It felt so good; now I’m full of regrets. Photo on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons.

For most of us, the answer is easy: run to BK. But studies have shown that college students– who often assume their age makes them at the peak of their health, regardless of their behaviors– are far unhealthier than they think. The majority are not meeting nutritional needs for iron, calcium or folate, and many others are overweight or obese. Even at a healthy weight, students may have high cholesterol or metabolic syndrome. Late at night, it’s easy to forget all of this and order the Quad Stacker. But your body will pay for it.

The good news? There are ways to eat healthier, even late at night, without spending a fortune and a ton of time on preparation. And it’s easier than you think! Amy Cartwright, a registered dietician with a private practice in Pennsylvania, shared some tips for eating healthy, whether you chose to make the trek to BK or snack in your room.

If you resist the glow of BK

• Fresh fruits and vegetables are good choices because they are low in calories. Make yourself more likely to eat them by washing and preparing them beforehand so there’s no preparation, and by buying things like low-fat ranch dip and hummus to eat with veggies, and cinnamon and sugar or low-fat caramel dip to eat with fruit.
• Pay attention to serving sizes. “Portion sizes are probably the most important thing when it comes to snacking,” said Cartwright. Buy pre-portioned snacks (think those 100 calorie bags) or portion out the food yourself into plastic bags.
• Check the label. Choose foods high in fiber (3 grams or more per serving) to keep you feeling full, such as fruit and whole-grain granola bars or cereal. Also look for foods low in fat, especially avoiding saturated fat, which can increase your cholesterol.
• Don’t eat and study at the same time. According to Cartwright, “Try to avoid snacking when studying because you’re going to keep going and not really enjoy the snack, and you will eat more than you would really like.” Instead, take special breaks just to eat.
• Avoid caffeine. Instead of soda, drink water or diet drinks that are caffeine free. And if you struggle with staying awake, try eating smaller, more frequent meals to keep your energy level up.
• Beware of the vending machine. “Be prepared,” advises Cartwright. “Have foods available so you are more likely to choose these foods instead of something from the vending machine.”
• Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the tips? “Start small,” says Cartwright. “You don’t want to make too many changes in your lifestyle at once.”

And when you do end up at the Burger King Lounge:

Because sometimes it’s just inevitable. But there are ways to make a BK run without spontaneously developing heart disease.

• Watch how much you’re eating. Choose the single hamburger instead of the double, and don’t supersize those fries.
• Go with grilled chicken instead of fried. The TENDERGRILL® chicken sandwich has 380 less calories than the TENDERCRISP® version.
• Pick healthier sides. Fries might sound good, but they can really pack on the calories. But you’re in luck: with the recent push for healthier options, BK, along with most fast food restaurants, has started providing healthier side options. If you can resist, you are far better off with apple slices, a baked potato, or soup.
• Know your salads. They seem like the healthier choice, but adding croutons and two ounces of honey mustard dressing at BK pulls up your calorie count by 330 (not including the actual salad).
• Be careful with that drink. One BK king-sized chocolate milk shake is a whopping 1,260 calories—over half your suggested calories for one day! Also, avoiding sodas is a good way to cut calories and caffeine.

Drinks

A tasty mango daiquiri can add some sugar to your fake summer. Photo by rian0306 on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons.

Ignore the chilly weather, turn up the heater in your apartment and keep chugging your favorite summer drinks. Light, summery drinks aren’t limited to June, July and August: instead of Irish Coffees and Peppermint Schnapps, mix a mojito or daiquiri. The flashback to warmer days will help you forget the misery that awaits outside.

Blue Bombshell
Lemonade-flavored drinks go out of style once the summer days disappear. For a refreshing taste combined with enough Red Bull to keep you awake through your boring Presidential Debate Drinking Game pre-game, make this tasty blueberry-flavored drink.

2 parts Red Bull
1 part blueberry-flavored vodka
1 part lemonade

Mango Daiquiri
It may be chilly outside, but daiquiris are a time-honored favorite. Mask the flavor of rum with tasty mango chunks, which will bring back the sweet smell of summers past.

.5 part orange liqueur
2 parts dark rum
6 parts mango chunks
3 parts sweet and sour mix
Combine ingredients in blender.

Kokomojito
Kevin Ethridge, the bartender and manager at Bar Louie, recommends this summery mojito with pineapple juice.

Muddle mint leaves, fresh limes and pineapple slices
Add ice and pineapple juice
Combine with pineapple-flavored rum (Ethridge recommends Cruzan)
Shake ingredients and add soda water

Sex

True but unfortunate fact: People are less likely to have sex in winter. When the oppressive shadow of Seasonal Affective Disorder shines down upon you, chances are solid you’ll eat more, go out less, and yes, have sex less. Good news! Sex makes you happy. Or more specifically: semen makes you happy. So sure, you could wait out the season cramped in your dorm room, staring out the window at the grey clouds and hoping Mr. (or Mrs.) Right comes strolling into the room. But you could also step outside your comfort zone and hunt down Mr. Right For Now. Don’t let the dreary weather get you down: recall the carefree, breezy summer attitude and worry about having fun, not the future. In the end, making the effort will make you happier.

Your attitude shouldn’t be the only thing bringing back memories of summer flings past. Skip the stereotypical fall dates (ice-skating, pumpkin painting, movies, watching television shows in your dorm) and make an effort to bring the sun inside. Make a picnic and spread a blanket on your living room floor. Throw on your swimsuit (underneath a heavy coat, of course) and make your way to SPAC for open swimming hours.

