Choosing Healthy Foods

College life can be extremely busy between classes, work, co-op, friends, and family. Although you may be very busy, you should still find time to include exercise into your daily routine. While you are in college you tend to spend a great deal of time sitting - during class, studying, and researching and typing papers. Whenever possible, you should get up and move! Take a study break and take a 10-15 minute brisk walk. This is also a better idea than reaching for a high calorie snack. During the winter months, it can be especially difficult to stay motivated to continue to exercise. If you are looking for ways to stay active on-campus, be sure to check out the Northeastern University Campus Recreation website. This website includes information on group fitness classes, intramural leagues, and club sports. There are many barriers as to why people are not physically active. Below are some suggestions from the Mayo Clinic as to how to avoid continuing to let these barriers get in your...

After 2+ days of unrelenting snow, winter storm Juno has finally subsided and a sense of normalcy should return to campus tomorrow. We were happy to be able to keep all the hungry students fed – more than 6,300 of you on Tuesday alone(!) – but what exactly goes in to keeping dining locations open during a major snowstorm? First, we are always looking ahead at weather forecasts for any potential major disruptions, be it snowstorms in the winter or hurricanes in the summer. Once the predictions for 24-30 inches of snow began last weekend, we started loading up on certain items in our daily deliveries from our suppliers. This is the first key to staying open as we were able to continue operating during the storm with all the essential food items we needed, even as our typical daily deliveries were unable to reach us due to the traffic ban. Secondly, our incredible staff members that were able to reach campus during the storm, either by walking from their homes or staying in local hotels,...

As we enter the colder months of fall and winter, squash of many different shapes, sizes and colors are appearing in grocery stores and farmers markets. These nutritious, delicious and colorful seasonal wonders are known as winter squash. Winter squash are low in calories and fat and contain no cholesterol while being loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fiber. Squash is also low in carbohydrates. Many of these varieties are loaded with vitamin A, which is essential for immune function, vision, cell growth and the maintenance of many of our bodies organs including the heart, lungs and kidneys. Seeds are edible as well providing protein, healthy fats and dietary fiber and taste great when roasted. Eating these foods seasonally also benefit our bodies as well as the environment. Because they are in season they have been picked at their peak and are fully ripe and loaded with nutrients. Vegetables that are not in season are picked earlier to ripen during its travel in...

With assistance from Northeastern graduate student Melissa Pryputniewicz Winter is probably one of the least popular times of year. The days are shorter, the weather is gloomy and can be brutal – sometimes it feels as though winter will never end! For many reasons, people are less active during the winter months. Some people develop mild depression during the winter while others don't want to travel in the snow or cold to go to work let alone go to the gym. Even though it would be nice to curl up and hibernate, it is important to be physically active during these chilly winter months. Benefits of Being Active Decreased Depression – According to a clinical study, exercise was an effective antidepressant over both the short and long term. This could be especially helpful during the winter months when many people develop a form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder. Immunity Boost – According to the Cleveland Clinic, studies have shown that regular exercise can boost part...