Posted by Site Administrator in Features
Sep 14th, 2009
Going to class should not be the extent of your business education. Learning from others who have experience is a great way to expand your knowledge. Luckily, there are plenty of people posting on their Twitter feeds with information to help savvy business students stay on top of their education. Check out these feeds for information about marketing, economics, finance, green business practices, strategy and innovation, and entrepreneurship. You can even find out what some of the leaders in the industry have to say about the business world.
Marketing
Learn all about marketing with these informative feeds.
- @patrickbyers. Patrick Byers is all about responsible marketing and the posts on this feed reflect his position.
- @PingTweets. Professor Yuping Liu shares her experience and insight as a marketing professor on this feed.
- @TomChapman. This British marketing strategist shares his marketing experience.
- @susangunelius. This CEO of KeySplash Creative offers tons of marketing information on her feed.
- @harishbnair. A marketing professor in an Indian business school, Harish Nair posts many helpful marketing links.
- @derickson. Social media and marketing strategy are the main topics on David Erickson’s feed.
- @nealhair. This marketing professor’s feed features items about academia, marketing, and his personal life.
- @allenweiss. CEO of MarketingProfs, Allen Weiss posts plenty of links of interest to marketing professionals.
- @MarketingProfs. Ann Handley posts on this feed with a focus on social media.
- @BethHarte. Beth Harte dispenses invaluable advice on nurturing business relationships, among other topics. Beth, along with Ann Handley, both received recognition as top women on Twitter.
- @y2vonne. Yvonne DiVita is an expert at marketing to women and shares her expertise here.
- @ProfessorGary. Marketing, business, and academia all share the spotlight on this professor’s feed.
- @RoyProfs. Roy Young’s feed includes information on PR, social media tools, links to helpful marketing articles.
- @ducttape. The author of Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch writes about marketing here.
Economics
From professors to news sources and from US to global topics, these feeds all discuss economics.
- @planetmoney. NPR’s feed is a great resource for news about global economics.
- @Nouriel. Nouriel Roubini is a professor at Stern School at NYU and posts about the economy in the US.
- @joshgans. This Australian economics professor shares links and information about economics, technology, and the economics of parenting.
- @MarkThoma. An economics professor at University of Oregon, Mark Thoma shares links to stories and posts from his own blog.
- @orgsandmarkets. Find links to blog posts and articles about global economic issues on this feed.
- @braddelong. An economist from UC Berkeley, Brad DeLong shares his thoughts on economics with a few links to other resources as well.
- @johnrutledge. The host of BizRadio, John Rutledge posts information about global economics.
- @econ_consultant. A senior economic consultant for LECG, Stephan Levy posts links to stories and offers his own opinion on economics.
- @nytimeskrugman. Read what Paul Krugman is writing about economics and politics on his blog at the New York Times.
- @Richard_Florida. Richard Florida posts links to economic stories that impact everyone’s lives such as unemployment, personal bankruptcy, and spending.
- @WayneMarr. This professor of Business Administration posts several links from respected sources.
- @MilkenInstitute. See what the experts have to say with this feed from the economic think tank, Milken Institute.
- @FriedrichHayek. Followers of Hayek will appreciate this feed that shares posts from the blog Taking Hayek Seriously.
- @ericfruits. This financial economist shares his view of it all on his Twitter feed.
- @arnavsheth. Follow Arnav Sheth’s feed to get real world applications of economic theory explained in fun ways.
- @OregonEconomics. Patrick Emerson writes about economics in Oregon, and Portland, more specifically.
- @woodsjam. Jamie Woods is a professor and chairman of the Board of Education, so you will find plenty about both economics and education here.
Finance
See what these experts have to say about finance in their Twitter feeds.
- @WSJNumbersGuy. From the WSJ blog, The Numbers Guy, get information on the numbers in business and politics with this feed.
- @crzymrkts. Joe Foley writes about financial news and analysis, with a little sports thrown in, too.
- @CMEGroup. Keep up with market news from CME Group on their Twitter feed.