Already in a relationship? The drudgery of the colder months can quickly cause a good relationship to ice over – which explains why January is National Break-Up Month. It’s natural to fall into a routine, but make an effort to keep the relationship fresh.

Health

Fall brings a multitude of nasty diseases. Without the proper protection, you may find yourself awash in a sea of acute viral nasopharyngitis and influenza. With chilly air meaning less impetus to hike all the way to SPAC, your immune system is already running on empty. Megan Campbell, university dietitian, says that even moderate daily activity boosts your immune system by increasing the number of disease-fighting cells. Exercise fights fall fat, boosts your mood and fights disease–so if you can’t make the hike to a gym three times a week as recommended, at least walk to the frat quad instead of taking the shuttle.

Every student should take a daily multivitamin, which “acts as insurance, making sure that you get the vitamins and minerals that you cannot get from food,” particularly if their diet is imbalanced, Campbell said. If you have special dietary requirements, such as lactose intolerance or vegetarianism, you may need more of certain vitamins. To find out exactly which vitamins you should be taking, Campbell recommends visiting a dietitian or doctor.

Food

Host a tailgate party in your room. Even if you don’t attend the actual game—not everyone appreciates football—fire up the grill, open the Tostitos and stock your fridge with beer for a party that would make George Foreman proud. Speaking of Mr. Foreman—his grills are (ahem) banned in university housing, but apartment-dwellers can toast up fall with a cheap portable grill, available for as little as $20 on Craigslist, or an indoor grill.

Invite a few friends over, deck yourselves in purple and cheer on the Wildcats. Football not your sport? Northwestern participates in several fall sports whose games are under-attended, including squash, water polo, fencing and men’s soccer.

Unfortunately, popular fruits such as strawberries, melons and peaches are no longer in season. Fruits are a generous source of vitamins in the summer, but don’t allow your intake of nutrient-rich foods to drop. Campbell recommends increasing your intake of pumpkin, squash, kale, pomegranate juice and apples, which all provide a variety of nutrients that can keep your immune system stable. Feel free to take this as an excuse to load up on pumpkin pie.

Fashion

Layer your summer clothes to survive the winter. Photo by Helga Lobster Stew on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons.

Your closet may be a colorful menagerie of colors, designs and sounds at the beginning of the year, but as the fall quarter begins the desire to dress up and accessorize—particularly for class—diminishes. But there’s evidence out there that taking the time to look nice can offset a bad mood. According to the London College of Fashion, taking some time to throw on some makeup can lift your spirits.

When the days are darker, harsher and colder, Seasonal Affective Disorder can seem an oppressive force. Your first line of defense should not be succumbing to slum; wear jeans and a nice top to class instead of pajamas and Uggs. If taking the time to do your makeup can amplify your mood, don’t hesitate to set aside an extra fifteen minutes to match your shirt and shoes.

Color matters. Colors can drastically affect your mood. Psychologists have discovered that certain colors can affects mood, which is a study you can definitely apply to your daily life. Yellow is generally considered a cheerful color; red a passionate one. Dressing in bright colors can cheer you up, and potentially even affect the mood of those around you.

To keep feeling summery year-round, don’t toss out your sleeveless dresses and shorts as soon as the temperature hits 60. Matched with a dark pair of tights or a cool cardigan, your summer wardrobe can be worn year-round. Add these stunning staples to your closet to achieve year-round chic: boots, slick jackets, long-sleeved tees, thin coats, cardigans and lots of pairs of tights.

The Freshmen Fifteen is a phenomenon so terrifying and well-known to those entering college that it warrants capitalization. Incoming freshmen have been endlessly warned about putting on the pounds during their first year at school and have probably accrued more advice on how to avoid it than they know what to do with. However, upon arriving at campus and finding SPAC a mile away and hot cookies down the hall, it becomes all too easy to forget the tips — and forget about keeping your hot summer bod.

The good news is that the freshman fifteen is somewhat of a myth. Or at least eight of the pounds are a myth, anyways. A 2006 study at Rutgers University found that students averaged only a seven-pound gain in the first year. The bad news? Seven pounds is still a significant enough gain to indicate unhealthy diet and exercise patterns, and probably enough to make your pants not fit. But you can avoid this rather scary phenomenon. Here are eight tips to prevent the slide into a lazy college lifestyle and instead, stay fit and healthy.

Problem: A trip to the dining hall means loading up your tray with a taste of everything… and going back for seconds.

Solution: Campus dietitian Megan J. Campbell says to avoid grabbing more food than you can eat by taking a look at all of the items offered in the cafeteria, then going around to make your selections. Doing so not only helps to avoid excess food waste, but also ensures that you only pick the foods you really want to eat. NuCuisine has also rolled out trayless dining as part of their sustainable dining program, which also reportedly decreases both the amount of food eaten and wasted.

Problem: Your idea of ‘healthy eating’ is having a diet soda and a small side of fries instead of a large.

Solution: Start with a salad. Yes, it’s the classic diet food, but it can be tastier than you’d expect, and Northwestern dining halls offer many options. “At lunch and dinner, there is an extensive salad bar with several different types of greens, chopped vegetables, lean protein, and low-fat dressings,” Campbell says. Give it a try; a salad is much more filling than it looks, and with the multitudes of toppings available at each dining hall, you’re almost guaranteed to find some combination of toppings you love.

