Strike a balance

The food we eat is one of the most important factors in living a balanced lifestyle. Food gives our bodies the fuel they need to get us through our demanding days.

We all have a general sense of what constitutes healthy eating choices, but despite our best efforts, sometimes eating correctly is just hard, especially while at college.

Between classes, homework and extracurriculars, eating often becomes an afterthought and we resort to wolfing down our food on the go, or worse, skipping meals altogether.

Eating regular nutritious meals is an integral part of being healthy and has implications beyond affecting weight. The meal that college students usually neglect is breakfast.

According to the Mayo Clinic, those who take time to eat breakfast every morning have been found to have reduced hunger throughout the day, resulting in fewer calories eaten at later meals.

They make healthier food choices at subsequent meals, including eating more fruits and vegetables, and have more energy all day long -- something we could all use heading into midterms.

To ensure that you will eat meals, carve out time during your day to go get something to eat, pack a snack if you know you won't have time to make it to D-hall, or make plans with friends to share a meal.

So this week, we challenge you to eat regular meals, specifically breakfast. This is an easy way to get your day off to a balanced start!

Emma Berry, Stephanie Koko, Mary Elizabeth Lovelace,and Kelly Rafferty are CAPS interns who contributed to the column.