- @mint. From Mint.com, this Twitter feed includes posts from their blog to help you learn about personal finance as well as updates from the company.
- @WorldSpreadsLtd. Follow what’s happening on the markets with this feed from London. An emphasis is on FTSE, but other markets are also represented.
- @SuzeOrmanShow. Popular finance expert Suze Orman tweets her conversations about finance for all to read on this feed.
- @MoneyRates. Keep up to date on bank deals, investment rates, and more with this feed.
- @onprivateequity. This feed provides information on global equity news.
- @tipd. Stay abreast of what’s going on in the world of finance with this feed from Tip’d financial social network.
Sustainability and Green Business
These business people are all focused on sustainable and ecologically-friendly business practices.
- @LeanThinker. Adam Zak, Executive Recruiter for Sustainable Lean Enterprise, posts about ecologically-sound business practices on this feed.
- @noreenahertz. Noreena Hertz posts about sustainability in a business environment here.
- @hlovins. Professor of Sustainable Management and President of Natural Capital Solutions, Hunter Lovins posts about sustainable business practices on her feed.
- @carbonmarket. Victoria Kamsler posts about business and finance news with an eye on environmental issues.
- @StevieRogers. Tweeting from the UK, Steven Rogers posts about low carbon management and business practices.
- @GreenAdvantage. Andrew Winston is a green business strategist who shares a wealth of information here.
- @GreenBizDoc. A consultant and professor of sustainable business practices, Nancy Landrum posts on this feed.
- @MonitorTalent. Keep up with the latest in business and science, especially green business, on this feed.
- @MarcGunther. Marc Gunther is a consultant specializing in sustainable business practices and provides tons of information.
- @makower. Joel Makower, founder of GreenBiz.com, posts about sustainable business practices and also includes links to similar stories from a variety of sources.
Strategy and Innovation
From the CTO of Cisco to the founder of Talent Zoo, find out what these people have to say about strategy and innovation.
- @think_big. An amazing amount of brainpower is behind this group that is all about creative thinking.
- @Padmasree. Padmasree Warrior is the Chief Technology Officer for Cisco and is the driving force behind the company’s innovation and strategy. Follow her here to see what she has to say.
- @alizasherman. This Internet strategist shares her ideas as well as information on social media.
- @DIYMarketers. Learn plenty about strategy ideas here, especially for those with an entrepreneurial spirit.
- @RickM. Marketing and strategy are found right alongside Ohio college sports on this feed from the founder of Talent Zoo.
- @ybeitollahi. Yasamin Beitollahi is a marketing strategist who shares tons of information here.
Entrepreneurship
Learn from entrepreneurs who share their experience or get information from those targeting small businesses and entrepreneurs with these feeds.
- @DowntownWoman. Diane Danielson posts about social media, business, and more with a woman’s perspective.
- @DotSauce. Mark Fulton is the founder of DotSauce.com and posts about marketing and social networking here.
- @PaulaRobinson. Health expert and businesswoman, Paula Robinson writes about both fields on her feed.
- @deniseoberry. Denise O’Berry helps you learn how to ensure you have a steady stream of cash flow.
- @FranchiseKing. Joel Libava helps others secure franchise opportunities. Find out what makes him successful here.
- @brianmoran. Brian Moran offers tons of advice and opportunities for small businesses on his feed.
- @whatworks. Learn what you should do to grow your small business with the advice here.
- @deanjones. Dean Jones is a small business trainer who posts ideas and information useful for those with an entrepreneurial spirit.
- @smallbiztweets. This feed features podcasts full of information for entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Business Leaders
Learn from those who have succeeded in business with the Twitter feeds from these leaders in the business world.
- @zappos. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, writes about business and social media on this ultra-popular feed.
- @jimmy_wales. Of Wikipedia and Wikia fame, Jimmy Wales includes plenty about both his business and running a business.
- @jason. Jason Calacanis has founded several companies including Engadget and Mahalo.com. See what he has to say here.
- @jeremys. Jeremy Stoppelman talks about business, technology, and the goings-on at his business, Yelp.