Problem: You tried a salad and it is definitely not for you.

Solution: If you’re not a salad person, Campbell recommends unseasoned steamed vegetables, which are cooked without salt, spices, or butter. They are available at every meal, and are balanced out nicely with a piece of fruit.

Problem: You eat your fair share of salads, but feel clueless as to what exactly a “balanced meal” consists of.

Solution: A balanced meal, according to Campbell, should have your plate about half filled with fruits and veggies, one quarter with a protein, such as chicken, fish, tofu or beans, and the rest with grains and starch — fill up on rice, pasta or bread.

Problem: Your daily exercise consists of walking up the three flights of stairs to your dorm room after class and trekking to the dining hall.

Solution: If you really feel like you don’t have time to work out in the gym, try and find ways to sneak exercise into your daily routine. Leave for class a little earlier (even if it is a little painful to lose those ten minutes of sleep) and take the long route to class. After all, that calorie-burning adds up!

Problem: You can’t resist the temptation to munch on the junk food you keep in your room.

Solution: Yes, that box of chocolate-chip cookies or that bag of chips looks great on your shelf, but resist. Instead, stock your room with foods that will fill you up and taste good when you absolutely need to snack on something, like dried fruits, yogurts and nuts. If you must have something sweet, try keeping 100-calorie packs on hand; they come in tons of varieties and can relieve a sweet tooth in a pinch. If you’re a chocoholic, a palm-full of chocolate chips can be a lifesaver. Just make sure it’s only one handful.

Problem: You drank too much, and now the gym seems farther away than Timbuktu and all you want is Taco Bell.

Solution: Alcohol is a lot higher in calories than you might guess. After a night out, try not to consume more calories than usual for the next 48 hours to curb the effects of excessive intake. Eating foods like eggs, fresh fruits (bananas in particular), vegetables and of course, drinking lots of water, can help that hangover you’ve got going. SPAC may not be the first place you’d think of going to recover, but physical activity will actually raise your energy level, as counter-intuitive as it may seem. Heavy cardio isn’t a great idea, as alcohol is a diuretic and causes dehydration — not to mention that you probably aren’t your most agile on a treadmill with a hangover. Stick to activities like yoga and stretching instead.

Problem: You’re tired of dining hall food and feel like you’re in a rut.

Solution: If you just can’t drag yourself to eat dorm food for one more meal, you don’t have to go to Burger King. Venture into Evanston, which just happens to be the “dining capital of the North Shore.” The extra walking burns calories, and there are a lot of healthy options around town. Even Chipotle can be good for you if you know how to order.

There’s something new at Northwestern, and it’s not just the people in the purple ‘12 shirts who still smile at strangers on the sidewalk. This year marks a new era of recycling at Northwestern: Gone are the days when you could only recycle two types of plastic and corrugated cardboard, or when there were no blue bins for your Coke bottle at the football game. Northwestern recently expanded its recycling program to include plastics one through five and aseptic packaging, according to Julie Cahillane, manager of refuse and recycling at Northwestern.

For those of you that don’t speak recycle, that means anything from yogurt cups to six-pack rings to juice boxes, and now cereal boxes, can be placed in recycling bins, found in every dorm room. Plus, these neat recycling-bins-plus-trash-can units are making an appearance in Tech, the library and other buildings, so you have no excuse not to walk the extra 10 feet to recycle that can. The football stadium and tailgating lots now have recycling bins as well.

NU Recycling is a branch of facilities management that focuses on recycling and Northwestern’s environmental impact. According to Cahillane, campus recycling has been in place since the early 1990s. Her office works to improve recycling across campus and collaborates with student groups to put on events like Earth Day and the Green Cup competition.

Northwestern’s award-winning recycling program recycles about 1,500 tons each year. Even though that may sound like a lot, it’s only about 26-27 percent of Northwestern’s total waste stream, which means yes, it really does matter if you throw out that flyer someone forced you to take by the Rock. Each item you recycle makes a big difference: For example, recycling one aluminum can is equivalent to the power it takes to watch three episodes of The Office on your TV, according to NU Recycling’s Web site.

So why the push for a greener Northwestern now? According to Mike Mitchell, executive director of the Illinois Recycling Association, college students are a “captive audience” that “insists on having good recycling programs available to them.” The increased number of outdoor recycling bins and GREEN House both blossomed largely from student ideas, Cahillane acknowledged. Changing environmental attitudes throughout the country and the world also play a role: With Obama and McCain arguing over renewable energy sources, and a mountain of plastic trash growing in the Pacific Ocean, colleges across the nation can’t help but take notice.

Another incentive to recycle at Northwestern is the annual Green Cup competition. Each year, dorms compete to see which can save the most energy, and the competition can get intense. “People have gotten pretty into it — from not showering to, I don’t even know,” said Weinberg sophomore Emily Wright, co-chair of Students for Ecological and Environmental Development (SEED). In addition to Green Cup, SEED hosts several programs throughout the year to “inspire sustainable ways of living and working to improve our planet and people’s relations with the planet,” Wright said.

Besides joining SEED and putting the blue recycling bins to good use, there are a few other things you can do to go above and beyond in your quest to save Mother Earth. Check out the list below for tips that fit your skill level (or your level of laziness).

