SNACK ATTACK

Most college-kids are very familiar with snacking. Snacks often take the place of meals for busy young adults running to-and-from class, extra-curricular activities, and studying late into the night.

You should eat every 4 hours or so... If you're eating 3 meals a day you can add in a snack!

Snacks curb your appetite so you're less likely to overeat at meals. Snacks keep your mind and body fueled throughout the day. They also keep your metabolism going all day long.

Snack foods that you have at home or in your dormroom are easy to grab when you're on the go. They normally don't cost very much and are MUCH healthier than anything you can buy from a vending machine or a fast-food restaurant.

Do your snacks measure up? What do you grab for when you need a snack?

An ideal snack will have a combination of 5-10grams of protein, 15-30grams of carbohydrate, and be low in fat.

Unsure of what to buy to get started snacking healthy?

Snack shopping list:

-string cheese/cheese cubes

-bagels

-cottage cheese

-dried fruit

-nuts

-english muffins

-fresh fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, frozen berries)

-fresh veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomatoes)

-protein bars, granola bars

-whole wheat bread

-peanut butter/almond butter

-low-fat deli meats (turkey or ham)

-pretzels

-cereal

-mini milk cartons

-hummus/ranch dressing for dipping

-salsa

-pita bread

-reduced fat tortilla chips

-mini cartons of soy milk

-individual yogurts (Yoplait and Dannon make inexpensive ones)

-granola

-whole grain crackers

-beans

-zip-loc baggies

Some snack combinations that meet the protein, carbohydrate, and fat goal:

• half a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread, glass of milk
• carrots and ranch dressing
• mixed cut up veggies and hummus
• string cheese, apple, and piece of whole wheat toast
• tortilla chips, salsa with black beans mixed in
• yogurt and granola
• protein bar and a banana
• orange slices and crackers topped with low-fat cheese
• pretzels and peanut butter
• hummus spread on pita bread
• cereal and milk
• cottage cheese and fruit
• english muffin with 1 slice deli meat and 1 slice cheese
• banana, almond butter, and oatmeal
• make your own trail-mix (combine 1/2 cup of your favorite cereal with nuts and dried fruit)

These snack ideas can be used for any time of day and are better alternatives to late-night snacks of Rollins Pizza To-Go, Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Wendy's.

THINK BEFORE YOU SNACK --SNACK HEALTHY!

Beans: The Perfect Protein

When picking protein at meals are beans your first choice? Other proteins like chicken, steak, turkey, or pork are great picks; however, beans may have added benefits that other protein choices do not.

Beans are a significant source of protein just like animal proteins. One cup of black beans contains 15-20 grams of protein which is the same amount found in a 3 ounce chicken breast. Protein is necessary for muscle building, function, repair, and is essential for maintenance of the body.

Beans are lower in fat and cholesterol than most animal proteins. One cup of beans contains less than 1gram of fat, no cholesterol, and no saturated fat compared to a chicken breast which contains 7grams of fat, 71mg of cholesterol, and 2grams of saturated fat.

Beans not only contain a carbohydrates for fueling your body, but they also contain fiber –which keeps blood sugar stable, energy sustained, and keeps your digestive system running smoothly. They also contain essential vitamins and minerals for energy and muscle function like B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, copper, folic acid, and potassium.

Beans are versatile and inexpensive, an added benefit for busy college students. A can of beans can cost between $0.50 and $1.00 and can be purchased at any supermarket. There are many different varieties to choose from: kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, cannellini beans, and navy beans to name a few.

If you often become tired of eating the same proteins at meals, beans are an easy way to mix up your meal routine. They can be added to just about any kind of recipe or cuisine. You can mix them into soups, casseroles, throw some into a salad, make a healthy dip for veggies or tortilla chips –the possibilities are endless!

Here are some recipe ideas and ways to enjoy beans:

• Cook red beans and brown rice together, season with spices
• Make a creamy hummus dip using chickpeas --enjoy on pita bread or with veggies
• Add black beans to your favorite dip or salsa
• Put a can of beans into your favorite soup or chili recipe
• Sprinkle beans onto a salad or pasta salad

Nutritional analysis information provided by mypyramidtracker.gov

The Dangers Of Sleep Deprivation

College life is full of fun, hard work, and tough decisions. But where in the middle of all that is there time to sleep? Whether you're an athlete or not, time for sleep should be made to improve performance both on and off the field.

Off the Field: No sleep= Reduced Mental Capability
Your mental functioning deteriorates at double the rate of your physical functioning. While you sleep, your brain sorts through all the information you took in throughout the day. If you are missing out on sleep, you may feel physically fine but can't remember information you learned in practice or class yesterday. You may also struggle to make quick and effective decisions.

