Instant Noodles: A College Staple

Ramen noodles are another food that I believe every college student has consumed. Sadly, these instant noodles are extremely cheap (19¢ per package), and require only water, a microwave, and a few minutes to make. However inexpensive and easy, these noodles are terrible for the body.

First, let us think about the ingredients. The seemingly innocent noodles are actually deep fried. That doesn't bode well for any health aspect of the food. This is basically taking enriched flour (the non-whole grain variety), which is already stripped of pretty much any fiber or nutritional value, and dropping it in oil. The seasoning packet is almost all pure salt. How do I know? I looked at the ingredients list on the package. Ingredient number one is salt. Followed by the phrase 'contains less than 1% of...' 


Next, we can look at the nutrition information on the package. One package of ramen (technically two servings) contains 14g of fat (half of which is saturated fat).  That means one bowl of ramen has one fifth of your daily fat intake (remember, this is just noodles and broth). Ramen also contains almost 1800mg of sodium - 75% of your daily intake. Definitely not good. Lastly, there are 52g of carbohydrates (hey, they are noodles), however, only 2g of this are dietary fiber. In total, this constitutes 400 calories for the bowl of ramen noodles, 150 of which come from fat. Ew.


All of these factors combine into a higher risk for weight gain, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Instead of buying ramen deathbricks, try getting some whole grain pasta, and jarred pasta sauce. It might cost slightly more per serving, but it will keep you going in the long run. More on pasta soon.

Breakfast On-The-Go

I personally don't have tons of time in the morning to eat a full, balanced breakfast like I should. Having an entire bowl of cereal, a piece of fruit, and orange juice takes quite a bit of time - and I know we are all on the go all the time.  This prompts the question, can I eat a healthy breakfast on the go?  The answer, quite simply, is yes.  However, there are many pitfalls in the breakfast on the go route.

Fruit - Just having a simple apple or banana before school or work will give you many of the nutrients you need to start your day off right.  You might miss your morning dose of protein, but overall you're doing okay.

Carnation Instant Breakfast - All you have to do is add the powder to a glass of milk, stir, and drink.  This packet of "No Sugar Added Rich Milk Chocolate" added to 8 ounces of skim milk will only run you 150 calories, give you one-quarter of your daily protein, just half a gram of fat, and no saturated fat.

Bar Food - No, not chicken wings or a hamburger and fries, I'm talking about cereal bars, energy bars, and protein bars.  These are easy to prepare (just tear it open), easy to eat with one hand, and don't make a big mess.  There are dozens of varieties of these types of bars, so buyer beware.  Read the nutrion information on the package - make sure your bar is not so high in fat or sugar that you are essentially eating a candy bar.  Try to buy a product with less than 15 grams of sugar per bar (unless you're going to double up).  Also, if the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (essentially high-sugar sugar) then put the package back on the shelf.  Anything with a lot of fiber, grains, and fruit (real fruit, not fake sugary fruit) will help start your day off right.  If you're overwhelmed and don't know where to start, then check out Fiber One, Kashi, and Nature Valley at your local store.


Arguably we can't eat the healthiest foods all the time, but we can try to pick up something that helps pick us up in the morning.


P.S. If you want to pick something up on the road, here's a list of the best fast-food breakfasts out there. 

Popcorn...A Health Food?

True? Yes. Surprising? Probably so.

Although, if you think about the base ingredient in popcorn - whole corn kernels.  This means that popcorn is a whole grain product (and I'm very surprised the marketing teams haven't caught onto this yet).  Popcorn actually contains a whole load of fiber that is good for you, but also high levels of polyphenols (an antioxidant).  Because of these antioxidants, popcorn has been linked to lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Okay, okay so now that I know popcorn is good for me, can I go out and buy some at my local grocery store? Not yet.  As you may have guessed by now, the heaps of oil and butter on top of popcorn tend to limit or even overpower popcorn's benefits.  Eating fiber along with dozens of grams of fats and trans fats isn't going to get you ready for swimsuit season.  The best way to prepare popcorn is to air-pop it (Presto 114316 04820 PopLite Hot Air Corn Popper), but if you must buy microwave popcorn, get a naked or lightly salted variety (definitely don't go for the ultra-super-butter-explosion types).  Also, keep the portion size down - share a bag with a friend, or buy the 100 calorie bags if you plan to snack alone.

In short, popcorn is not only a healthier snack than most chips or crackers with refined flour, but helps to curb food cravings - just don't slather it with butter.

Ingredient Highlight: Apple

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"

How many times have we heard this phrase in our lifetimes? Do apples really deserve this much praise, or is it just a way for parents to get their children to eat fruit?  Well the answer is simple: apples are good for you, and (red) delicious.

Since this is the first ingredient highlight, I'm not really sure what people want to hear, so I'm just going to have a few different sections - let me know what you like or don't like so I can adjust for future ingredient highlights.

First, a little bit of background.  There are over 7,500 different varieties of apples grown worldwide, about a third of which are grown in the United States.  Charred apples have been found in prehistoric caves in Switzerland, and the apple was the favorite fruit of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Apples have a number of health benefits, even though they are lower in vitamin C than most other fruits and vegetables.  Some of the most notable benefits are:

• Prevention of dementia
• Increase in bone density
• Decreased levels of bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Helps with weight loss
• Prevention of breast, colon, liver, lung, and prostate cancers

Apples are a great source of fiber (about 5g per apple).  In fact, two-thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.  So DON'T peel your apples.  However, I would personally suggest that you buy certified organic apples (really you should buy organic for any fruit or vegetable where you eat the skin).  Why buy organic?  Well, in the case of apples, many apples have commercial grade wax applied after harvesting and cleaning.  Did you really think your apples were that shiny all on their own?  Not only is eating wax a tad disgusting, but the wax coating actually traps pesticides used when growing the apples.  In fact, apples are one of the top twelve pesticide containing foods.  So I'll reiterate: buy organic.

Wax scraped from a commercially sold apple

Peak Season: September to May
Tip: Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated

Apple Gadgets: (Yes, I know I really love my gadgets)

Oxo Good Grips Apple Corer and Divider

Cuisipro Apple Corer

Not only are apples great to eat as an afternoon snack, they are a wonderful ingredient for all types of recipes (read: APPLE PIE).  Okay, okay, you can make some healthy foods with apples.  You can cook up anything from caramelized apple-onion soup to apple curry chicken to ginger apple stir fry, and let's not forget apple pie!