The Obvious

1. Print on both sides of the paper! Think of how many Sudoku puzzles you can fit on the other side of that 50-page Lit reading.
2. Take shorter showers. They’re dark and gross, so why spend more time in them than absolutely necessary?
3. Don’t throw trash in the recycling bins. According to McCormick junior Steve Pflaum, site leader of Northwestern’s off-campus recycling program, the collectors will throw everything from the bin in the trash if it gets “contaminated.”

Reuse water-bottles as flower vases. Photo by Tracy Fuad / NBN.

The Creative

1. You know those plastic water bottles you collect from studying at the library? Put them to good use when you get back to your dorm room by stuffing them with flowers to brighten things up.
2. Better yet, don’t buy plastic bottles — go for a metal one. I promise you’ll look way cool toting it around. Bring your own bags for your groceries when you venture to Whole Foods like Wright does. You’ll blend right in with the organic food-buying crowd.
3. Northwestern gives out free wrapping paper. Yes, you heard right: The dining halls are stocked with newspapers, so take a few and wrap up your roommate’s birthday gift the eco-friendly way.

The Tree Hugger

The next set of tips are from Stephanie Fraser, a Canadian recycling enthusiast who made her own bed from filing cabinets and a door when she was in college. And if these aren’t enough, she has tons more on her blog.

1. Turn an old t-shirt into a cute grocery bag, Martha Stewart-style.
2. Decorate egg cartons and use them to store beads, paper clips, rings, or all the stamps your parents gave you because they thought they had a chance of hearing from you.
3. Join freecycle.org, and you can get/give all kinds of items for free. You post what you have or what you are looking for, and someone in your area responds. It’s that simple. Join the Evanston group here.
4. Instead of just recycling, buy products that have already been recycled. If you have a laptop bag made from toothpaste and detergent bottles, you automatically win any environmental argument.

Remember whatever you do, “you shouldn’t feel like you have to do it. It should be a fun thing,” Fraser says. “You end up spending very little [when you reuse] and the benefits you reap are amazing. You are not the problem anymore, you are the solution.”

Put these tips to good use, amuse yourself while doing it, and most importantly, don’t forget which writer to thank when your dorm wins Green Cup.

“Dude, last Saturday I ate nine pieces of cake and a bag of Doritos. It was insane.”

“Oh yeah? I went down to the bakery with my fake and picked up a whole box of donut holes. The next day I realized how bad that decision was.”

No, Northwestern’s party scene has not degenerated into cupcake parties and late-night bakery runs. But from a health standpoint, each Solo cup of beer downed on a Friday night might as well be a cup full of ice cream or potato chips.

On Dillo Day, for instance, if half the undergraduate student body drinks five beers apiece, they would consume more than two million calories in fewer than 24 hours. The short-term consequences of drinking large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time are obvious. Binge drinking is bad, but this is college, right? Beating up one’s body in preparation for the travails of adulthood is basically why these ivy-covered buildings were erected in the first place. But to shrug off the long-term effects of imbibing the caloric equivalent of two Quad Stackers a couple of times a week — and that’s before even making the 3 a.m. stop at BK — puts at risk one’s future well-being.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines a binge as “a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 gram-percent or above… This pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks [for a male] or four or more drinks [for a female] in about two hours.” They also note that binge drinking is often associated with drinking in large groups.

Binge drinking, with all the extra calories and sugary substances it entails, has been shown to heighten blood pressure, increase the likelihood of liver disease and neurological damage, and cause memory loss and sexual dysfunction later in life. According to Dr. Aaron M. White, a researcher at Duke University, an adolescent’s brain is more susceptible than an adult’s to alcohol’s neurotoxic effects.

But even if self-discipline and forsaking immediate gratification for long-term results haven’t been man’s strong suit since asceticism was all the rage in the fourth century, dietitians say that avoiding alcohol and eating healthily for 48 hours after a heavy drinking session can help reduce the effects of massive consumption on the body.

Fun facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Approximately 92 percent of U.S. adults who drink excessively report binge drinking in the past 30 days.
• Although college students commonly binge drink, 70 percent of binge drinking episodes involve adults over age 25.
• The rate of binge drinking among men is two times the rate among women.
• Binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers.
• About 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by those under 21 in the United States are binge drinks.
• About 75 percent of the alcohol consumed by adults in the United States is in the form of binge drinks.
• The proportion of current drinkers that binge drink is highest among 18- to 20-year-olds (51 percent).

When I found myself going over my Weight Watchers Points allowance two weeks in a row, I decided it was time for a change. Looking around my room, I realized I had a surprising amount of sweet and salty snack foods. Mixed nuts and Dole fruit parfaits aren’t so bad once in a while, but when Sunday night comes around and I haven’t done any homework for the week, my anxieties take over and the mindless snacking begins.

I still need to work harder at using those handy emotional and spiritual tools I talked about earlier. However, I can’t rely on my own devices all the time, and counting Points on the Flex Plan has gotten old. So I’m going to switch to the Core Plan. On Core, you can eat as much as you want from a list of foods that are low in energy density, as long as you pay attention to hunger levels. You may have heard of volumetrics or a similar diet theory. The point is to eat foods that are low in calories relative to their weight: A handful of grapes will fill you up as much as a handful of raisins, but at a lower caloric cost. Everybody wins!

