Between Miley Cyrus maintaining a vegan diet and Gwyneth Paltrow’s extended list of cleanses, there is no magic formula to being healthy. Eating healthy in college can be extremely difficult, but I’ve tried my fair share of changing my eating habits and here are my thoughts.
Since I knew going vegan would be a huge stretch for me, I decided to try being a vegetarian. This was not that difficult for the most part. However, sometimes tofu just did not taste as good as chicken. Also, going to Sohi uptown and not getting a burger is a serious struggle, but I learned their salads are delicious. I did not feel too much of a difference with this diet, but I do think I ate more carbs since I wasn’t feeling as full.
Another diet I’ve tested out was the Keto diet. I am sure you’ve heard of Atkins diet aka low carb aka my worst nightmare. Keto diet is a low carb, high fat diet. I figured if I could not enjoy my favorite food group of carbs, at least I could have lots of fats. However, this was much harder than it seemed. There are so many fruits, vegetables, and stereotypical foods that are packed with carbs. I felt like a caveman living off meats, vegetables, butter, oils, and cheese. And while I love cheese, I felt so weighed down by these hefty foods. Not a huge fan… pass me the French fries!!
Recently, I did a gluten free and dairy free trial. The gluten free part was much easier for me than the previous low carbs. Today there are plenty of gluten free options for some of the best foods. Additionally, rice and corn based foods are gluten free, so you can still celebrate taco Tuesday with the girls. Unfortunately, I had to stick with guacamole instead of queso, since I was also doing dairy free. This also wasn’t terribly hard to do because of the milk substitutes, including almond, coconut and soy milk.
Ultimately, I think it is important to eat what makes you feel good. Eating clean most of the time is a great way to stay healthy both mentally and physically. If you enjoy eating kale on the reg, great. However, if you are having a bad day and cannot stop craving Ben and Jerry’s, then get the ice cream!
Feature Photo: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9d/c9/b9/9dc9b9dad0d1e84b55d3681a68f2992e–avo…