As a college kid, there is unhealthy food being thrown your way from every direction. Whether it be the pizza and dessert buffet in the dining hall or every school club promising free food upon attendance, greasy and sugary junk food are never in shortage. College is surely a unique time in our lives and it being the first time we experience freedom, broke-ness, and lack of mom's home cooking, can lead us to make some fairly detrimental decisions on what we feed ourselves.
The problem is, this is a crucial point in our lives when it comes to making health-conscious decisions in order to let us live our best lives today and be healthy for decades to come. In the following listicle there are some pretty important reasons why you should eat healthy in college.
1. Getting sick sucks
Eating healthy means being healthy and being healthy means not getting sick and not getting sick means not missing class or missing out on your social life. So, make sure to get your vitamin C and protein so your body and grades will thank you.
2. Avoid the "freshman 15"
This seems like a really "duh" reason but we have heard it time and time again that if you aren't super careful your first year of college you'll gain the "freshman 15," and it is absolutely true. These are supposed to be some of the best years of your life, you don't want to be dwelling your pants size when you could be out in the world living it up. So live it up while you can, but be good to your body at the same time, so try to cut back on those late night Taco Bell and waffle house runs.
3. Your skin will thank you
What you eat or drink can directly affect your skin. The more hydrated you stay, the more hydrated and supple your skin will look, but the more sugar, dairy and greasy food you eat the more acne prone your face will be (also alcohol can dry out your skin and cause premature wrinkles).
4. Your brain can function better
Your diet can contribute to a lot more than you would ever imagine. The foods you eat can affect how attention deficient or anxious you are. So, before looking for a doctor's note to medicate yourself to mental health, it might be worthwhile to cut out all of the burgers and fries to switch to veggies, whole grains, lean meats and fresh fruits to naturally clear your head.
5. You will realize how good food can taste
A McDonald's "Big Breakfast" meal might seem like the most delicious thing to stuff your face with every single morning, but an egg, avocado toast and fresh fruit are just as yummy and will leave you even more satisfied and feeling purely awesome.
6. Abundant energy
A monster energy drink or a sugary snickers bar might seem like the answer to your afternoon slump but, in the long run, a balanced diet will offer sustainable long-release energy to keep you powering through your busy college kid schedule.
7. You will feel like your life is put together
Just knowing that you're putting what's good for you into your body can be enough to send your confidence through the roof. Because that green smoothie you had for breakfast had more vegetables than some of your peers will eat all day. So you, my friend, are ready to take on the world.