Then again, my Lifetime Member friend Janna claims the Core plan is more expensive because you’re buying whole, fresh foods, and it requires more cooking. But something tells me that avoiding pre-packaged, processed snacks will be better for me. I also want to learn how to feel my body’s hunger signals and to plan my meals better on my own, without the crutch of a point system. I hope that by fueling my body with wholesome foods, I can jump-start back into some serious weight loss: I’ve been holding steady at 160 and change for a while now.

It won’t be easy. To give you an example of how serious Weight Watchers is about having you stick to this plan, here are the foods I currently eat that aren’t on the special list:

• Cheerios
• Raisin Bran
• Special K
• rice cakes (are they serious?)
• mixed nuts
• Lean Cuisine frozen dinners
• light english muffins

I have a small number of Flex points to use throughout the week to indulge in such forbidden foods, but I want to save those for treats only. So what does make the list?

• skim milk
• eggs and egg substitute
• Canadian bacon
• salsa
• frozen brocolli
• Crystal Light
• canned black beans

Well, I definitely need to go grocery shopping. And that is actually a refreshing thought. My advice to the average dieters who are not on Weight Watchers, but are feeling restless or tired about their plan? Switch it up! Throw in more fresh foods and satisfy sweet-tooth cravings with fruit, sugar-free Jello, or delicious pudding made with skim milk. If you crave salty foods, pick up a healthy brand of microwave popcorn (the only salted food on the Core plan).

Giving up so many foods that I am accustomed to eating — including bread, as it’s not a Core food — seems like a big sacrifice just to avoid tallying up points. But life is full of trade-offs and choices, so I’ve decided to make the switch and see how it goes. The good news is that if after two weeks I’m not feeling it, I can switch back to the Flex plan. So, on that note, I’ll let you know when I get tired of soy burgers.

It’s easy enough to remain-health conscious on campus, where salad bars and nutritional labels abound in every dining hall. But watching what you eat becomes harder when you step outside of Northwestern’s nutrition-conscious bubble and into the foodies’ heaven that is downtown Evanston.

Worry not, my calorie-counting friend. It is possible to eat healthy when you’re eating out, even at the food joints you already call your favorites.

Chipotle

711 Church Street

You may be surprised that the place that serves burritos as big as your head makes this list, let alone tops it. But there are ways to make your faux-Mexican meal a sensible dining choice.

DO get rid of the carbohydrate- and calorie-filled tortilla. Order a Burrito Bol instead: skipping on the burrito tortilla eliminates 290 calories, 9 grams of fat and 44 grams of carbohydrates. The soft- and hard-shell tacos are hardly better, with 255 and 180 calories, respectively. Look for yourself at Chipotlefan.com.

DO replace corn salsa with tomato salsa. Corn is deceptive. It looks like, tastes like and even is a vegetable, but nutritionally, corn bares more resemblance to marshmallows than it does to green beans. Replacing your corn with tomatoes eliminates 80 calories and 19 grams of carbs.

DON’T spring for sour cream and guacamole. Both contain 10 grams of fat and more than 100 calories. If you need to have one or the other, go for the guacamole; it provides you with 40 percent of your daily recommended dietary fiber.

DON’T order a salad with dressing. Do this, and you’ll be wrong to believe you’re eating healthy: Chipotle’s salad dressing packs a whopping 330 calories and 31 grams of fat, more than any other item on the menu. Eat some rice instead.

Noodles & Company

930 Church Street

The Chinese Chop Salad. Photo by the author.

DON’T let the name deceive you: Noodles & Company is more than just pasta. The restaurant menu is divided into three regional cuisines: American, Asian and Mediterranean, each of which contains a salad option. All of the salads are significantly healthier for you than their pasta counterparts.

DO go for a filling salad. The safest pick is the Chinese Chop Salad, which has 250 calories and seven grams of protein. Filled with soy-sesame flavoring, this salad is as big as the pasta dishes and doesn’t taste like a sacrifice at all.

Café Mozart

600 Davis Street

I was drawn into Café Mozart by the window signs advertising “America’s Healthiest Frozen Yogurt.” The place serves Only 8 Frozen Yogurt, a brand that advertises all natural frozen yogurt with zero fat and zero cholesterol.

DO exercise portion control. A small-sized portion of the frozen dessert contains only 32 calories and 7 grams of carbohydrates. The not-even-close-to-sinful treat tastes better than the frozen yogurt in the dining halls, too.

Pomegranate

1633 Orrington Avenue

This “fruitful endeavor in Mediterranean cuisine” is a bargain for cash-pressed Northwestern students. With many vegetable-based dishes, the menu is generally healthier than the fried Burger King competition.

Do try the grape leaves, stuffed with rice, wheat and vegetables. Each grape leaf contains only about 35 calories. The Tabbouleh Salad is also a healthy choice: a cup of Tabbouleh contains about 190 calories and 6 grams of protein.

Sashimi Sashimi

Spicy Salmon Maki. Photo by the author.

640 Church Street

Of Evanston’s many sushi spots, Sashimi Sashimi is an economical choice, serving rolls for around $3.95. The restaurant offers 21 varieties of sushi and 28 kinds of Maki rolls.

Don’t skimp on protein. Healthy eating often dismisses meat, but it’s an integral part of the diet. Plus, iron deficiency isn’t fun when it makes your limbs fall asleep in class. The six-piece Spicy Salmon Maki is light on calories and loaded with protein with a combination of salmon, avocado, cucumber and spicy mayo. The best part: the flavorful entrée contains fewer than 250 calories but still packs 12 grams of protein.

