<p>yes, ramen noodles maybe easy, but not very healthy. </p>
<p>My AP Bio Teacher in junior year in high school threatened us not to use splenda... i forgot what it was that made her say that but i know ill never try it. </p>
<p>I say definitely have a high supply of high in fiber food like whole grain cereal (cherrios!!) and also all kinds of berries from blueberries to strawberries.....</p>
<p>ok now im hungry.</p>
<p>To extend, I'm a big fan of fresh fruit, granola, yogurt (preferably the plain kind, but the new Smoothies varieties aren't too bad and make good on-the-go meals), raw carrots, organic juice, etc.</p>
<p>Low sugar, high vitamin-content, great for energy, not too fattening... the only bad part about it is that it isn't cheap. Well, it also doesn't have great shelf-life, but it's good enough to eat quickly anyways!</p>
<p>i agree about not using splenda...there were actually studies out a while ago against it's healthfulness...besides, if only it only has half the calories of sugar, it's probably only like half-sugar...hence, the other half must be chemicals, which definitely can't be good...i've actually heard that splenda's worse than aspartame and the other sweeteners in sweet n' low, etc</p>
<p>to add to the list...if you're on a serious diet, maybe slimfast...? has anyone tried going on slimfast in college?</p>
<p>Am I the only crazy one who only has drinks in their refridge? Maybe it's because I'm tripled. Honestly we have: water, diet coke, milk, and my breakfast shakes. That it and its completely packed.</p>
<p>I swear by popcorn, you pop it in the microwave and add herbs and barbeque salt to it...mmm heaven..and also alot of strong mint gum, in case you just can't stop with the eating, throw a gum in your mouth and try eating...and you'll know what I mean;)</p>
<p>I really like Kashi Go-Lean Crunch.</p>
<p>Great cereal.</p>
<p>i second that^^^. in fact, i think i'll go eat some right now :)</p>
<p>hate to burst your bubble but kashi go lean crunch , despite its name, is one of the highest calorie cereals.</p>
<p>Yes I know that. Taste great and has a **** load of Fiber.</p>
<p>so it keeps ya full.
I love it.</p>
<p>Plus its pretty much natural, and not Candy.</p>
<p>so better in the long run.</p>
<p>Somthing good for a Snack.</p>
<p>Is like buying quater or half a water melon. Just eat the whole thing.</p>
<p>Because its all water anyway.</p>
<p>soy milk in individual boxes, basic veggies, basic fruits like apples(take a long time to spoil), a couple fruit juices, prepackaged salad, cheesesticks, cheese, bread, ranch, protein bars,</p>
<p>I like pretzels with mustard, or apples with cheddar cheese. Or wheat thins with cheddar. or just plain cheese. tillamook sharp cheddar was my go-to study snack.</p>
<p>A good alternative to ramen is to cook rice noodles in chicken (or vegetable) stock with a little bit of chinese five spice and 21 season salute. Not quite as easy as cup-o-noodles but definitely no more work than ramen. More expensive, though.</p>
<p>Find a cheap air-popper for popcorn so you’re not buying the greasy, expensive microwave stuff, popcorn is pretty healthy without all the butter and you can buy it in bulk from most grocery stores. I found an air-popper for 3 bucks at goodwill.</p>
<p>Make your own iced tea or lemonade to keep in a pitcher in your fridge instead of buying sugary juices or sodas.</p>
<p>Do you have access to anything other than a microwave? Honestly, there isn’t a lot you can make it the microwave and call healthy. The only thing I can think of is low-calorie popcorn (although I’ve heard that the lining of microwave popcorn bags contains unhealthy chemicals, but I’m not certain about that). Microwave dinners are low calorie but are often packed with sodium, so I’d avoid having those on a regular basis. </p>
<p>Be careful with granola and protein bars. They can be a decent snack, but many contain huge amounts of carbs and sugar. Read the labels before choosing and limit them to no more than one a day. The same goes for trail mix - too much dried fruit adds a lot of sugar and calories. Cereals, crackers, and fruit juices can also be unexpectedly filled with sugar. </p>
<p>For healthy stuff, I love nuts. Almonds are especially good. They’re filling, highly nutritious, and easy to take anywhere. Having them plain is the healthiest, but the Blue Diamond brand has a lot of great flavored almonds, which can be a nice change from the plain ones. They can also be good with a small amount of dried fruit. </p>
<p>Fruits and veggies are an obvious one. Carrots, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, celery and apples are my favorites. Adding a small amount of peanut butter or ranch dressing is good.</p>
<p>If you like peanut butter sandwiches, keep a loaf of whole wheat bread and peanut butter (look for an all-natural brand with no added sugar). </p>
<p>Since there’s so much discussion about splenda and sweeteners, I want to recommend SweetLeaf stevia sweetener. It’s a natural, zero-calorie sweetener made from the stevia plant, and it’s a great alternative to the ones filled with harmful chemicals. You can get it at Whole Foods and probably other stores that specialize in healthy or all-natural foods.</p>
<p>LOL at some of these suggestions.</p>
<p>Everyone is going to have a different opinion on “healthy” based on diet.</p>
<p>Personally, I never felt better than when I did low-carb.</p>
<p>But things that are always good: fresh fruits and fresh vegetables</p>
<p>Deli meats are great. Whole wheat bread is much better for you than white (and imo it tastes much better- you can also freeze it to make it last longer).</p>
