Tag Archives: College Health

Drunk Munchies are Real! 3 Ways to Combat the Morning After Bloat

You’re trying to lose weight, but you still deserve a social life, so you start your night out with a plan — because fail to plan, plan to fail, right? You’ll have a low calorie cocktail or two, you’ll drink lots of water in between, and you’ll steer clear of those the appetizers you know your friends will order.

But before you know it, you’re having a great time and that plan goes right out the window. While your night is amazing, the next morning: not so much. You wake up feeling bloated, sick and remorseful. What the heck happened?

Drunk munchies are real. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people eat more calories and make unhealthier food decisions on days that they drink. Read: fried, greasy foods consumed well after dinner time.

It makes sense because, as we all know, alcohol lowers your inhibitions. We’ve all woken up thinking, “why did I do/say/eat/text that?”. It’s because alcohol causes us to focus on immediate gratification (yummy, fatty food) rather than long term goals (yummy, flat tummy). (more…)

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Kelly

Cheerleading is a Sport and Just as Much a Workout as Football

The impending autumn means one thing and one thing only for many people – the kickoff of football season. Millions will sit on bleachers and couches to watch the football players play their sport, cheering on their athleticism and strength.

But what about the dedicated athletes on the sidelines? Few people recognize it, and it’s been a point of contention for years, but the cheerleaders supporting the team are working just as hard as the players on the field.

“Football has historically been viewed as a very ‘manly sport,'” remarked our guest editor Dempsey Marks, a fitness expert and yoga trainer who founded DepmseyFit.com, about what separates football and cheerleading in people’s minds. “The sport itself is associated with toughness, pain, and even violence. And primarily football is played by men. [The sport] glorifies aggressive behavior, which society associates with men and masculinity.”

“Cheerleading has evolved from simple movements and cheers to a highly athletic undertaking, which requires strength, coordination, agility, and skill,” she added. (more…)

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Elizabeth

The 25 Best Student-Approved Tips for Eating Healthy in College

I remember it like it was, well, about eight months ago; standing in the middle of campus, looking for a place to eat. Because this situation usually involved a time crunch, I would settle for the most convenient food option, healthy or not. It seems like a lot of college students, including myself, sacrifice healthy food for easy food as if the two are mutually exclusive. However, that isn’t true at all.

We’ve put together a list of healthy eating tips for college students based both on personal experience and input from students around the country. Try implementing a few, and see what a difference they can make!

Cafeteria/Dining Hall

Don’t overdo it on portion sizes. Studies have shown that people who take larger portions will eat more food, whether they are hungry for it or not.

Try not to eat the same thing every day. You may love the cafeteria French fries, but save them for a once-in-a-while indulgence.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the food in the cafeteria or dining hall. The people who prepare and serve the meals may be able to help you find healthy options. (more…)

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Elizabeth

Study Up: 25 Healthiest Colleges List Released

Greatist.com has released their annual list of the 25 healthiest college campuses just in time for the end of the school year.

The ranking process started with nominations from readers, reader suggestions from last year’s list, surveys from the College Prowler and Princeton Review and examination of over 100 colleges’ websites.

Each school is scored for its dining services and awards, fitness facilities, health services, happiness rankings, and health and fitness initiatives.

The top five schools on this year’s list are Bowdoin College, Stanford University, Virginia Tech, Rice University and Washington University in St. Louis. (more…)

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Elizabeth

Breakfast Proteins Fill You Up, Suppress Appetite

In this fast paced age of instant gratification, young people are skipping breakfast in favor of checking their Instagram while they scramble to get to school or work on time. A new University of Missouri study aimed to quantify the nutritional benefits of the most important meal of the day. Moms in Missouri rejoiced, students were ecstatic for the free grub, and the results were just shy of major significance.

Twenty obese college girls were fed a breakfast high in protein (sausage and eggs), a normal protein breakfast (cereal), or no breakfast at all. Participants were given coolers full of unhealthy snacks to measure their appetite later in the day. While that may have been a misstep by the scientists considering Cheetos and Little Debbies are awfully tempting to any starving college student, the breakfast protein experiment did yield minor results. Researchers found that the more protein consumed during breakfast led to higher appetite satiety and decreased hunger later in the day. (more…)

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Patrick

The Key to a Healthy Spring Break is Moderation

By Stephanie Barnes for HelloGiggles.com

It’s finally here! Spring Break – the most magical time of the year for students everywhere. It’s time to leave your books and the stresses of real life behind and head out to find your little piece of paradise. Sounds perfect, right? What could go wrong while laying out on the beach sipping pretty drinks with hundreds of other bikini and Speedo clad college students? Many spring breakers get so caught up in the excitement of getting away that they go a little overboard – ending up on a wild ride of debauchery. But with a little pre-party planning, you can have an amazing time without all the superfluous stuff.

Be a Better Beach Baby

First thing you’ll probably want to do is hit the beach. Sea, sun and sand. Don’t forget your sunblock as overexposure to the sun can be extremely taxing on your body.

