By Ashley Neyra Being a part of the ACES ambassador leadership program, we are required…
When thinking of the life of the average college student, one doesn’t usually go straight to clean eating, adequate sleep, and plenty of water. It seems the things most associated with students is junk food, all-nighters, and very large caffeinated beverages. I admit that this is one area where my life, unfortunately, tends to mirror “average” students, and my biggest area of struggle tends to be food choices. Vegetables are good, but chocolate is better. And while I may want to make healthier choices, sometimes the more indulgent foods win out. This is actually a subject that I’ve thought a lot about in recent weeks, and have begun to think of ways to implement small changes to add up to bigger progress.
As luck would have it, one of the units of study in my Health class this week was regarding personal nutrition. The unit led to quite a bit of self-reflection and ultimately to a deepening of my commitment to my health. One of the things that we discussed with this unit was the ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into our daily diet, and using the Choose MyPlate website to help provide a visual aid for food portions. Having this tool available to help actually picture what portion sizes should be for a given meal really goes a long way to help with being more conscious about the ways in which we fuel our bodies.
Now, as if the universe itself was doing everything possible to help me reach my goals and make the life changes that I’ve envisioned, I came across the Mobile Market, which is available at all MC campuses! The Mobile Market provides fresh fruits and vegetables, free of charge, to anyone in the community. This amazing program is due to a partnership between Montgomery College and the Capital Area Food Bank. Each campus has one designated day per month for the market. For the Rockville Campus, it is the third Wednesday of the month (with a couple of exceptions), from 10am-12pm, and there are no income restrictions or proof of eligibility required. The market exists to bring healthier food options to anyone who needs it. The next Mobile Market coming to the Rockville Campus is this Wednesday, October 17th, and I will definitely be there (with my reusable grocery bags)!
Between the unit in Health class, and the Mobile Market coming to the Rockville Campus this week, I feel so empowered to begin to make changes to the food choices that I make. I absolutely love that Montgomery College has taken the time to provide this amazing resource to not only the faculty, students and staff, but to the surrounding community. Will I see you at the Mobile Market??
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The trick, I think, is to eat low crash foods to keep energy levels up. So many make the mistake to eat sugar to get energy but unfortunately, the crash follows. As someone of Mediterranean descent, I eat tons of fresh produce; the 5-11 servings is not a problem. However, I can see snack and meal prep can be. Instead of chocolate, buy some baby carrots and hummus, nuts and cheese sticks, guacamole and organic blue corn chips. Despite popular beliefs, I do not think these foods are more expensive overall and they have much more bang for the buck. Make a routine of 2 hours of cooking (with your daughter is great bonding time) on Sunday to carry you most of the week. By the way, microwaved potatoes and corn on the cob (in the husk) is really delicious.
I just got hungry reading your response! I am happy I am already doing this because I want to be healthy and energetic at the same time. Awesome and informative post as well!
I spent around 5 hours yesterday afternoon doing meal prep and hanging out with a friend of mine. It was the first time I have done something like that, but I am *so* looking forward to not worrying about packing lunch for the rest of the week! It was a lot of work, but doing it with a friend made it better.
Oh, tell me about it! I’ve been doing meal prep for my dad and I for about three months now and let me relate to your pain. I do this every Monday and I do two meals for the five days of the week; for me and my dad. I am happy to hear that you are doing this as well. You feel so much better when you’re hungry and just have to heat something up!