Freshman 15 Nutrition tips to success


(Excerpt from Drop Your Freshman 15 Recipe Book)



1)    Schedule extra time for your shopping.


Grocery shopping for healthier foods weekly will help you choose foods
which are more nutritious such as fruits and vegetables, and fresh meats.


2)    Take one morning in the week to prepare your meals

It’s a lot easier to buy a slice of pizza when you know that you don’t have
a healthier option available asap, to curb your fast food fixes take a morning
or 2 each week, to grill your meats and cut up your veggies, then store them
in tupperware so that they can be used quickly when it comes time to prep a meal.

3)    Invest in a small travel cooler/ lunch bag and use it.

Always carry meals with you, it can make it a lot easier to eat clean at school.
People will look at you strange when you start eating in lecture hall, but it beats
the alternative, a muffin top that overlaps your jeans

4)    Purchase quality foods over convenience foods

Boxed prepackaged foods are often higher in preservatives.
The  goal is to eat foods that are fresh and seasonal.

5)    Low fat and Light labeled foods are not always better for you.

Certain foods that are advertised as low fat may not be better for you.
products such as cookies are often sold by using terms like low fat,
It is just a marketing ploy to alleviate the consumer’s fears about eating
junk food. The truth is that the cookies are still high in sugar, which will
spike insulin levels and pack the pounds on.

6)    Fresh vs. Frozen foods

For most students price of fresh produce will be an issue, if that is the case
don’t be afraid to buy frozen foods. Frozen meats and vegetables do take a little
longer to prepare due to thawing but are better than the alternative, eating
processed food.

7)    Limit your intake of refined grains

When buying grains opt for the least refined choices. Grains such as rice
and oats are treated like table sugar by the body when they are processed. 
All grain should be in the most natural form, the fiber in these foods slow down
the absorption of the sugars when eaten.

8)    Spices and Seasonings
Use these as often as possible to give your foods flavour, sauces tend to be
higher in sugars and fats.

9)    Buy discounted meat
Grocery stores discount meat by 30 to 70% as they approach their expiration dates.
Buy a few pounds of meat and throw it in the freezer. Put the meat in the refrigerater
the day before they need to be prepared so it can thaw.

10) Buy the store brands

Most store brand products are just as good as their brand name counterparts,
and they'll always be cheaper. This applies to almost all food purchases, such as
eggs, fresh frozen bagged vegetables, cottage cheese, milk, and nuts.
You can save even more money with store brands because stores often
put their brands on sale.


11) Shop for food every three days

If you have the time, frequent shopping is the best option for saving money. Why?
Because you don't have to re-buy food that has gone bad from sitting around unused
in your refrigerator for a week and a half. Yes, going grocery shopping twice a week
is a bit of a pain in the butt, but the food in your fridge will always be fresh.

12) Shop at the wholesale stores.

Another great way to save money is to buy in bulk. You can buy eggs, spinach,
dried fruit, frozen vegetables, dried or frozen anything in bulk, really.
If you have a lot of cupboard and freezer space, then this option has
your name written all over it. Just compare prices first, and be sure you're
actually getting a discount. Sometimes all you're doing is paying three
or four times as much to get three or four times as much.

13. Order your supplements in big shipments

I always purchase my supplements in one huge order every few months.
I do this not only to get volume discounts, but also because some places
like the online store at www.DropYourFreshman.com offer free shipping
for orders over a certain amount.

14. Clip coupons from the Sunday paper

Admittedly it sounds pretty lame, but your mom has the right idea when
it comes to stretching the grocery money. I regularly find coupons that save
me twenty dollars or more at the supermarket.