The beach is also great for reading. Catch up on the latest gossip from your favorite magazine or dive into that novel you’ve been dying to get your hands on. Put your cellphone away and focus entirely on your present moment. Just enjoy the pleasure of being unplugged, because your mental health is as important as your physical health. (more…)

Posted on March 20, 2024 by HelloGiggles

Mobile Apps Help College Students Minimize Obesity

Have you heard college students joke about the “Freshman 15”? The 10-15 pounds on average that students can gain throughout their college years is no laughing matter. These students are the future of our country and obesity contributes to deadly, costly health problems later in life. To reach this technology-savvy generation, here are some tips on leveraging smartphones, tablets, and social media avenues to stop the “Freshman 15” before it starts.

There are countless free smartphone and tablet apps available to help students make healthier lifestyle choices. What all these apps have in common is that you can choose to receive daily or weekly notifications to ensure compliance and motivation. Here are a few places to start: (more…)

Posted on February 6, 2024 by GuestBlogger

Drunkorexia: College Students Save Calories for Binge Drinking

“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

While we all aspire to be eternally young, one part of youth we can all do without is the irrational sense of invincibility. That, and the overpowering need to be accepted by the “in crowd.”

With that in mind, it’s not hard to believe that the highest percentage of problem drinkers is college students. Heavy drinking, mixed with youthful hormones and naivety, leads to violence, careless sexual activity, and now something that is being called drunkorexia.

Recent Canadian research has found that young men and women are skipping meals, yet are also consuming a day’s worth of calories in alcohol. In other words, young people who want to lose weight, but still want to party, cut out the meals in order to do so and stay thin. They may also be drinking excessively with the intention of purging previously consumed food.

While it’s not yet a recognized eating disorder, the health risks of drunkorexia are very real. Weight-conscious drinkers are risking nutrient deprivation, liver damage, and death.

It’s not a problem exclusive to the U.S. or college-age kids for that matter. (more…)

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Jason

Kick-Off College Football With Healthier Man-Approved Tailgate Recipes

Finally! The weather is just starting to cool off, my favorite alma mater T-shirt is hanging front and center, and college football kicks off tomorrow. It’s almost more excitement than I can bear. I know I’m not alone, and I know I’m not the only one preparing a first game feast for my friends.

Whether you tailgate at home or from your couch, you can consume A LOT of calories in the four hours it takes to win a football game. I, for one, don’t want to be bloated when the big score comes in at the end, so I make a healthier spread. It’s far from rabbit food, but it’s also not the calorie bomb that most of my fellow fans are dishing up.

If I can promise you bold-flavored, sticky-fingered buffalo chicken, wicked dips, and killer desserts, can you promise to try at least one lighter tailgate party this season? I’m pretty sure everyone scores in that deal!

BBQ Pork Sliders

No one needs a half-pound pile of pulled pork, but a tiny slider or two can really fill you up. Our little pork sliders are smothered in a homemade barbecue sauce and a little coleslaw for a cool crunch.

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip

We guarantee everything about this recipe is the same as any you’ve tried before, except we’ve cut more than 200 calories out of it! A few simple swaps make this appetizer just as creamy, spicy, and in demand as its gut-busting counterpart. (more…)

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Natalie K

Healthy Cooking For One College Grad on a Budget

By Rachel Berman, RD, Director of Nutrition at CalorieCount.com

Whether you are a new graduate off your campus meal plan and living on your own for the first time, or just need tips on how to stock your kitchen without breaking the bank, below are tips and staples for eating healthy at home when it’s a setting for one.

Plan Your Menu

Meal planning reduces stress, saves money, and reduces food waste. A fun money saver is to pick a “theme” each week. For example, if you pick Mexican food for one week, versatile ingredients for various meals might include salsa, black beans, avocados, cheese, corn, and whole wheat tortillas. With these ingredients plus staples (see below) you could make plenty from black bean quesadillas to spicy egg scrambles and southwestern salads or wraps.

Minimize Mess and Save Time with One Pot Methods

Slow cookers are inexpensive, come in many sizes, and recipes that use them do not require a lot of effort or clean up. Same idea goes with anything that stir-fries and just uses one skillet. (more…)

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Calorie_Count

Graduate to a Healthier Lifestyle: College Graduate Gift Ideas

The April showers are certainly bringing May flowers this year, and they’re also delivering a new class of graduates. Who expect to be showered with gifts.

Do you know what college grads really want? Jobs. Talk about a gift that keeps giving… a salary, health benefits, a desk to sit at for eight hours a day.

If you’ve got a class of 2024 graduation on your calendar in the coming weeks, you’ll want to arrive armed with a gift that says congratulations, welcome to the real world, and I cared enough to not by a cliche Dr. Seuss book. There are gifts that say all of these things. We know because we found them!

There’s something on here for every budget and will certainly help the graduate in your life transition from college to career with a healthy lifestyle as a priority.

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Natalie K

Tag Archives: College Health

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