- @arrington. Michael Arrington talks about TechCrunch and running his business on this feed.
- @kevinrose. Founder of digg.com, Kevin Rose posts his tweets here.
- @gcolony. George Colony, CEO of Forrester Research, includes links to business news as well as keeps a steady stream of thought-provoking questions and conversations.
- @timoreilly. Founder of O’Reilly Media and major force behind the open source movement, Tim O’Reilly posts here.
- @mashable. Pete Cashmore, founder of Mashable, shares links on social media and Twitter here.
- @richardbranson. Richard Branson provides insight with answers to "Ask Richard" questions from his blog as well as information about his company, Virgin Group.
- @ev. It would be a shame to exclude the CEO of Twitter itself in a list of business leaders on Twitter. Evan Williams posts about Twitter and business here.
Business and Finance News
These feeds will help you stay on top of all the news important to the business world.
- @TheEconomist. Stay abreast of economic news from around the world with the feed from this influential news journal.
- @WSJBusiness. Like the WSJ’s feed, this one also provides reliable news headlines, but with a focus on articles specifically of interest to those in business.
- @WSJ. The Wall Street Journal provides business and finance news headlines in their feed.
- @beckyyerak. From the Chicago Tribune, Becky Yerak reports on banking, private equity, and insurance.
- @Financial Times. From the British publication, get the latest news from world finance, business, and politics.
- @CNNMoney. CNN Money offers international business and finance news.
- @Reuters_Biz. Stay current with the latest business news from Reuters with their Twitter feed.
- @nytimesbusiness. Find up-to-the-minute business news stories from the NY Times here.
- @LATimesbiz. Get LA Times’ business and finance news on this feed.
- @LATimesmoneyco. Tom Petruno and other staff from the LA Times post information about economics and the stock market here.
- @businessnews. Stay on top of business, finance, and stock market news from traderstrade.com with their feed.
- @bbcbusiness. BBC Business provides international business news with a British perspective.
- @HarvardBiz. Harvard Business Review’s Twitter feed is a must for anyone in management.
- @AskHBR. Tweet your management questions to Harvard Business Review’s Twitter feed and executive editor Paul Michelman will answer.
- @ManagementTip. Get management tips from this Twitter feed from HarvardBusiness.org.
B-Schools
Even if you aren’t attending one of these schools, these feeds from business schools offer news and information just about any student can use.
- @BusinessSchools. MoneyScience sponsors this feed that posts news about b-schools.
- @bestbschools. Find plenty of information about AACSB-accredited business schools on this Twitter feed.
- @GoizuetaBusSch. Goizueta Business School at Emory University posts news and updates on their feed.
- @RutgersBschool. Find out what’s happening at Rutgers Business school with the announcements about news and events here.
- @Baylor_Business. Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business Twitter feed offers news, trivia, and more.
- @Columbia_Biz. The feed from Columbia business school provides news pertinent to the world of business, interviews with professors, and research being done at the school.
- @LondonBS. Get links to articles and post by professors at London Business School as well as information about the school on their feed.
- @UTexasMcCombs. Learn about what’s happening on campus and in Austin with this feed from University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business.
- @UConnBusiness. The University of Connecticut School of Business keeps readers informed with both events and links to news items.
Posted by Site Administrator in Features
Sep 13th, 2009
By Pamelia Brown
Whether you are studying psychology, neurobiology, or just have a passion for learning about the brain, there are plenty of interesting lectures out there that will help you learn all about the brain. These lectures provide a huge amount of information on how the brain develops, the science behind the mind-body connection, atypical ways the brain reacts, progress in the field of brain-machine interactions, or more general psychology topics.
The Anatomy and Development of the Brain
From what the specific areas of the brain control to how the brain develops to how the brain ages, these lectures cover it all.
- BrainMind.com. Find six video lectures given by Rhawn Joseph, PhD as he discusses what each area of the brain controls various aspects about the brain from language to mental illness to memory to emotion.
- The Human Brain and Muscular System. Marian Diamond at UC Berkeley gives this popular lecture about the human brain and how it works also describes how the brain controls the muscular system.
