Now we return you to our regularly scheduled program: back to the busy schedules, the deadlines, the fun and stress that is the new term. While keeping busy is good and healthy, many find that in the fast pace of a full schedule, healthy eating can be neglected.
It can be hard not to turn to the nearest Tivoli fast food when you’re in a rush; however, there are power food options on our campus that offer energy and good digestion, and keep you full for longer.
Heather Carlton, a Metro alumna who graduated with a degree in exercise science and a minor in nutrition, and is now a personal trainer at the Auraria campus fitness facility, listed off several on-campus power foods easily accessible to the average student.
“For breakfast,” she said, “Einstein’s Bagels has a power bagel, on which you could put a little honey or bring peanut butter.” Carlton also said that for breakfast, most vending machines on campus have Nature Valley Oats ’N Honey bars. She said that those would be a wonderful meal supplement. Either the bar or bagel would offer the carbohydrates and protein students need for balance.
For lunch, Carlton suggested going to North Classroom.
Order the veggie burrito, ideally made naked—mostly rice and black beans with some tomatoes and onion. “This is a good source for the carbs students need,” Carlton said.
Carbs are necessary nutrients the human body needs to produce energy, build endurance, and, when done right, even burn fat.
Carlton also mentioned Quick Zone, located in the Tivoli, as they have protein bars.
“But those are taste specific,” Carlton said. “If [students] prefer to go more natural, Quick Zone also carries orange juice for protein.”
Some students have other ways to fit quick and filling foods into their schedule. Anastasiya Khanevskaya, a UC Denver sophomore majoring in digital design, chooses to make a quick breakfast at home.
Typically she said she enjoys green tea with a banana or white tea with a peach, often eating yogurt or extra fruit with granola as well.
“It’s easy to go,” Khanevskaya said, “as well as being quite healthy, and it gives a lot of energy.” Green tea also is an excellent way to improve digestion and has been proven to increase fat burn throughout the day.
If you are willing to give a little forethought to healthy and wholesome snacks to have on campus, then Nathan Shaefer, a whole body nutrition specialist at Cherry Creek Whole Foods Market, says that raw nuts are the best way to go.
“They are full of protein, which can be good for growth and development; it increases energy and is necessary for muscle development,” Shaefer said. Protein also offers a little immunity boost.
Shaefer warns against many power bars, or other meal supplements such as pop-tarts, sodas, or candy bars, telling students to beware of sugar levels in the meal supplements that they consume.
Most of these power foods are easy to find, and much better for you than the fast food alternative. They will keep you fuller longer, increase energy and focus, and help maintain overall health. So here’s to a hectic, happy, and healthy semester.
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