In today’s world of fast food restaurants and dollar menu items it can be nearly impossible to make good nutritional choices.  With a few of these “dollar menu” items, an individual can almost reach half of the daily recommended caloric intake of 2,000 calories.  So what is the answer to break free of the ease of fast food and start feeding your body so that it is no longer nutritionally starving?  The answer is to snack your heart out!  The key to making this work is to simply snack on healthy, high-nutrition snacks.

Since we were children, we’ve always heard that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day”.  Why is this?  This mentality was formed because of the fact that people who ate breakfast tended to consume less calories throughout the day!  So why don’t we just start eating right first thing in the morning?  Here are a list of easy snacks that may cut the calories, but are full of flavor!

Morning time snacks:

• cereal with yogurt (your flavor of choice) and a handful of blueberries.
• boiled egg whites with fat-free cottage cheese.
• sliced apple pieces with peanut butter.
• yogurt with a handful of roasted almonds.
• oatmeal with raspberries/blueberries and a teaspoon of peanut butter.
• WATER WATER WATER.

Making a choice like one of these early in the morning can kickstart your morning and influence you throughout the day to make healthier dietary choices.  Never be afraid to break out of your old routine!  And always remember, the brighter the color of the food, the better it is for you in most cases!

Lunch time snacks:

• any 2 fresh fruits of your choice (the original “fast food”)
• slice one whole cucumber and lightly salt or dip in fat-free ranch (in place of the usual bag of chips).
• grab a handful or two of almonds or walnuts (great unsaturated fats).
• celery sticks with peanut butter (even with a few chocolate chips)
• pita chips dipped in guacamole or hummus. (avocados are a super food!)
• 25 frozen grapes.
• WATER WATER WATER.

Remember that your body’s feeling of “hunger” is its way to tell you that it needs nutrition, not junk food (empty calories).  The next time you are thinking about what you should grab before you run off to your busy life, slow down and snack your way to better nutrition!

• Malaki Bolton
• Blog Bros

Buddy Broncho

Buddy Broncho made his first appearance in UCO's own newspaper The Vista. It was the October 3, 1932, issue where a Broncho appears wearing a UCO football uniform. He has appeared numerous times throughout the years from local Edmond papers in the 60's to state-wide papers in the 80's. The commissioning of the first ever live mascot appears in UCO's 1979 Bronze Book where Buddy Broncho made his first public appearance at Homecoming. Since that time, Buddy has been a fixture at UCO events and in the hearts of UCO students.