What defines a healthy food choice for you? Is it the calories in the food? Maybe it’s the ingredients? Or is it just if it ‘looks healthy’? This week, in the second part of our health and fitness focus, Her Campus Mount Holyoke will explain what healthy eating really is, and how you can make sure you are staying healthy on campus.
Limits to follow:
All dining halls at Mount Holyoke have cards that tell us how much fat and sodium there are in food as well as how many calories. The CDC recommends that we stay under the following limits to be healthy:
Sodium: less 2.5 grams per day or less than 2500 milligrams
Fat: less than 60 g fat a day
Too much sodium in a diet can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney damage, while too much fat in a diet can also lead to heart disease as well as high cholesterol. Being conscious of your intake of sodium and fat will keep you healthy and reduce your chances of heart disease. In addition to sodium and fat leading to health risks, being overweight in general greatly increases your risk of heart disease. Try to reach a healthy weight for your height and eat a proportionate amount of calories a day based on your physical activity.
Spread your calories out:
For most women, 2000 calories or a little less per day is a good amount. Spreading the calories throughout three meals is important. The most important meal of the day is breakfast. Many women on campus skip breakfast, but skipping breakfast is a big mistake. You’re less likely to eat more than you should later in the day if you eat a small, 300 calorie breakfast in the morning. A piece of toast, fruit or a small bowl of cereal are healthy options for breakfast. Oatmeal is a great option that will keep you full longer and use up minimal categories. For lunch, allot about 500-700 calories. This allows you to have a sandwich or salad with fruit or vegetables and a drink. Dinner is most likely the biggest meal for most women on campus, and around 700-1000 calories can be eaten at dinner. A healthy meal would resemble a small salad, a small portion of lean meat, a portion of vegetables and a small dessert. Also remember that liquids have calories too! A grande pumpkin spice latte from
Starbucks has 380 calories—comparable to a small meal! If you need your caffeine fix, order it without the whipped cream and ask for skim milk instead of 2%. Replacing a drink with a snack can be a way to get your dessert but not feel guilty for cramming in more calories.
Should I eat this?
There are a few simple questions you should ask yourself before you eat something.
Am I really hungry, or am I going to eat this because I am bored or because the food is simply there?
How many calories are in this food?
How much fat is in this food?
How much sodium is in this food?
How much sugar is in this food?
An hour from now, will I regret eating this food?
After you ask yourself these questions, and still feel like eating the food is a good choice, go ahead! You’ve determined that you’re hungry, that the food is healthy, and that the food is something your body needs.
Unhealthy Foods:
Of course, there are times when you really want chocolate cake, a cookie or some ice cream, but you know it’s not healthy. There is nothing wrong with a treat if you eat unhealthy foods in moderation. Always having dessert after both lunch and dinner, however, can rack up the calories and fat in your diet. A cookie from one of the dining halls at Mount Holyoke averages from 100 to 250 calories! Cakes or brownies can reach 500, and a mini-loaf of chocolate chip muffin at brunch averages 550 calories! A medium serving of French fries from McDonalds averages 500 calories, and a large slice of pizza starts at 300 calories. These foods are unhealthy in general, but if they are eaten as a meal, the caloric values aren’t bad. It’s when you add a hamburger and large soda to your fries when you exceed 1200 calories a meal. One slice of pizza or even two might be fine, but reach four or five and you’ve consumed 1500 calories. When eating unhealthy foods, be aware of the caloric values as well as the sodium and fat values, and make your choices according to that. Eating pizza once a week if you’ve eaten fairly healthily the rest of the week is fine, just like having a cookie after dinner once and a while is fine too.
The Final Word:
All in all, make healthy choices when eating. Limit your junk food, and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. If you watch your intake of fat, sodium and calories, you can feel and look healthier!