Health and Fitness: Tasty substitues for a healthier you

There are some people who just don’t know how to make a healthy meal in Daly’s Dining Hall, and even people who think they’re eating healthy may still be making poor decisions.

Nothing hurts the eyes of a healthy eater more than seeing a person holding a plate filled with fries, a hot dog and a hamburger. Help stop these healthy eaters from going blind by learning how to eat properly.

In order to make healthy eating decisions in college, you need to know what foods are good for you. Basically, the best way to be a healthy eater in Daly’s is to eat whole-wheat foods instead of foods that contain white flour. This is because white flour gets processed and anything nutritious that was originally in the wheat was taken away in the processing procedure.

Breakfast is how many people start off their day, and every good day begins with a healthy meal. If you like to eat cereal in the morning, try to avoid the sugary processed cereals and stay close to the cereals that contain whole grain. When sugar is the first ingredient in the cereal, you’re better off eating something that actually contains nutritional value, such as Kashi GoLean Crunch, Cheerios or Special K. You get bonus points if you use soy milk or skim milk in your cereal instead of whole milk.

Another healthy breakfast option in Daly’s is oatmeal. Some tasty flavors include cinnamon and spice or apples and cinnamon. For those who don’t mind waiting in the omelet line, order fresh eggs instead of the egg liquids, and eat them with whole wheat bread instead of white bread. Also, if you need a caffeine boost in the morning, tea is a much healthier alternative to coffee.

In Daly’s, there is little to no difference between lunch and dinner regarding the food is served to the students. If you want to make a sandwich, some of the healthiest breads to use are whole wheat, rye or multigrain. Wraps can be healthy, but they can also be relatively high in calories, reaching up to 250 or 300 calories in just a single plain wrap.

When at the pasta station, ask for the whole-wheat pasta instead of the regular pasta. Also, instead of asking for alfredo sauce, ask for marinara.

Attention salad-eaters: Ranch dressing poured on top of iceberg lettuce and topped with croutons is not a healthy salad. A ten-page paper could be written on how much better spinach leaves are for your body than iceberg lettuce is. Spinach leaves contain more vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B-6. Pouring on a ton of ranch or blue cheese dressing negates the healthiness of your salad since there are about 150 unhealthy calories for every two tablespoons of ranch dressing. Instead of ranch or blue cheese dressing, use a light amount of oil and vinegar, hummus or balsamic dressing. Healthy salad toppings include any and all vegetables, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds.

As far as dessert goes in Daly’s, all sweets are good in moderation. Eating a few cookies or a slice of cake is healthier than eating one slice of pie. The fat-free frozen yogurt machine is a healthy alternative to ice cream. Instead of sprinkles and chocolate syrup, top your fro-yo with granola, honey, craisins or, once again, slivered almonds.

Don’t be the person who eats a hamburger and fries every night. Not only will you be saving your heart from potential disease, you will be showing your taste buds a brand new, healthier form of eating.

-Paige McAtee

Junior journalism major