Pita Pete’s

1571 Sherman Avenue

The place advertises itself as “healthy eats.” You can get practically anything you want in your pita, or even toss the pita aside and make it a salad. Owner Pete Lutz said the restaurant takes the healthy route whenever possible.

“We’ve got whole grain brown rice, we use sea salt if we use salt at all and when we cook on our grill we use canola oil,” Lutz said.

DON’T fear the presence of carbs. The pita itself is just 210 calories with only one gram of fat, Lutz said. The rest of the calories come from the meat, vegetables and dressings. Pita Pete’s gives you the power to make your meal as healthy as you like.

“We give customers a lot of options, but I won’t tell you everything that goes out of here is healthy,” Lutz said. “Some people make poor choices.”

DON’T fall into the poor choice-maker category: fill your pita with low-calorie vegetables like cucumbers, peppers and mushrooms. Skip the more caloric veggies like olives and marshmallows (eh hm… I mean corn.).

DO dress the pita with lighter toppings. Salsa, fat-free Italian dressing or vinaigrette make healthy eating even healthier.

Photo by Tom Giratikanon and Tracy Fuad / NBN.

While copious amounts of shampoos, conditioners, face scrubs and body soaps fill the aisles of CVS, it is quite possible that the incomprehensible ingredients listed on the back of the bottle came from nuclear waste. Behentrimonium chloride? Hydroxyethyl palmitamide? Seriously?

Placing blind faith in cosmetics companies seems risky these days, especially after reports of lead-containing lipstick and companies fighting laws that mandate reporting cancer-causing chemicals. Instead of wasting your time wondering what potentially dangerous chemicals you are lathering on your body, try these homemade beauty items, guaranteed to contain natural, non-toxic ingredients that can be found in any kitchen or grocery store.

Soften your skin

What you need:

• Natural or raw sugar
• Olive oil
• Honey
• Lemon or orange juice

Benefit Boutique proprietor Christian VanBrimmer recommends this sugar scrub for dry face or skin. If you’re using it on the body, mix olive oil with sugar until you achieve a liquid, grainy consistency. For the face, add small amounts of olive oil, honey and lemon juice for a scrub that is “super easy, super fabulous and super simple,” VanBrimmer said.

Diminish your pores

What you need:

• Honey
• Egg whites

If your pores resemble tiny donuts, use this mixture to minimize their appearance. Separate the white from the egg, and mix in a spoonful of honey. Apply the mixture evenly to your face. Once it has dried, use cold water to remove it. Repeat every two weeks to reduce pore size and even out skin tone.

Rejuvenate your hair

What you need:

• Olive oil
• Honey
• Plastic bathing cap
• Shampoo

Mix two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of honey into a plastic bag. Place the bag into a cup of hot water. Once the mixture is warm, massage it into your hair and cover your head with a plastic cap. After 15 minutes, shampoo your hair as normal. This hot oil treatment will restore your hair and leave your locks light and shiny.

Exfoliate your face

What you need:

• Milk
• Salt

In a bowl, thoroughly mix a half cup of milk and a half teaspoon of salt. Use a cotton ball to dab the mixture over the forehead and face. Leave it on for two to three minutes and re-apply. After the mixture is dry, rub your face in circular motions and then rinse. The salt exfoliates dead cells and the milk nourishes the skin, giving it a brighter and fresher sheen.

Deep-condition your hair

What you need:

• Avocado
• Mayonnaise
• Olive oil
• Plastic shower cap

Place a peeled, cored avocado, a quarter to half cup of mayonnaise (depending on hair length), and two tablespoons of oil in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Apply the mixture to your hair as you would conditioner and place a shower cap over your head. Let it sit in your hair for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse the mixture off in the shower. This recipe will deep-condition your hair and make it strong and smooth.

Remove your hair’s excess product build-up

What you need:

• Water
• Vinegar

After repeated use, debris from hair products can build up at the roots of your hair, weakening it and preventing it from reaching its full potential. Combine one cup of water with a quarter cup of vinegar. After shampooing and conditioning, use this to rinse your hair to eliminate build-up.

Exfoliate your elbows and knees

What you need:

• Ground coffee
• Sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Olive oil

Mix a quarter cup of olive oil and a teaspoon of vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, mix a half cup of coffee grinds with a cup of sugar. Combine the two mixtures and blend them into a paste. Soften skin under warm water for five to ten minutes, and massage the scrub in small circles on dry or rough skin, and follow with a shower gel.

Note: Do not use this scrub on your face or any broken skin. Use once a week, unless you have particularly dry skin — then use it twice a week.

Other quick-fix remedies

Tea bags: VanBrimmer recommends using chamomile tea bags to de-puff the eye area. After brewing tea, place the used tea bags in the refrigerator and place them over the eyes the next morning.

Fresh fruits: Fruits, particularly strawberries, can be mashed and applied to the face to brighten the complexion.

Ice cubes: Combine one part milk with three parts water, and freeze; cover the frozen cube in a cloth, and rub that over your face to tighten pores and alleviate sunburns.

Cucumbers: They’re a quintessential beauty product, but deservingly so: Place a sliced cucumber over the eye for ten minutes to reduce undereye bags.

All-natural product lines

If you still prefer to buy your beauty products at the store, consider buying all-natural, chemical-free beauty products. Stella McCartney’s makeup line is all-natural and vegan, and Bare Escentuals is a mineral makeup line with no preservatives.

