December 3, 2014

WOKE UP IN THE KITCHEN | Healthy Snacks for Finals Week

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By HILLARY LANDSMAN

There are so many great reasons to start eating healthy: Save room for the impending calories of Christmas; rock a bathing suit during vacation; reduce the guilt you feel after watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. There are also so many great reasons to not eat healthy: Finals week stress is hanging over you; there’s little time to make a healthy meal; unhealthy food tastes good.

In this time of 16-hour library days and immense amounts of coffee, we need not overlook the importance of a healthy diet. Our brains rely on glucose to function properly, and by eating high-fat diets we can’t function at our highest ability. Skipping meals or restricting calories excessively can have a similar effect. Eating too much or too little can also interfere with hormone distribution, causing depressive moods, which is not a good way to enter finals weak. Exercise is another important factor in regulating these hormones and keeping us healthy. Exercise improves mood, releases endorphins and relaxes you. Incorporating just 20 minutes of exercise into your study schedule or taking a walk around the library during a study break can be great ways to keep you focused and happy.

After a long day at the library, during which you probably either barely got through a problem set, or spent most of the time fiddling around in Libe, it can be nice to know that, well … at least you’re eating right! A healthy diet does not mean cutting out foods that you love, but rather being aware of the foods that you eat and making little changes to your diet. Here are some stress eating favorites with a bit of an added healthy spin.

RECIPE | Chocolate Chip Cake in a Mug

Ingredients:

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients, and then pour the mixture into a mug. Microwave this for about one and a half minutes. Wait a few minutes to take it out of the mug, or just dig in!

RECIPE | Kale Chips

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Take the long light green stalk out of the kale, and “massage” them with some oil, until the kale is reduces to about half its original size. This is very important! Although messy, without massaging, the kale will be extremely bitter! Spread it out onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes