Making the most of your CU Boulder experience starts right now! There are plenty of things you can do to ensure you're fueling your body and mind: here’s our crash course on nutrition to have a great semester!
Starting Strong
Forming healthy habits with food and understanding the basics of nutrition now will go a long way in the dining halls and when out with friends. The key to feeling your best, according to nutritionists at Medical Services? The same balanced, varied, plentiful diet you’ve heard about all your life.
Eating regular meals along with snacks throughout the day will be vital to getting through long lectures, labs, work and socializing. If you’ve never been a breakfast person, now is the time to start: try yogurt with berries and granola, whole wheat toast with nut butter and bananas, or a quick veggie scramble to get yourself in the habit.
A breakfast that’s rich in protein, carbs, and healthy fats will make a world of difference during those early morning classes when you’ve still got a full schedule coming! If you’re still not feeling it, try to find smaller snacks that can help you fuel up in the morning, like a granola bar when you first wake up and a piece of fruit after another hour or so.
Keeping It Colorful
While you have a little more flexibility at home, see how many different colors you can get on your dinner plate to practice for nights at the dining hall. From orange sweet potatoes and green spinach to black beans and yellow corn, the more colorful your meal, the more varied the nutrients tend to be.
Eating this kind of colorful diet starts to add up for your brain, too: lots of different nutrients make for a high-functioning memory and regulated moods, things that will really help around midterms and finals!
Listening to Your Body
Our nutritionists also advise practicing mindful eating, particularly before entering the sometimes-stressful world of university. This means noticing when you are hungry, and just as importantly, noticing when you are full.
Listen to this intuition in your body: you may be more disposed to eating 5 small meals every day instead of the traditional 3; you may find you haven’t been eating enough to feel satisfied, or have been pushing yourself to finish that Chipotle burrito a little too much.
Once you learn your body’s cues, you’ll be able to manage your nutritional needs with ease!