Healthy College Food Staples
If you tuned in yesterday to my "College Staples" post, this is the sequel to that, where I will be discussing all my favorite healthy foods! Whether you're living in a dorm room, sorority house, or an apartment, being on your own in college is hard, and figuring out which foods you should have around can become more complicated than it needs to be. So continuing on with the series, here are the foods that I consider essential to my everyday life.
Rice Cakes
These are the best things to keep around for snacks & on-the-go purposes. Top with peanut butter and banana, or turkey and honey mustard.
Organic Cereal
My favorite cereal are these organic corn flakes, but any cereal by Nature's Path is a great choice. Try to look for cereals low in sugar, high in fiber, and with as little as ingredients as possible. (You shoudn't have trouble pronouncing the label)
Natural Peanut Butter
Although fresh/homemade peanut butter is the best alternative, I can't help but love this brand. Everything in moderation, but this is by far my top pick of nut butters.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I want something sweet, I love going for these mini packs of vegan chocolate chip cookies. They are definitely not the healthiest, but they are pre-portioned so that you don't overeat them, and they always satisfy my sweet tooth.
Ezekiel or Gluten Free Bread
If you typically consume gluten, I recommend eating Ezekiel bread because the grains are sprouted, meaning they are unprocessed and provide the most nutrients. Otheriwse, my favorite Gluten Free alternative is Udis.
Plain Greek Yogurt
In order to get my probiotics in, I eat greek yogurt a couple times a week and sweeten it with honey and fruit. It's really easy to buy small packages of raspberries and blueberries and it adds a ton of flavor to the yogurt.
Protein Bars
I am extremely picky when it comes to these so here are my guidelines: as little ingredients as possible, all pronounceable & low in sugar. Top picks: Kind, Quest, Lara, Square, and Simply Protein.
Popcorn
Popcorn is one of my absolute must-haves. I buy Skinny Pop in the 100 calorie packs for portion control, and I also always keep around Skinny Girl microwave popcorn. Pre-portioned is the best way to go.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is truly my top staple in my diet. I eat it for breakfast, and it even makes a great pre-workout snack. Oat Fit is my go-to brand and they come in packs so that it's easy to microwave it & take it to go! I always top with banana, peanut butter, and cinnamon for the perfect creation.
Healthier Ice Cream
Since I stay away from dairy, my favorite ice cream alternative is made by So Delicious. If you do usually eat dairy, I highly recommend trying Halo Top. Even though these pints are low-cal, I always portion them out.