- The Frontal Lobes: Cognition and Awareness. Learn about the frontal lobe and how injuries in this area affect people. The video highlights the story of Bill, an intelligent lawyer, who suffered an aneurysm in the frontal lobe and lost the ability to problem-solve.
- Scanning the brain and probing the mind. Two neurologists, Nigel Leigh and Blaz Koritnik, discuss how brain scanning can teach researchers about the brain as well as help explore what people are feeling and thinking based on brain wave patterns.
- Brain Imaging and Evolution. Cognitive scientist Martin Sereno explores how the human mind has evolved beyond that of the brain of other animals in this lecture.
- Brain Development. Joan Stiles from UCSD discusses the genetic and environmental influences on the way human brains develop.
- Building the Brain: From Simplicity to Complexity. This lecture explores the ways neurons adapt to the simple and complex activities necessary to make the human brain work.
- Brain-Immune Connections in Health and Disease. This lecture given by Esther Sternberg, M.D. explores how stress and other issues affect the brain and how pain management for women differs. Dr. Sternberg advocates embracing the ideas of how belief in wellness can affect treatment and healing.
- Defining the Mind. Psychiatrist Sophia Vinogradov discusses the functions of the brain from a biological perspective and how they contribute to emotion, memory, perception, and more.
- Research on Aging: The Inconstant Brain. Terry L. Jernigan, PhD debunks the old view that the human brain develops until around age 5, then is stable, an deteriorates throughout the aging process without hope of regeneration. She talks about recent research that has shown that the human brain does in fact react to experiences, pathogens, and pharmacology.
Neuroscience
These lectures take a look at a variety of topics in neuroscience, including language, music and the brain, plasticity, how behavior shapes the brain, and memory.
- Grey Matters: Understanding Language. Jeff Elman, PhD, a professor at UCSD, lectures on the importance of language and discusses some of the research exploring how language is different from other animals’ forms of communication.
- Structural Plasticity in the Adult Brain. Elizabeth Gould lectures as a part of the President’s Lecture Series at Princeton about how the human brain creates neurons or restructures neural connections and how the research in this field can lead to harnessing these findings to create solutions for brain illness or injury that previously left those impacted with diminished brain capacity.
- Neuroscience and Behavior. These video lectures make up an entire video course at MIT and cover the various regions of the brain and what they control.
- Brain Structure and Its Origins. Another video lecture series from MIT, this one explores major CNS structures with an emphasis on those being studied for research in development and plasticity.
- How Social Behavior Changes the Brain. Seventeen minutes into this video Dr. Russell Fernald begins his lecture exploring evolutionary biology and specifically, how the brain changes based on social behavior.
- Music and the Mind. Aniruddh Patel of the Neurosciences Institute discusses the intriguing connection between music and the brain, exploring both what music can teach about the brain and what the brain can share about music.
- Health Matters: Behavior and Our Brain. Renowned neuroscientist Terrence Sejnowski talks about what scientists have begun to learn about the ways the brain contributes to what people like, how people behave, and what skills people have.
- Decisions Responsibility and the Brain. Learn how the brain guides the decision-making process in this lecture given by Professor Patricia Churchland at UCSD.
- Grey Matters: Conscious and Unconscious Memory Systems. Dr. Larry Squire discusses memory and memory problems in this lecture. He includes real-life examples of those suffering from memory issues.
- Perception: Taste Smell and Vision. Find a clear and interesting presentation of what perception is and how the brain affects perception through the senses in this lecture given by Professor Charles Zuker.
Atypical Brain Functioning
Addiction, depression, and autism are just a few of the subjects covered in the lectures here.
- Grey Matters: The Science and Fiction of Autism. Laura Schreibman, PhD, one of the preeminent scientists in the field of autism, discusses some of the facts and controversies surrounding autism.
- Psychopathology and Psychotherapy 1. Learn the basics of abnormal psychology and ways to treat these abnormalities in this video lecture from psychology class at Berkeley.
