For most people in college, their worries about food are usually about eating too much and how to avoid the dreaded ‘Freshman Fifteen’. While it’s important to remember to eat healthily and avoid weight gain from an unbalanced diet, other people may have the exact opposite problem: not eating enough.
Especially in high-pressure schools, people can ignore their need to eat while doing their work or, if you’re like me, just forget that you need to until it’s 2 AM and your stomach won’t let you sleep. This is a worrisome habit to form, but there are ways to remind yourself to eat and to make eating into something more something you try to do between classes when you can.
#1: Schedule your Meals
One way to remember to eat is to schedule in time that you’ve set aside for eating. Whether this takes the form of a Google Calendars event alert, an alarm on your phone, or just a reminder penciled into your agenda or scribbled on your hand, writing down when you intend to eat and sticking to it can be really helpful. Scheduling in your food makes it a priority rather than an option, and makes it more obvious when you’re skipping meals. If you’re like me and tend to just forget about eating, these little notes and reminders can really help in the quest for a meal.
#2: Make Meal Plans
If eating seems like a hassle or something you usually ignore because of work, try making it something enjoyable! Making lunch or dinner plans or stopping to grab coffee and a pastry with someone can take eating from a necessity to a fun option, and also makes you less likely to skip out on that sandwich – you can’t ditch your friend! It also does double duty by giving you a reason to take a break from working and get out of the dorm or library and talking to people for a while.
#3: Carry Snacks
If rushing around and not having time is why you don’t eat, consider carrying protein bars to supplement your diet and make sure you have something in your stomach other than your morning beverage of choice. While it isn’t ideal, eating something is better than not eating at all, whether it’s a meal or a snack. A note, though, on doing this: make sure you’re getting a a healthy bar, like a fruit or nut bar or something with nutritional value. Many food bars are no better than candy when it comes to what they’re made of. I personally love Kind bars – they’re pure fruits and nuts and come in tons of different types. Cliff bars are also good for people who may not like the chunky texture of Kind.
Happy snacking!