fiber, which fills you up, so you're less likely to gorge on all of the bad-for-you foods.
Although the dining halls may appear to be some sort of jungle for food, there is also a lot of healthy food - you just have to look for it. There are always cooked veggies, and the salad bar is stocked with rich spinach leaves, tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, peppers, celery and cauliflower, to name a few.
Test yourself and see how nutritiously packed you can make your salad. Remember, variety is essential: the FDA recommends vegetables varying in color hues because they provide different types of beneficial nutrients like beta-carotene in carrots, tomatoes, and peppers, or vitamin K in spinach and broccoli. Many vegetables also contain phytochemicals that can prevent cancer and heart disease.
Become your own chef and spice it up - literally! There is an assortment of spices on the rack above the salad bar that ranges from fresh ground chili pepper to Italian seasoning. For some added taste, there's always cheese - the salad bar includes feta, mozzarella, and cheddar. It won't kill your diet to use a little, unless you're lactose intolerant - and please stay away if you are!
Cheese is packed with protein and calcium, necessary for the development of strong bones and teeth, but watch out: you don't want to overload because the saturated fat content can be high.
Still tempted? No one says you can't have just a couple of those tasty steak fries, but think moderation. Remind yourself from time to time that proper choices will help protect your long-term health and ultimately give you the nutrients necessary to live a healthful and energized lifestyle. You might even begin to strut across the academic quad with some '90s dance music, in which case, I would most definitely be your friend.
Senior Marissa Beck, an English major, works with the Strong Women program as an assistant manager and personal trainer for the Tufts Personalized Performance Program. Contact her at Marissa.Beck@tufts.edu. This column is written in conjunction with the Balance section of the Daily.
