Confused on what to eat in the servery? Feeling stressed about healthy eating? Don't know how to fit healthy eating and exercise into your busy schedule? Whether you have a question about healthy snack options or how many calories are in your favorite "party" beverage, I am here to help. I wanted to offer a way for students to ask me questions when they don't have time to see me one-on-one. So ask away...
If a question is personal, or you would like more in-depth consultation, please contact me at nutrition@rice.edu or call 713-348-5194 to schedule an appointment.
I live off campus and eat relatively healthy and usually avoid red meat. However, my boyfriend LOVES red meat and needs around 4,00 calories a day due to is strenuous exercise schedule. How do I cook for both of us when our calorie needs and meat preferences are so different?
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa, thanks for the first question and a great one at that!
ReplyDeleteWhen cooking in a couple situation, it can be very hard to keep your portions correct when your partners needs are so different. It all comes down to that thing we learn to love in relationships (or are forced to deal with, haha)...COMPROMISE. Even though your boyfriend's caloric needs may be much higher than yours, does not mean he has to eat un-healthfully. It's all about being a little creative and finding things that you both can agree on. So if your boyfriend hates eating salads and you hate eating steak, why not compromise with a pasta dish with veggies and chicken? You can add a touch of olive oil to the dish, leave the bottle out, and let you BF add more to his plate for added calories. Also, plate your food differently than his, maybe you take more veggies out of the dish and let him have more pasta. If all else fails, you can always cook what you want and let him make himself a single serving steak if he feels as though he really needs the red meat and calories. On that same note, let him cook you a meal for a night, maybe he has some ideas on some foods he likes that you may end up liking. And if its not that healthy, remember its the thought that counts and just eat a smaller portion! Learn from each other and COMPROMISE.
When I'm super busy (like during finals), I often only end up eating one pretty normal-sized meal and maybe a snack in a day. If I'm not bothered by hunger and make sure my one meal contains balanced nutrients, is this still a particularly bad habit?
ReplyDeletekts2@rice.edu
Hi Kate,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this question. A lot of students present with this similar issue in my office. Sometimes our lives can be so hectic, that healthy eating falls to the wayside, but remember, nutrition is what fuels our bodies AND our minds! The problem I see with eating one meal and one snack a day is that you may not be receiving the proper amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for your needs as well as not receiving the proper amounts of vitamins and minerals. Eating this way may also lead to your blood sugar dropping. We want our blood sugar to remain at a certain flat line throughout the day, as our day progresses, and without fuel to fed us, these levels can drop leading to hypoglycemia, lethargy, and light-headedness. I always recommend my clients not go longer than 4 hours without eating during the day (consisting of meals and snacks within their energy needs). If you are feeling good eating this way, I would at least recommend that you include some sort of carbohydrate and protein combination for "breakfast", or soon after you wake up, to give you fuel for the start of your day. Good choices include, yogurt and granola, apple with peanut butter, cottage cheese and fruit. I would also suggest you start taking a multi-vitamin to cover your bases on nutrient deficiency. Hope this helps and good luck with the rest of your finals! I will be e-mailing you with information on how to receive your $10 in wellness bucks!
This semester, my first classes are either pretty late in the morning or early in the afternoon. Because of this, I either don't wake up for breakfast, or I just end up not going. I've heard that this is not too healthy, but I'd be interested in getting specifics about why this is the case. Can you explain what effects this may have in the long run?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
drr2@rice.edu
Hello!
ReplyDeleteIt is not set in stone that your "breakfast" has to be in the early A.M. First I would like to know what time are you getting to bed? If you are not going to bed until 2am your "breakfast" can be more at a time of 10 or 11am, which will enable you to get your 8 hours of sleep. So let's just clarify that "breakfast" should be classified as your first meal, soon after you wake up for your day. So, if we happen to skip this meal, soon after we wake up, what happens?
First, your body has not been fueled for many hours due to sleep. The body is essentially fasting and "breakfast" helps to "break-the-fast." When your body is sleeping it still needs to fuel itself to keep your body functioning. Much of that fuel comes from your body stores and these become drained by morning and need a "jump-start". Skip breakfast and you might feel fine, raring to go for the first few hours after you wake up. This will diminish as your body is expected to keep running on fumes. It has been studied that breakfast can increase the metabolism by 25%, which is why people can feel better eating breakfast in the morning. Skipping it can leave a person's metabolism to slow, leaving them sluggish and tired. Even if you try to compensate by eating a good lunch to boost your energy levels, you can never compensate and regain the daylong energy you would have had from eating breakfast. A good tip is to obviously START EATING BREAKFAST! Even if you are not hungry. It may take your body 2-3 weeks to reset it's appetite clock, but after that you should start to notice the gains in energy, and mental power that only breakfast gives you!
Thanks for the question! I will be in touch about your wellness bucks!
Maria
I notice that I generally stay up later during the school year than I do when I'm at home, but I end up eating dinner much earlier at school. This results in about 5-7 hours after dinner without eating. My dad says I shouldn't eat late at night, but I've heard that as long as you don't sleep right after you eat, it should be fine.
ReplyDeleteSo who's right?
bw5@rice.edu
Thanks for the question. OUr society is built around this idea of eating three square meals a day. Breakfast usually around 6-9am lunch between 12-1pm and dinner around 5-7pm. Eating in this manner does not lend itself any favors for healthy eating for students whose schedules are varied and bedtimes are into the early AM hours. I always recommend that you never go more than 4 hours without eating during your day. This is because our blood sugar will start to drop after this time, leading to lethargy, light-headiness, feeling tired, etc. We want to keep our blood sugar level all day, this leads your brain to think at its best ability and your body to work at optimal levels. So i do not know what time you are eating dinner but Im guessing its somewhere between 5-6 pm. Then it sounds like you go to bed anywhere from 10pm to 12 pm. I think it would be best if you add in a PM snack around 8pm-10pm depending upon what time you are going to bed. This snack will keep your blood sugar from falling (letting you get efficient studying done at night), and help you get a better nights sleep. Again, let this be more of a snack if your ate a big meal for dinner and have it be healthy. Something healthy is always a low fat protein and carbohydrate combination, for example yogurt and granola, cereal and milk, string cheese and crackers. The only rule I have against eating at night is that you should leave at least 2 hours before you go to bed to let your food digest so that it doesn't disturb your sleep.
ReplyDeleteI will be in touch about your wellness bucks!
Maria