- Psychopathology and Psychotherapy 2. A continuation from the prior lecture, here the focus is on categorizing diagnostic symptoms and how this process has evolved over the years as well as the origins of mental illness.
- Psychopathology and Psychotherapy 3. The third in this series, this lecture wraps up the talks from Berkeley with a look at the make-up of specific mental illnesses and treatment of mental illness.
- Effects of Early Institutionalization on Brain and Behavior. Charles A. Nelson, PhD of Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital discusses a huge project exploring the effects of early institutionalization of children on their brain development and behavior. The project explores institutionalized children in Romania, a country infamous for state-run institutions that sprang up after a failed national movement for population growth.
- Brain Mind and Behavior: Why Drugs for Depression?. Dr. Steve Hamilton of the psychiatry department at USCF discusses depression and how medication can work as an effective treatment for depression.
- How Do We Predict the Future: Brains Rewards and Addiction. Terrence Sejnowski of The Salk Institute talks about the structure of the brain as well as how rewards and addiction work in the brain.
- Brain Mind and Behavior: Emotions and Health. Explore the connection between emotion and health as well as learn about many of the major illnesses affecting nervous system problems in this lecture by Jason Satterfield, PhD.
- Pain and the Brain. Allan Basbaum, PhD lectures on the complexity of pain, the biology behind it, and treatment of chronic and acute pain. Some of the images in this video may be too graphic for some.
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Perception of Emotion. Discussing and describing autism as well as ways to treat autism, Blythe Corbett, PhD focuses specifically on using video to change behavior in children who struggle to understand emotional and social cues.
Brain and Machine Interactions
Computers and other machines run by brain signals are the focus of these lectures.
- Brain Computer Interfaces. Klause-Robert Muller lectures in Australia about making use of brain signals in computer interfaces in applications ranging from the more practical gaming and computer usage to the research and use in medical settings.
- Brain-Machine Interfaces Based on Neuronal Ensemble Recordings. Mikhail A. Lebedev from Duke University tells about research done with a monkey controlling a robot in order to help researchers better understand brain-machine interfaces to promote medical advances for those facing paralysis.
- EEG-Based Brain-Computer Interface for Communication and Control: Independent Home Use. Theresa Vaughan from the Wadsworth Center in New York talks about brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for those with suffering from disabilities such as ALS, brainstem stroke, and spinal cord injury.
- Plasticity at the Brain-Computer Interface. From the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University, Andrew Jackson discusses the potential of BCI to stimulate muscles in those with spinal cord injuries so that paralyzed limbs can actually be stimulated to work via brain signals.
- The Machine Learning Approach to Brain-Computer Interfacing – Part 1. Find out how researchers are determining ways to harvest brain signals to use in BCI so patients do not have to spend extensive amounts of time learning how to use the technology in this lecture given by Klause-Robert Muller.
- The Machine Learning Approach to Brain-Computer Interfacing – Part 2. Matthias Krauledat continues this video lecture by discussing the work being done from the computer and software side of the research.
- New BMI approaches: Selective Attention to Auditory and Tactile Stimulus Streams. Jeremey Hill discusses new research going on to create machines to help patients who are "completely locked-in" with normal brain function but no physical control over their body, including their eyes.
- Coping with Brain Injury: Robots and Rehabilitation. Find out about robotics that are helping those with brain injury not only relearn practical functions, but are also teaching the brain to do what it was able to do before the injury.
- Demonstration of Brain Computer Interface Using the Emotive Epoc. Watch this demonstration of a mind-powered game in this lecture from Stanford University.
Psychology
From introductory psychology classes to dreams to happiness to communication, these psychology lectures offer plenty about how the brain works.
- Introduction to Psychology. Yale professor Paul Bloom offers 20 lectures from his class to teach about the basics of the brain, history of psychology, and a whole host of topics relating to the brain and humans including emotion, language, sex, mental illness, and happiness.
- Introduction to Psychology. This intro class is from MIT, and the video lectures cover everything from sensing and perceiving to memory to intelligence to dreams.
