Here are the top 10 nutritional tips that I would want to come away with after graduating from Tufts.
10. Life is not composed of a bunch of Dewicks, Carmichaels and Brown and Brews. There is a jungle out there, A JUNGLE! And you might have to dig deep, go long and search far and wide for that nice piece of grilled Mahi Mahi that you were once so easily able to catch here in the dining halls. Be prepared to rough it.
9. Then again, life is not composed of a bunch of Dewicks, Carmichaels and Brown and Brews. You can actually try new restaurants, taste new foods and embrace new cultures. Isn't that the kind of thing Tufts would expect from you? Opt for something different; be that person who is always flexible and can try anything.
We are no longer five-year-olds. Noodles with butter, chicken soup and Froot Loops can't cut it anymore. The last thing you want is to let pickiness become a source of mealtime tension. So I beseech you not to discriminate against your taste buds. They deserve a chance too.
Just because you think there is a "right" way to eat and live doesn't mean your body and tongue agree. How else would our fine Harvard student friends have learned to adjust to their new less expensive and ill-tasting cereal options like "Tootie Fruities" and "Colossal Crunch"? We never knew we would learn such a colossal lesson from Harvard.
8. Eat breakfast. Maybe you didn't do that too often here, but it's not too late to start! Studies have continuously shown that skipping breakfast detracts from concentration, good memory and mood - and that's the last thing you want now that you've got a Big Cheese to answer to.
Mmmm, big cheese. You can eat some cheese in the morning, but eating a variety of foods that include whole grains (breads and cereals); proteins (meats, eggs, beans, and/or nuts); fruits and vegetables; and milk, cheese, and/or yogurt is your best bet. You ARE a loser if you skip the meal entirely.
7. Speaking of cheese, eat and drink foods rich in calcium. Those in their early 20s need to build up calcium stores in order to prevent osteoporosis later on in life. But calcium does not work alone. In order to actually absorb it, your body needs a little bit of vitamin D.
Milk and juices are now often fortified with vitamin D, or you can just get a little sunlight (the body makes vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the light). Exercise is also an important factor - particularly weight-bearing exercise - in helping to build strong bones.
You're graduating; look to the future. Now is the time to begin weight training. Some reasons: it will help your body make hormones that protect bones; it will produce electrical activity, promoting bone growth and repair; and it will boost the flow of blood and nutrients to your bones.
6. Eat your five to nine servings of fruits and veggies every day. Don't forget how easy it was for you to make a huge salad here, racking up the five-to-nine like it was nobody's business. According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating that amount of fruits and veggies daily helps lower susceptibility to many cancers, reduces the risk of heart disease, and protects against the effects of aging.
Make sure to eat a VARIETY of fruits and veggies - five to nine doesn't mean four apples and two pears. Different phytochemicals and antioxidants can be found in the varied colors of the fruits and vegetables we choose. So, taste the rainbow! (And I don't mean Skittles).
5. Alcohol CAN still be a part of your post-grad plan - even if it's not involved in a game of Beirut. The American Heart Association asserts that the ethanol found in alcohol appears to be good for the heart and circulatory system; but anything more than moderate drinking - two drinks a day if you're a man or one drink a day if you're a woman - can counterbalance the health benefits.
4. Water, water, water. Eight glasses a day. 64 ounces. And if you exercise vigorously, you may need even more. Don't underestimate THIS drink.
3. SNACK! Just because you might be in a nine-to-five job doesn't mean lunch is the only time to eat. Keeping healthful snacks on hand wards off hunger pangs, and you won't be tempted by the vending machines. Having a combo of protein, carbohydrate and unsaturated fat is the best way to go.
Some options could be fresh or dried fruit, nuts, or organic peanut butter on whole wheat crackers. You might find that your workplace has a refrigerator - in that case, raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or a cottage cheese dip is "delish," as my grandfather would say.
2. Moderation. Funny that this is coming from Marissa "Extremist" Beck. But our friend the Cookie Monster has taught us a valid lesson: Eat your "sometimes cookie." AND LIKE IT!
1. www.mypyramid.gov. This class will set out into the world with the new and improved dietary guidelines and pyramid of 2005. The new food guide pyramid is cool because it can help you choose the foods and amounts that are right for YOUR BODY. A new pyramid for a new beginning - what a great note to leave on.
