Smart Snacks are a Dorm Room Essential
Save Money, Control Weight and Bolster Study Skills
Aug 25, 2009
Moving into the dorm means no access to the home pantry or refrigerator for snacks. What is a hungry student to do? Create a dorm room pantry filled with low sugar, high fiber, and tasty smart snacks to grab and go or for late night study sessions.
What is a Smart Snack?
Smart snacks are low in sugar. Refined sugars cause blood sugar to spike, then crash. The aftermath of a sugar crash is hunger and crankiness. Smart snacks are nutrient-rich and filling. High fiber snacks like apples and almonds keep hunger at bay and moderate blood sugar levels. Fruits and vegetables make excellent smart snacks because they contain vitamins and minerals needed for overall good health. The national Fruits and Veggies Matter website has great tips for incorporating fruits and vegetables into smart snacking.
Smart Snacks Save Money
Snacks in the backpack can keep the siren call of the vending machine at bay. A granola bar, a can of juice or some fruit leather can quell a rumbling tummy until mealtime. Vending machine items often cost twice as much as buying the item at a store. Students short on cash will see real savings by planning ahead and carrying backpack-friendly snacks.
Smart Snacks Cut Calories
Long intervals between meals can encourage overeating and taking in too many calories. Smart snacks can soothe the appetite with a few nutritious calories and stave off hunger. A three o’clock smart snack such as a piece of beef jerky or a rice cake with peanut butter, may put a stop to the second helping of mashed potatoes at dinner.
Smart Snacks Bolster Brain Power
The brain works best when it has a steady supply of glucose in the blood stream. Too much or too little glucose decreases brain power, interfering with memory and concentration. Smart snacks provide the steady stream of energy the brain needs for optimal functioning. Eating a smart snack at a low energy period like 3:00 in the afternoon, helps the brain stay alert. Noreen Kassem ‘s article is packed with specifics about foods that power-up the brain.
Dorm Room Pantry
Creating a dorm room pantry for smart snacks is easy. Set aside a plastic crate or a nice box in which to store non-perishable smart snacks. Stock the pantry with a variety of foods that can stay at room temperature for long periods of time. After opening a box of dry food (e.g., crackers or cereal), place the contents in a resealable gallon-size plastic storage bag to keep the foods fresh longer and pests out of the pantry.
Ideas for the Smart Snack Pantry
- All-fruit spreads
- Beef or turkey jerky
- Cereal or granola bars (check the label and purchase low sugar bars)
- Whole grain baked crackers
- Dried fruits (raisin, apricots, cherries, & bananas)
- Fruit leathers
- Low sugar granola
- Individual cans of vegetable juice
- Individually packaged fruit cups
- Individually packaged low fat pudding snacks
- Jar of peanut butter
- Nuts
- Rice cakes
- Seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame)
- Whole grain cereal
- Whole wheat pretzels
Take an extra piece of fruit or some veggies at dinner to save for a late night snack.
Smart Snacks for the Refrigerator
A refrigerator in the dorm rooms offers a way to keep perishable items and a wider variety of smart snacks.
Ideas for the Smart Snack Refrigerator
- Baby carrots
- Celery sticks
- Cold cuts
- Grapes
- Hummus
- Milk
- Light cream cheese
- Salsa
- Spicy mustard
- String cheese
- Yogurt
A dorm room refrigerator requires some discipline and regular cleaning. Caution: Refrigerated foods have expiration dates. Eating spoiled food is not good for the stomach and the smell of moldy food is unappetizing. Make a plan to check foods for freshness and expiration dates at least once per week. Toss foods that are wilted, spoiled or have gone beyond the expiration date. Once a month, wipe down the inside walls of the refrigerator and the gasket around the door.
Smart Snack Combinations
Creatively combining individual ingredients from the pantry and fridge, make snacking more fun.
- Remember “Ants on a Log” from grade school? Fill a celery stick with peanut butter and add raisins on top.
- Dip whole wheat pretzels in spicy mustard.
- Add cereal or granola to a pudding cup.
- Dip fresh or dried fruit in peanut butter.
- Spread hummus or cream cheese on a slice of deli meat and roll it up
- Spread cream cheese on a whole grain cracker and add a dollop of salsa.
- Roll a piece of banana in crushed nuts or cereal
Armed with smart snacks in the backpack and the dorm room, students can keep more money in the wallet, fewer inches on the waistline and a happy brain.
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