On The Field: No Sleep= Muscle Deterioration and Limited Energy Storage
Not getting enough sleep can increase the body's stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol limits the amount of carbohydrates your body can store, thus decreasing your ability to produce energy. In addition, cortisol promotes muscle deterioration and loss of lean body mass.

Vitamin C- Boost Your Immune Strength!

Vitamin C is one of the most talked about antioxidants in the health and fitness field today. Theres good reason too- Vitamin C supplies your body with a proven host
of powerful benefits.

Benefits of Vitamin C include:

Increased Immune System Strength
Increased Wound Healing Ability
Increased Iron Absorption
Reduced damage done by exercise incuced free radicals

How Vitamin C Can Help An Athlete
High intensity exercise can cause the production of free radicals, highly unstable molecules which can destroy other important cells in the body. While it is important that the body does produce some free radicals, the amount body cannot sustain the high amount caused by exercise. Vitamin C can help by stabilizing the free radicals so they won't cause damage to other cells.

Sources of Vitamin C
Fruits and vegetables, especially red pepper, brocolli, kiwi, and citrus fruits

More is not necessarily better
Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, making it useless to comsume more than 100% DV. Each vitamin C tablet provided in the MATC weightroom is more than enough for one days intake of Vitamin C.

Trick-Or-Treat Tips

Halloween is a time of fright filled fun, but sometimes the amount of sugar and fat from candy can be scary. Follow these simple tips to keep those dreaded pounds off:

Eating fat-free or low fat candy:

Eating candy that does not contain fat can significantly lower the overall calories. But beware, candy that normally contains fat but is made fat free may contain a lot of added sugar to replace lost flavor. Stick to candy that is naturally fat free or low fat to avoid haunting Halloween mistakes. Some good candies that are naturally fat free or low fat are twizzlers, gummy bears and skittles.

Get Nutty:

While nuts are high in fat and calories, the fat from nuts is much healthier than the fat from chocolate. While you may not be doing you physique a favor by chowing down, your heart will thank you.

Hard-nosed Dieting:

OK, so eating candy might not be hard-nosed dieting, but sticking to hard candies can be better than eating other candies. A tootsie pop, for instance, is 60 calories and fat free. Tootsie pops take longer to eat than soft candies, so that sugary flavor over time may keep you away from eating more and more candy.

Staying Hydrated With Electrolytes

Everyone preaches that you need to drink water while you're working out to stay hydrated, but thats only half of the equation. The reality is that if you are sweating while you are training, you are not only losing water, but electrolytes as well. Electrolytes are the minerals sodium, chloride, magnesium, calcium and potassium. While sources of these minerals should always be included in your diet, sodium and chloride need special attention as they are excreted in large amounts during sweating. This means that if you are active and sweat alot, the DRI for salt (2300mg) is not enough for you. Don't be afraid to eat salt, just don't go overboard with it.

There are many easy ways to ensure that you have enough electrolytes in your system to perform at your best. For instance, in the meal you eat before you train, consider eating slaty foods such as salted nuts or pretzels. During training, drinking Gatorade is a great way to replace the electrolyted you have lost in sweat. After you train, go ahead and salt your meat to mak sure you are getting enough sodium and chloride!

Immediate Recovery

You train hard to perform better at your sport. But without recovering from your training session, you won't be able to perform at your best. Let's start with the most importan time for eating for recovery- within a half hour to an hour and a half of training.

The energy that your muscles use during training comes mainly from carbohydrate stores in your body. Therefore, it is essential to replenish those energy stores immediately after training, In fact, your body's ability to store carbohydrate uncreases immediately after training as opposed to when your body is at rst. Simple carbohydrates such as sugar or white bread are perfect for eating after training. 40-100g of carbohydrate within an hour after training will help you recover faster.

Another key nutrient to supply your body with after training is protein. Your body uses the protein after training to rebuild the muscle it has broken down. A fast digesting source of protein such as whey is great for immediately after training. 25-40g of protein is sufficient to help rebuild muscles.

Putting It Together:

Sources of these 2 recovery nutrients can be found easily in your fridge or at the MATC. Muscle Milk and Gatorade shakes have both carbohydrate and protein to help you recover. Another easy source of fast acting carbohydrates and protein is chocolate milk! Don't forget other types of food- a lean meat and some fruit will provide you not only with carbohydrate and protein, but also vitamins and minerals that will enhance recovery.

Train hard! Recover better!