Girl's Night In

I usually don't like to do any form of physical activity before 9 AM. However, I knew I had a busy day ahead and wanted to get in a run. Before I left, I ate a half of a banana with a spoonful of Justin's chocolate almond butter for a quick burst of energy. I ran towards downtown Tuscaloosa and into several neighborhoods with cute Southern homes. I finished up by running two laps around the Quad. I ran for about 45 minutes, and I still had time to get ready and stop for coffee before my 9 AM class. Even though I did not originally want to wake up early this morning to exercise, it really boosted my mood and kept me energized all day. Now I know that I can easily incorporate an early morning run into my lifestyle (unless I am really tired or have to study for a big test). After I got back from my run, I had 1 C of Kashi High Fiber High Protein cereal (we have containers downstairs in the snack room!) with some granola on top and 1/2 C skim milk.

I had class until 12, then came back to the sorority house to eat lunch. Today we had grilled chicken wraps, salad bar, and grapes. It was a good lunch!

After lunch, I went to the math lab to finish my homework and quizzes for the week. I also worked on some Italian homework right up until my 3 PM class. I ate a Nature's Valley trail mix bar on the way to class. This is my only nutrition class (and last ever!) this semester. It is a class about the anthropology and history of food, which is a topic that we have never really covered in any of my previous course work. It is so interesting! Over the past few weeks, we have been talking about the history of food in America during the 20th century. Many people believe that the obesity rates are currently at an all-time high due to the availability of convenience foods and fast foods. As I have come to learn, "junk food" has actually been around for a long time. I don't want to bore you with a bunch of dates, but here is a brief timeline of when some popular convenience foods were introduced into the American diet.

1904-World's Fair introduces Swan's Cake Flour, the ice cream cone, hamburger, iced tea, Dr. Pepper

1907-Hershey's Kisses

1911-Crisco

1919-I-Scream-Bar (precursor to the ice cream bar)

1920's- Baby Ruth, Milky Way, Butterfinger, Reese's Peanut Butter cups (this was considered the era of the candy bar)

1934-Ritz Crackers

1937-Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner and Spam

1941-M&M's 

1946-Ragu spaghetti sauce

1949-Sara Lee cheesecake

1950-Kraft sliced cheese and Cheese Whiz; Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, Church's, KFC, and Burger King were also introduced in the 1950's

1954-Swanson's TV dinners

1958-Chicken Ramen

1961-Sprite

1962-Frozen pie crust

1964-Lucky Charms and Pop Tarts

1965-Shake 'n' Bake

1969-Pringles

As you can see, convenience foods have been in existence since the beginning of the 20th century. This poses an interesting question. Why do you think that obesity rates have sky-rocketed, especially over the past 10 years, if "unhealthy" foods have been in the American diet for such a long time? I definitely think it has something to do with increased portion sizes, physical inactivity, and increased access to convenience foods. I'm curious to know your thoughts about this issue.

I gave really cute Valentine's to some of my friends in class today, and even received some of my own:)

We had a special Valentine's Day dinner at the Alpha Chi house tonight. We had steak, baked potatoes, and a tossed salad with bell peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. We rarely have steak, so it was a nice change of pace.

After dinner, I had a hot date with my friend Laura! We went to get dessert at TCBY (obviously). I got white chocolate mousse and red velvet cake yogurt. Toppings included strawberries, a chocolate and white chocolate chip mix, and pecans. Frozen yogurt is a delicious way to sneak in some Calcium, Vitamin D, and healthy probiotics.We are now watching The Bachelor in the TV room with some of our other pledge sisters.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the ones I love! I have an amazing family and the best friends a girl could ask for. Also, Happy 22nd birthday to my roommate, Katie! We are going out on Wednesday to celebrate. Pray for me as I take the GRE tomorrow!