As the weather becomes warmer and finals loom close, late nights at the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (CULC) and the library turn into the mandatory way to end a night. Despite all the dining options on campus, late night snacks can be hard to find.
Many students resort to vending machines, ordering pizza or grabbing Wingnuts. Healthy snacks, however, are an underrated commodity not usually found in vending machines.
“When I eat a healthy snack during a study session it helps me focus. There have been times I’ve had a milkshake or chocolate bar late at night and stopped studying quickly after,” said Trisha Long, a first-year ISyE major.
Many students experience the same fatigue and lack of focus after an unhealthy snack or trip to the vending machine. To avoid this, make sure to plan healthy snacks ahead of time.
“I like cheese quesadillas with salsa. Tomatoes are healthy and if you have low fat cheese that can be healthy too. I usually make three or four and bring them to CULC with me,” said Joshua Starker, a third-year ChBE major.
Many of the ingredients found in a typical dorm room can be combined to create a healthy and filling snack. Peanut butter and celery or trail mix can provide a protein filled fuel for a study session. Trail mix can be in many combinations with ingredients such as dried fruit, granola, chocolate chips, raisins and all sorts of nuts such as cashews, peanuts or almonds. Trail mix is full of fiber and protein and is a filling snack.
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“I like trail mix because it is a healthy variety and easy to make on the spot. Another potentially good thing about trail mix is you can completely forget you have it in your backpack and eat it a week later when you’re pulling an all-nighter in the library,” said Zac Jarman, a third-year ChBE major.
For snacks that taste more fresh than trail mix or peanut butter, greek yogurt mixed with cut up fruit can provide a refreshing study break. Greek yogurt can be mixed with fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, papaya or any other sort of fruit. Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in fat while most fruit contains high amounts of antioxidants and vitamins.
For students with a sweet tooth, dark chocolate with 70% or higher cacao is considered a health food filled with antioxidants. “I use dark chocolate as a motivator when I study. I’ll read a chapter of my textbook then have a block of chocolate. I try to continue studying until the entire chocolate bar is gone,” said Caroline Massaro, a first-year BMED major.