Photos by Tom Giratikanon and Tracy Fuad / North by Northwestern.

Whether you’re an ex-cross-country star looking to regain your stride or a self-proclaimed bum who has never run in your life (except to lunch and to catch the bus), there’s still time to table your excuses and revive yourself from the winter slump you’ve been lulled into for the past five months. With a campus like this and a town like Evanston, there really is a run for everyone.

Why run?

Besides being a great cardiovascular workout, running can be its own form of therapy. It won’t take long for you to discover or rediscover the joys of the mythical “runner’s high.” A recent scientific study done in Germany corroborated this often-cited, rarely supported claim: It showed evidence of the “opioid theory,” which creates a feeling of euphoria after running. Running is like a legal drug — with health benefits.

Additionally, there have been numerous studies that show physical fitness is correlated to mental fitness. Getting in shape might counteract all of that heavy drinking that purportedly kills your brain cells.

For most people who run, however, the benefits far exceed these quantifiable ones. Something about getting out and getting into the rhythm makes running something certain people can’t imagine living without — a way to clear your mind, center yourself and see the world in a different light.

“The simplicity of running is refreshing,” McCormick Junior Kyle Holmberg said. “You just put your shoes on and go. It’s an escape. Just you, your mind and the world around you — for 30 minutes, an hour.”

Holmberg, co-president of the Northwestern Running Club, started running in eighth grade. “Running is a good way to set goals and work towards accomplishments,” he added. Holmberg has certainly put this philosophy into practice: He is a veteran of two Chicago Marathons and is training for the one coming up this October.

“It’s definitely a stress reliever,” he said.

Getting Started

Carol Krochmal, a master personal trainer at SPAC, has run more than 48 marathons since she took up running at age 17. So, I ask her, what’s the first thing to think about when you’re starting from scratch? Well, your feet.

“One of the most important things is to have decent shoes,” Krochmal said. She attributed the aches and pains that sometimes plague and discourage new runners to bad running shoes. If you don’t already own a pair of shoes designed for running, “go to a good running store and have them evaluate what kind of shoe is best for you.”

The closest running specialty store to campus is Murphy’s Fit, located on Dempster St. and Hinman Ave. You can also purchase running shoes at Williams Shoes, at 710 Church St., and Famous Footwear, at 817 Church St.

Once your feet are fitted up, don’t forget to stretch! Do it after you warm up for a couple of blocks and when you finish your run. The extra couple of minutes you spend doing this will pay off, so don’t skip it. Make sure to focus on your calves and hamstrings, the first places you’ll get sore when you are starting up.

When you’re first starting out, “run at a comfortable pace — don’t try to run full-out. When you get tired, walk a block and run again,” Krochmal advised. This way, you won’t tire yourself out before you complete a decent distance, and will be able to run for longer.

“Increase your distance by 10 to 20 percent per week,” Krochmal recommended. If you are starting out with one mile, don’t just jump to two miles the next day. Along with good shoes, this will prevent injuries like shin splints and blisters.

“If you need to and walk for part of it, or take a day off, you have to listen to your body and do that,” advised Holmberg for first time runners. “It’s important not to push yourself too hard when you’re first starting,” he said. Doing so will just cause you to get discouraged and give up before you can appreciate all the benefits of being a runner.

Where to go

One of the greatest joys of running is discovering your own favorite route, a secret path or hidden beach. Sometimes it’s great to just explore, running wherever your legs take you and stopping to rest and appreciate the beauty from the top of a lifeguard tower or beneath an ancient tree. The best routes are ones that you want to go on again and again. Here are four favorites:

For the novice: Ideal for beginners who want a shorter, familiar run, or for the expert who just can’t get enough of the Northwestern campus. Start at The Arch going southeast on Sheridan toward South Beach, and cut across to the path that runs along the beach, past the sailboats and left along the lake. Circle the Lakefill, stopping if you’re tired to revel in the beauty of the Chicago skyline, or for a quick pick-me-up at Willie’s Food Court. Just stay away from the chili dogs… at least until you’re out of your sneakers. It’s 1.84 miles; add 1.54 miles if starting from Patten. (Contributed by Kelsi Lindus)

For the child at heart: Start at the Arch and run toward the lake until you hit the paved path following the shore. Run south, following the path, past tennis courts and a playground. Turn around when the road you’re running around dead ends at the end of the second beach. Make sure to stop by the playground (marked in red) on the way back to play on the swings and slides. It’s 2.5 miles round trip; add 1.54 miles if starting from Patten.

For the spiritualist: Start at Patten Gymnasium and follow Sheridan Rd. north for a simple run that will take you past the lighthouse just north of campus, through the beautiful neighborhoods along the lake and, finally, to the breathtaking destination: the Bahai Temple. If you’re quiet and there’s no service in session, check out the amazing interior of this structure; it’s one of only seven of its kind in the entire world. It’s 2.41 miles round trip; add 1.54 miles if starting from the Arch.

