We’ve all heard the constantly changing buzz words of nutrition. “Low-fat, high carb—scratch that, high fat, no carb—no sugar, low-sugar—high protein, no red meat—no fruit, all the fruit.” There are so many end-all be-all diets that blow up social media on a daily basis.

The question used to be “what works?” Now it seems that there’s a way to make any combination “work.” So, the question really becomes: “which plan can work for me in my life?” With the new year already full steam ahead, new research can help guide nutritional eating on a college campus.

The trick for healthy eating on a college campus ultimately comes down to meal prep. With so much going on, organizing your day in advance can be really hard, even for the hyper-planners out there.

However, nutrition is a vital component of our overall health, and should be tended to with care. Recent studies have shown that snacking throughout the day is not as healthy as four to six small meals throughout the day. This means that stuffing your backpack with powerbars or chips is not going to cut it if you’re after your determined to make this year healthier than the last.

Meal prep can be as simple as buying fruit from the market, or as delicious as overnight oats. These studies argue that curbing your appetite with smaller meals helps your metabolism keep constant motion so that you can feel energized throughout the day.

Being a student here for at least one term, you’re well aware of the meal plan system here. While the food has its’ ups and downs, there tends to be a fair amount of options. The problem comes when you have three classes on one day and have only an hour for common lunch, but wait, you’ve got a meeting at 12:50 and then a lab following the hour.

There are so many times throughout the week where students are stuck overeating during meals because they seem to starve themselves throughout the day with their busy schedules.

Especially if you’re working out some time in the day, what you eat becomes even more important. These situations are where stocking up on healthy meal choices in your room becomes vital.

Between the bookstore and new marketplace, there are many ways to buy ingredients and containers so that you can eat meals at dining options while still having nutritional snacks throughout the day.

By purchasing steel cut oats, yogurt, nuts or fruit, you can start preparing your food to fit your busy schedule and keep healthy.