<p>Peanut butter has always been a total lifesaver for me (except that time I got salmonella poisoning from it xP). I usuallly eat about a spoon-full as a snack or breakfast. It’s quite filling and long-lasting and it’s not too bad for you.</p>
<p>Diet sodas are terrible for you and I’ve read studies that suggest they have the same effects on your health, if not worse, than regular soda. Just cutting out all sodas is a good idea. Water is always healthy and it’s cheaper!</p>
<p>Oh and someone mentioned nuts! Those are also really great too. A handful of nuts will keep your hunger away for quite a while.</p>
<p>Rice (especially brown rice) or quinoa are good quick-meal choices too. Both of em can be cooked in the microwave, although its better done stove-top or in a rice cooker.</p>
<p>I totally agree with AUGirl about limiting carbs. Freezing bread to keep it from becoming stale is a good suggestion too.</p>
<p>Baby carrots and grapes. Best healthy munchies in a dorm ever.</p>
<p>Okay, I know I’m completely betraying my stereotype and self-image here, but pretty much everyone in this thread is completely wrong, and has absolutely zero conception of what he’s talking about.</p>
<p>Nutrition geeks, vegetarians, and healthy eaters? Please.</p>
<p>What you need to do is ship your *** to Whole Foods. Bar none. Trader Joes is not an acceptable substitute; at best, it is a distant second, so use it as a last resort. Everything else is simply a far, far distant third. That is, unless you have access to nearby farmer’s markets, which are better than Whole Foods if you buy the right stuff, and you need to talk to the farmers and get to know how they farm in order to distinguish the actual right stuff from the imported garbage.</p>
<p>Now, as far as eating is concerned, you need to know that a carb is not simply a carb; there are good carbs, and there are bad carbs. I’m not going to go into a detailed description here because frankly enough, this is not a nutrition forum. Eating Kashi and Nature Valley is filling up your body with bad carbs. If you think eating Kit Kat and Twix is eating bad carbs, then you’re following my train of thought, so good on ya. Good carbs include vegetables, whole grains, white meat, and fish, among other things. </p>
<p>All of this should be organic if possible - now before you start lecturing me, I’m not here to get into a debate, I’m simply and objectively stating the facts. When it comes to organic products, there is also good organic and bad organic, but I’m not going to get into that; discerning foodies can tell the difference by looking at the list of ingredients. Just know that as a general rule, if something has the USDA Organic circular label on it, it’s better than its alternative and probably has a higher good carb/bad carb ratio.</p>
<p>With that being said, here is a list of favorite products that you WILL be able to find at Whole Foods and is infinitely better than literally every single thing recommended in this thread:</p>
<p>Nature’s Path Cereal (personal favorites: LOVE Crunch, Pumpkin Flax Granola, Heritage Muesli)
AMBROSIAL Granola (Athenian Harvest, Venetian Vineyard)
Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Butter, Dark Roasted, Crunchy (Almond butter is a fantastic alternative)
Maranatha Peanut Butters
Justin’s Nut Butter
“Organic Food Bar” (Yes, the company is literally called “Organic Food Bar.” These are much better tasting and much better for you than CLIF, much less the trash that is Kashi and Nature Valley.)
Navitas Naturals Power Snacks
Green & Black’s Dark Chocolate (Yes, dark chocolate is good for you. Go to Google Scholar and look up the studies. But even though this is infinitely better and better for you than Hershey’s, never eat too much.)
Dagoba Chocolates
Lakewood Juices (Personal favorites: Acai berry, Pomegranate blend, Super veggie)
GT’s Kombucha (This is an acquired taste and contains probiotics -again, look it up-, soft drink alternative. If you think that Stevia crap and IZZE sodas are good and better for you, you got another thing coming. Favorites: Synergy with chia seeds)
Stonyfield/Organic Valley milk/yogurt/cheese (Now a note here, this stuff is “bad organic” like I mentioned before, but if you have even a basic understanding of math you know that some infinities are bigger than other infinities, and this stuff is one of those smaller infinities better than the normal crap dairy that you find at CVS. If you do dairy, this is the way to go. That is, unless there is a organic local milk producer who sells directly to Whole Foods, which has quality standards for dairy so you don’t have to do all the research yourself - this is one of the bigger infinities.)</p>
<p>Now all of this stuff requires absolutely no preparation whatsoever, and should not because they are snacks at best. Good carbs. Remember to always buy fresh produce first, and to get the best fresh produce possible.</p>
<p>SharpeRatio, while those are good ideas, I hardly think it’s realistic. Unless OP has a car, is located near a Whole Foods, and has a large amount of money to spend on food, most of those recommended foods aren’t attainable. Perhaps the suggestions from other posters are not as healthy, but at least it’s food that most college students can easily find and afford. Instead of acting arrogant and going on and on about a bunch of products most people haven’t heard of, it might be more beneficial to suggest decent food that most college students living in dorms will have easy access to.</p>
<p>I agree with papertown. Healthy is a scale, and some might interpret it as “everything as good for your body as possible” and others posting here might interpret it as “better than vending machine junk food for late night munchies”. Most people have to compromise with their body and their wallet.</p>