For the ex-cross-country legend: Start at the Arch and run north on Sheridan Rd., turning left down Central Street (a block past the big field by Elder). Central Street is home to Ryan Field as well as numerous shops and bakeries, and running along the sidewalk can serve as a refreshing reminder of life outside the Northwestern bubble and its tidy 18 to 22 age range. Resist the urge to stop by every bakery you see, and keep running until you hit Great Harvest Bread Company on the corner of Central and Hartrey Ave. Slip into this friendly bakery for some free samples and a cool drink before embarking on your journey back to campus. It’s 4.44 miles round trip; subtract 1.54 miles if starting from Patten. (Contributed by Kelsi Lindus)

Staying strong

Sticking to a new exercise regime can be tough, especially when you’re not so in shape. But with the right tools, virtually anyone can work past the “pant gasp I give up” stage of running.

Khashayar Sarrafi, a master personal trainer at SPAC, recommends investing in a log book. “When you decide to get involved, log all your training from day one,” he said. “When you go back and look at it, you can see all you’ve done and how far you’ve come. It’s a really good tool to motivate you.”

Many free online tools can facilitate your progress. MapMyRun.com is a comprehensive online community for runners that abounds with useful tools, such as those that calculate the distance when you trace your path on a satellite map. Monitoring your progress can give you a greater feeling of accomplishment and a stronger commitment to keep at it.

Perhaps the best way to motivate yourself, as suggested by Sarrafi, is by signing up for a race, whether it’s a 5K fundraiser or, if you’re feeling ambitious, the Chicago Marathon. There is always something coming up; look for signs in Norris or in Evanston, or check the Northwestern Running Club’s Web site.

Most 5Ks are fundraisers for charitable causes too, which is another reason to keep on running. “When you’re involved in a race, there is something to motivate you,” Sarrafi said. “And when you finish your first 5K, you’ll feel great.”

Don’t get in a rut

Even veteran runners sometimes get stuck in a mundane, repetitious cycle, running the same two miles, at the same pace, on the same route, day after day. “Garbage miles — that’s what marathon runners refer to those as,” Krochmal said. So how do you break the routine and start actually getting something out of your workout? Speed intervals, tempo runs and hill runs.

“Once every week or every two weeks, do some speed work,” Krochmal said. “Warm up for a mile or so, and then start doing pickups. Run — really run — at 80-90 percent of your maximum speed for a block. Rest for a block, run for a block and continue this for about 10 blocks. At the end, you’ll feel absolutely exhausted, but you’ll have burned so much more fat and calories, and what you’re really doing is increasing your VO2 max,” or the maximum amount of oxygen that your body can transport and utilize during incremental exercise. It’s a reflection of how physically fit you are.

As for hills, Illinois is lacking, but you can take advantage of the man-made inclines in Evanston. The small slope on the Lakefill or Whole Foods’ parking ramp (watch for cars!) both work fine. Break up your routine by doing some repeats up any incline you can find. You’ll definitely feel an improvement in your workout.

It won’t take long to realize why so many people run. It’s so much more than just a way to stay in shape, as Krochmal said: “I’ll tell you — it’s the best exercise in the planet.”

It’s disconcerting how much my mood is affected by my perception of weight lost or gained. Part of me knows it’s because I’ve been trained by society to extract a certain level of self-worth based on the numbers on the scale or the tag of my jeans. When I showed off my new Easter dress to my mom, I made sure to mention that it was a size 11.

There’s also the smugness and self-satisfaction that comes with divulging the difference between my old size and my new size; my old weight and new weight; old pictures and new pictures. I’m torn between resting on my laurels and still wanting more. Why did I stake so much in one little number in the inseam of my dress?

In these situations, I try to keep in mind some Buddhist principles. As a religion major, I’ve gained some insights that have a lot more to do with dieting than you’d think. For one thing, the principle of doing good now, in order to be rewarded later, applies both to dieting and to religion. Exercise can be used as a redemption for past indulgent sins, but ultimately, moderation in all things is the best approach from the beginning. The Buddha, in his own quest for enlightenment, realized that it wasn’t to be found through extreme asceticism. Rather, he espoused what is sometimes known as the Middle Way.

In Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Miracle of Mindfulness, he relates a time when his friend Jim was eating a tangerine quickly, stuffing the pieces into his mouth while simultaneously talking about something he was going to do later. Hanh describes Jim as eating not the fruit, but his future plans. When your conscious mind becomes detached from the mechanics of eating — whether it’s by reading the newspaper with your morning cereal or watching TV at dinner — you might as well not be eating anything at all. If we tried to be a little more connected to our dining, we could keep from overeating.

Traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism and Native American religions make little, if any, distinction between religious rituals and everyday living. Dieting should be approached with that same view: it’s not something to idly engage in on a Sunday afternoon for an hour, but something to be lived every day. Of course, dieting shouldn’t become a consuming obsession, but only one facet of a greater lifestyle.

Consider the food you have eaten so far today: How has it made you feel? Forget the guilt or shame you’re still attaching to that extra cookie, I mean the physical reaction your body has to the fuel you’ve provided it. The body, resilient as it may be, has a harder time digesting a cheeseburger and fries than it does grilled chicken, brown rice and asparagus. For that matter, a whole banana split is a bigger obstacle to digest than one cup of ice cream. Your body can tell you what foods it gains the most from and when enough is enough - listen to it.

Reflecting on why one has picked up that extra bag of chips before dinner is not a question most people actively engage in. But try keeping a food journal for a couple of days, writing down not only what you eat, but also what you’re thinking when you eat it. What are the reasons? Are you upset? Bored? Bitter? This can shed light onto your own behaviors when it comes to food. This week, let’s all be more mindful about the things we put in our body.