Late-night eating, drinking, college budgets, and meals on campus do not exactly add up when trying to figure out how to eat healthy in college. There are ways to be more mindful about what you eat and drink without having to miss out on the fun of college. Here is a list for substitutions, cut-backs, and tips for better meal time habits.

Drinks

Stick to the clear liquors. If you're 21, drink vodka with water and lemon and gin and tonic. Stay away from the beer; it adds unnecessary calories to your diet.

Snacks

If you like to snack and the normal go-to is a bag of chips or a candy bar, there are better options that will probably curb the hunger longer, too. If you normally crave a salty snack, go for almonds, hummus snack packs, or trail mix; and if you like to have something sweet go for granola bars, fruit, peanut butter, and dried fruit snacks. Not only will these keep you full longer, they will also give you more energy to be more active throughout the day.

Meal Times

Eating at least three meals a day is super important to keep your body healthy. If you do not snack, eat three larger meals covering all the important food groups. If you snack, eat six smaller meals a day.

Eat breakfast! This is the most important meal of the day because it fuels you. If you start your day with a healthy breakfast, you will probably have a better chance of eating healthy the rest of the day.

Try not to eat past 8 p.m. The closer you eat to bedtime, the longer the food settles in your stomach. If you must eat late at night, maybe do not eat a whole pizza or anything fried. Instead, eat the healthy snack options!

Eat smaller portions and eat slowly. It takes a while for the stomach to tell the brain that you are full.

Cut Backs

Drink fewer calories. Any sort of drink that has a lot calories or sugar is not good for you. Drinking sodas temporarily give you energy but make you crash later. The carbonation bloats the stomach, and the syrups and caffeine is bad for you in more ways than just caloric intake. Drinking coffee with added syrups and milk add up tremendously. Try making your own coffee using skim or soy milk and stevia sweetener.

Heavy desserts kill any healthy eating. Ate a salad but got a cookie? Might as well have eaten a cheeseburger. Frozen yogurt, fruit, or smoothies can hit the sweet tooth just right.

When you attend events with buffets or finger food spreads, get a plate and sit down to eat it. If you hover by the food table, you will end up eating more than actually getting a plate of the food. When making meals at home, do not make a meal for five if only you are eating. You will end up eating a lot more than you should.

Drink Water

Drink water all throughout the day! This helps clear out your system, helps keep you full, and keeps you hydrated.

Even just making a few of these adjustments will help with overall health. How you feel starts with what you put into your body. Eating bad foods will make you less likely to feel up for going for a jog or going to work out with a friend. The more active you are leads to being sick less often, which is a huge struggle for college students. Be more mindful of what goes in your body and the rest will follow suit!