- Communication and Conflict in Couples and Families. Explore various aspects of relationships and how they work (and don’t work) over long term in this series of lectures given by two professors from UCLA.
- Personal Identity, Neuroethics and the Human Brain. Michael S. Gazzaniga from Dartmouth University talks about neuroscience, ethics, and personal identity in this lecture from the Princeton Public Lecture Series.
- Psychology of Dreams. Check in each week to get a new audio lecture from the psychology class from UC Berkeley that focuses on the mechanics of sleep, the history of psychological study of dreams, dreams and cognition, and more.
- Clinical Psychology. This weekly Berkeley podcast explores such clinical topics as diagnosis and assessment, research methods, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, legal issues, and developmental disorders.
- Personality and Social Interaction. This video lecture from an introductory class takes a look at behaviors and how they are shaped by human intelligence and experience.
- Psychology Lecture Index. A collection of lectures, these correspond to the text Introduction to Psychology by James Kalat and are a part of the General Psychology class at College of DuPage.
- A Short History of Psychological Terror. Find out how the CIA took advantage of the powers of the human mind to create psychological torture, how it was used, and how it became legal to do so in this lecture.
- The Awesome Lawfulness of Your Nightly Dreams. G. William Domhoff, a research professor at UC Santa Cruz, discusses the systematic research done on dreams and details his work with DreamBank.
- Happiness: Living and Thinking About It. Daniel Kahneman, renowned psychologist and Nobel Prize winner, lectures on a variety of topics pertaining to well-being such as the measures of well-being; specific factors of happiness such as economics, marriage, and perceptions of well-being; and happiness across different countries.
Posted by Site Administrator in Uncategorized
Sep 10th, 2009
Associate’s Degrees typically serve as stepping stones for many major degree programs around the country, but they can also cater to a specific class of students who want to gain certification in a particular field that does not typically offer Bachelor’s Degrees. These students are eager to get ahead in this type of industry and without ten years of experience, the best alternative is an Associate’s Degree from either an online college or a community college. It is shocking how many of these unconventional degrees have begun to sprout up out of nowhere and have still gained an ever-increasing student audience.
Welding Associate’s Degrees
If you enjoy working with your hands, welding is a suitable career path for you. Most students who earn an Associate’s Degree in welding go on to work in either manufacturing or construction industries. While employment within the welding industry has not grown as fast as other industry, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has nevertheless demonstrated that employers have noted that it is difficult to find qualified employers. Therefore, associate’s degrees in welding are very attractive to potential employers in a market that offers little training. Degrees in welding teach students courses in basic welding, welding techniques, and even technical math.
Retail Merchandiser Associate’s Degrees
If you have enjoyed working in retail all your life, an associate’s degree in retail merchandising is a perfectly applicable degree to enhance your career goals. This degree allows you to play a more active role in designing the products and layouts for retail stores. Additionally, years of retail experience aids your future prospects with this degree, as it trains your eye in what to look for throughout various displays. For those who have not had the years of retail experience, this degree offers courses in selling, merchandising, buying, and marketing so that you can make up for this lack of career experience. Furthermore, this degree helps prepare you for a future managerial position in high-end retail stores, as some managers earn as much as $80,000 a year and buyers earn as much as $50,000 a year.
Exercise Science Associate’s Degree
Finally, exercise science degrees allow you to be able to begin your career as a fitness professional. After enrolling in courses in physiology, anatomy, fitness, and nutrition, this degree will prepare you for a future in fitness, personal training, or even hospitals that offer therapeutic rehabilitation services. Additionally, after graduation from this program, you will have the skills to become certified through many national certification exams including those offered by the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. Careers inthis field are rapidly growing every year, as sports and exercise have only increased in popularity, meaning that more trainers and fitness instructors are needed in every forum.
Posted by Site Administrator in Features
Sep 8th, 2009
By Pamelia Brown
A well-balanced, satisfying diet is just as important to a busy college student as the right class schedule, mentor or learning environment. A diet that consists of high-fat and high-calorie foods with little nutritional value doesn’t just make you gain weight: it impairs focus, energy, motivation, sleep, and overall wellness. On the other hand, a diet that consists of energy-rich, lowfat foods packed with antioxidants, iron and other minerals can make a huge difference in a student’s mood and focus. Here are 50 foods every student should eat.
