Tis the Season to Get Creative!

Tis the season!

Hark how Emerson seems to be giving up on actual meals!

Be jolly now that fresh crops are nowhere to be seen in Chase!

Crowd round the soup, the seemingly only good choice this season!

Be merry and rejoice the semester is almost over!

            Of course the above are just some personal observations of the dinning halls now that fall session is coming quickly to a close. The food served seems to get more and more sparse with fewer and fewer variations.

So… let’s get a bit creative here.

            You could host your very own version of Chopped, a show where you are given a set number of ingredients and have to ‘transform’ them into something completely different, tasty and creative. My friends and I did this on Sunday in Emerson- the worst day by far- and the results came out surprisingly good. From a pizza to a Thai influenced veggie wrap, we each utilized the food differently to create our own version of a healthy meal.

            Upon first instinct we might be tempted to grab a bagel and smear it with cream cheese, but I’m asking you to step away. I’ve observed that we often try and fulfill our hunger cravings with foods such as pasta, bread, bagels and any other carbs we can get. In first world America, where we do have many options to be healthy and have a balanced diet, I find we often mimic the food habits that people in the book “Dancing with Skeletons” have. In the impoverished area where Dettwyler completed her research, the children would often grab potatoes and other readily available carbs- since that is often the only choices they had- to eat whilst their bodies craved something nutrient rich to help balance a diet and aid in their physical development. Every time we grab a nutrient-empty food we forgo vitamins and minerals that could help keep us at peak performance.

            Emerson and Chase might not really offer a full variety to keep a balanced, healthy eating routine BUT this is where the fun begins. Mix and match your foods. Take pride in your college-self and eat food that seemingly do not go together. Today, for example, I ate Chinese lemon infused snap peas with a side of tofu.

            Normal enough, eh? I was able to get some greens and protein from the latter, but then I took some sweet potatoes and a banana and my “balanced meal” was complete with a drink of almond milk.

Would I ever eat the combination again?

Maybe.

Would I ever eat this anywhere else?

I hope not.

A 'normal' breakfast of bananas, cheerios, a dollop of peanut butter, and some yogurt I mixed with nutella.

I must admit, sometimes I do ‘get lucky’ and find foods that are actually supposed to go together, very rarely, but occasionally- even these foods are often supplemented with a tablespoon or two of hummus on the side.

            College is supposed to be the place where we start to act as independent entities, separate from parental oversight. If we do not start good eating habits now, then when? I know my body would slowly break down if all I ate were bagels and cream cheese- no matter how delicious. I’m anemic, but my condition is nowhere near as severe as it used to be. Looking for iron-rich foods is darn near impossible here, especially no that that spinach is not readily available at the salad bar. I really do have to come up with some crazy creations that aren’t always making my taste buds jump in delight, but the choices I make always help fuel my body in what I think is nutritional.

So cheers!

Get your thinking cap on and create!