Eating healthy in college can be impossible. College means the poor and healthy food is just plain expensive. I'd be the first to admit, my diet is horrible. I can't resist the cookies, brownies and all the fast food places all around me. The smell of Taco Bell follows my every move, the walk to Circle K for a donut late at night takes five minutes from my apartment, from the gym there is a perfect view of my favorite taco shop, FOOD IS EVERYWHERE. My first two years here in college have not reflected well on how I would like my eating habits to be. However this week I tried something new. I went to the grocery store and allowed myself to ONLY by healthy items no matter how much it broke my bank.
It hasn't been going so well.
There is only so much enjoyment a person can have when it comes to healthy snacking. This weeks snacks have included: apples, orange slices, snap peas, yogurt with granola and nuts. Sure, these are yummy and a better choice than popcorn but come on, it's impossible to feel full after those tiny mini snacks. All I really want to do is sit in front a television with a bag full of barbecue baked chips or a slice of chocolate cake. I'd rather let the red dust of bbq settle on my tongue and wash it down with a gulp of soda than scoop my snack out of a fruit cup with a spoon. It's painful really. Is eating healthy even worth it?
Then there comes breakfast. Usually, I would toast myself two pieces of cinnamon raisin bread and smother it in half a stick of butter. But now I am stuck to oatmeal with fruit and health bars for the week. There isn't anything more upsetting than waking up in the morning and having to indulge in something that just doesn't satisfy your sugary needs.
Dinner is usually my prime time. My favorite things to devour include a bowl of pasta, a meaty piece of sauce covered steak, and of course a dessert of ice cream or a cookie. But now here I am in my little apartment cooking spinach and broccoli over the stove and dashing it with a little bit of garlic for taste. I'm over this healthy life.
Even though the experiment wasn't the most fun, there's a few things I learned about eating healthy from this week. For one I realize that yeah it does make you feel better but it is okay to let yourself have dessert and salty snacks from time to time. Food makes you happy and sometimes that happy food isn't good for you and that's fine. Living a life counting calories and avoiding your favorite desserts is a life not worth living. I urge everyone to eat healthy so that their body feels awesome but not to ignore their sugary desires every once and a while. Eating healthy is awesome, but what is life without pizza, pie, and donuts to live it with? Everyone's got a food weakness, and hey I think that's alright.