Energy
For higher energy that lasts between meals and then some, opt for whole grains, the right kinds of fats and complex carbohydrates.
- Whole grain bread: Sandwiches and toast made with whole grain bread make a huge difference in terms of the amount of energy, nutrients and hunger-busting power you’ll get versus white bread.
- Whole cereals: Breakfast is an important meal for students, and eating cereals with more whole grains and less artificial flavorings and sugars is ideal for keeping up your energy all day.
- Peanut butter: Have peanut butter with celery or apples and crackers as a snack to keep you full and energized between meals.
- Oranges: The vitamin C found in oranges helps your muscles repair themselves and boosts iron absorption.
- Beans: Get healthy servings of the right kind of fat and protein from black beans, lentils, kidney beans and red beans, which contain iron, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients.
- Whole wheat pasta: Pasta is a good source of complex carbohydrates, which give your body energy but which can be broken down easily. Choose whole wheat pastas with low-fat veggie toppings for healthiest options.
- Milk: Milk isn’t always a popular drink among college students, but it’s an easy way to get protein and calcium and boost your energy. Choose a low or nonfat version if you’re conscious about calories.
- Vegetable juice: An easy way for busy students to get a fast energy boost is to drink vegetable juice.
- Oatmeal: Oatmeal is easy to store and make, and it’s an easily digestible food that really sticks with you and keeps you full.
- Water: Staying hydrated, especially after long nights studying or partying, is important to building back your energy levels.
- Bananas: Potassium, vitamin C and complex carbohydrates are found in bananas, which is a great energy-boosting food.
- Red meat: While red meat contains fat and isn’t ideal for managing your cholesterol, it is an excellent source of iron that can help prevent anemia. Eat lean red meat every once in a while with healthy sides to boost energy.
Brain Food
Stay focused, alert, awake and cheery with these brain foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, protein, seratonin and other vitamins and minerals that fight depression, fatigue and memory loss.
- Blueberries: Blueberries are filled with Vitamin C, low-calorie fiber, and phytonutrients, which help with memory and prevent UTIs.
- Tuna: Tuna is a great dorm room food that you can eat by itself or in sandwiches and on crackers. Tuna is packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, the antioxidant selenium (which is good for your immune system), vitamin D and B vitamins.
- Cranberries: Eat cranberries and 100% cranberry juice — not cranberry juice cocktail — to prevent UTIs and get a good dose of vitamin C.
- Avocados: Avocados contain heart and brain-healthy fats that promote blood flow. Add avocado to sandwiches and salads instead of calorie-ridden spreads or sauces.
- Walnuts: Walnuts contain the valuable omega-3 fatty acids, lots of protein, seratonin, vitamin B6 and other nutrients that are good for the brain.
- Salmon: Salmon is rich in the good kind of fatty acids and protein that are integral to heart and brain health.
- Eggs: Eggs contain lots of protein and cholin, which your brain needs to develop motor functions and memory.
- Sunflower seeds: Sunflower seeds contain thiamine for memory and tryptophan, which your brain converts to seratonin to help prevent depression and insomnia.
- Flaxseed oil: If you cook, try to use flaxseed oil, and if you don’t, sprinkle the omega-3 fatty acid-rich flaxseed onto yogurt, cereal or fruit salads.
- Protein-rich salads with vinaigrette: If you’re starving and need an energy boost, you’ll probably want to reach for something starchy, but vinaigrette actually slows digestion and helps your body feed off of the protein and nutrients in your salad longer, improving focus.
- Coffee: Coffee is a college student’s best friend, but remember to drink it in moderation. Too much coffee messes up your sleep schedule and can make it hard for you to focus on one thing at a time.
- Sesame seeds: Sesame seeds give your body much needed magnesium, which helps you manage stress.
