"Spring Cleaning" Includes My Diet

It's finally spring! I thought winter would never go away. And there might still be another round in the near future...Blacksburg is supposed to get more cold and possibly some now again this coming week. Cut us some slack, Mother Nature!

Anyway, with spring comes spring cleaning and promises to diet and get in shape for summer. I've told myself this every spring for the last I-don't-know-how-many years, and sometimes I'm successful, and sometimes, not so much. Fortunately for us, it's much easier to diet and get in shape in the spring. The weather is warmer, so you don't crave warm, gooey comfort food as much. And salads are much more pleasant to eat in warmer weather. And warmer weather is so inviting for outdoor workouts and activities.

I want to look my best for graduation and my trip to Europe, so I'm really cracking down this spring. Read on for the best and easiest places to start!

Breakfast: As tempting as it can be, never skip breakfast, under any circumstance! I always eat at least a cereal bar before drinking my coffee, and then eat something a little more filling after. I've become a fan of oatmeal, especially with a little brown sugar and banana slices. Fruit is always a good way to start the day, too. I just really love fruit at any time of the day. Smoothies are great ways to get a good dose of fruit in the mornings. 

I found a recipe for Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins on Pinterest the other day, and made a batch for myself. I altered it a little by adding a dash of cinnamon, using 1 egg and 1 egg white, and adding chopped pecans for a little crunch. Still delicious, and will make a great breakfast on the go.

Cut the carbs: Like many of us, I have a love/hate relationship with carbs. I love to eat them, but I do not love what they add to my body. The phrase "cut the carbs" may sound nightmarish and impossible, but I've learned that it's not as bad as it sounds. And you don't have to cut them completely, just...the bad/unnecessary ones. My "favorite" way to reduce carbs is to go for lettuce wraps and plain cold cuts. I'm a huge fan of Jimmy John's "unwich" option, which just replaces the bread with lettuce and turns your sandwich into a crisp, crunchy wrap. At home, I'll make a lunch out of sliced lunch meat (Hillshire Farms low-sodium ham and turkey), some fruit, and a little cheese.

Snacks: This is where I struggle the most. When I get hungry on campus, I go for what's convenient, and that isn't always what's healthy. I know I have to make a real conscious effort to choose better snacks in between meals. Almonds are growing on me (especially cocoa-coated almonds), and I recently discovered Smartfood white cheddar popcorn. The "Delight" popcorn has just 35 calories in 1 cup of popcorn, which is only about a third of a serving. And of course, fruit. I recently added oranges to my diet. Clementines used to be my first choice in citrus fruits, but navel oranges are delicious, too. Also, if anyone has good tips for peeling and slicing oranges, please share. I make a mess when I try.

Fruit water & green tea: Another difficult thing for me to cut back was coke. If you know anything about me, you know I drink Coke Zero like it's water. Well, I used to. I'm proud of myself for cutting down as much as I have, but sometimes I can't resist a can or bottle on campus. But at home, fruit-infused water is always in my fridge, and I keep a stock of green tea. You can use any combination of flavors, but my favorites are cucumber-mint, blueberry-lemon (below), blueberry-orange, and lemon-raspberry. Fruit-infused green tea is also delicious.

I do not claim that these are the be-all, end-all solutions for anything, and changing just these things will not bring immediate results. But they are definitely easy changes to make and a great place to start.