Best Value Foods
Just a little of these foods goes a long way. You’ll save money at the grocery store even on fresh ingredients by using them in all kinds of meals and snacks, or storing them in your freezer.
- Hummus: A tasty, healthy, vitamin-rich and longer-lasting alternative to meat, you can use hummus as a dip, a spread or as your sandwich’s main ingredient. Make your own to save extra money.
- Apples: Apples aren’t that expensive and can be eaten at any time of the day in lots of different ways: for breakfast, on salads, chopped up, with peanut butter, and more. They’re also a good source of Vitamin C and help your blood vessels stay healthy.
- Strawberries: Buy strawberries in-season for cheaper prices, and add them to cereal, salads, desserts, yogurt, and anything else for a yummy side.
- Green tea: Boxes of green tea bags are relatively cheap, and drinking green tea gives you a caffeine, energy and mood boost while helping your body protect against cancer and heart attacks.
- Spinach: Use fresh baby spinach on salads, in sandwiches and burgers and with cheese and crackers for an extra dose of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium and vitamin B-6.
- Eggplant: Eggplant skin can seriously improve focus, and the rest of the vegetable is good for the brain too.
- Quinoa: Quinoa, like rice and pasta, goes a long way and lasts a long time. It’s easy to cook and very versatile, and it’s packed with 9 essential amino acids, magnesium, fiber, manganese and copper, plus calcium, iron, magnesium and more.
- Watermelon: Split a huge watermelon with friends if you have your own apartment or dorm kitchen. You can eat it all throughout the day to stay hydrated and give yourself plenty of Vitamin C and potassium.
- Whole wheat tortillas: Tortillas are cheap and versatile foods. Pick whole-wheat varieties for better health benefits while you snack.
- Potatoes: Cook baked or red potatoes in the microwave for an incredibly cheap but healthy meal. Keep the skin on for extra vitamins.
- Broccoli: Eat raw or steamed broccoli to get antioxidants that protect your cells and can prevent you from developing diabetes or cancer.
Sensible Snacking
Snacking is one of the most popular pitfalls to any college student’s diet, but there are ways to curb cravings without giving up "fun" foods altogether. This list will keep you crunching and munching into the wee hours without sabotaging your diet.
- Yogurt: Yogurt is a great source of protein and calcium and can also help protect against yeast infections.
- Almonds: Instead of going for chips, eat a handful of raw almonds for more vitamins and protein.
- Granola bars: Natural granola and natural granola bars are filling and packed with nutrients without all the sugars you’ll find in power bars.
- Baby carrots: When you’re staring at the computer all night, set a bag of baby carrots by your side instead of chips for healthy mindless snacking.
- Air-popped popcorn: Opt for air-popped popcorn instead of bags of chips.
- Dark chocolate: Don’t go for a huge piece of cake or a milkshake. Eat a few squares of a dark chocolate bar to curb your dessert craving, help digestion, lower blood pressure, improve your mood and help you focus.
- Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds are cheap (or free if you save them after carving a jack-o-lantern) and fun to eat. Plus, they’re full of protein and magnesium.
- Lowfat cottage cheese: Compared to other cheeses, lowfat cottage cheese is lower in calories and carbohydrates but still high in calcium and protein.
- Grapes: Grapes are pretty cheap and last a while. They’re a good source of vitamins A and C, B6 and folate, as well as selenium, magnesium and iron.
- Rice cakes: Even flavored rice cakes contain significantly less calories, fat and sugars than chips or cookies.
Healthy Digestion
Mix in poor sleeping habits, alcohol, and stress, and your digestive tract is probably a mess. These foods will keep you regular and comfortable.
- Onions and garlic: College students may shy away from onions and garlic because of social stigma, but the inulin in these foods helps with iron absorption and digestion.
- Brown rice: Rich in protein and dietary fiber, brown rice is a smart starch option that prevents constipation and lowers cholesterol.
- Raspberries: Raw raspberries are a sweet, versatile treat that promote good digestion.
- Oat bran muffin: Start your day with an oat bran muffin for good digestive health.
- Sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes help relieve symptoms from irritable-bowel syndrome.
