Dietitian advises students

DIANA TRASATTI STAFF WRITER DLT722@CABRINI EDU

Students strive to maintain a healthy diet in a tempting atmosphere.

Dietitian Kristen N. Roscioll was at Cabrini on Wednesday, Sept. 26 to help guide students in food selections and weight management. Roscioll addressed how to overcome the dieting challenges that college students encounter.

College students make a variety of mistakes. One of the most common is skipping breakfast. Breakfast is an important factor in eating healthy and something that college students neglect, Roscioll said. It is important to start eating early and one’s breakfast should consist of 300 to 400 calories.

Eating before bed is harmful to one’s diet and does not give the body sufficient time to break down the food. Roscioll suggests not eating 90 minutes to two hours before bed.

Juice and soda act as a harmful indulgence. An eight ounce can may have up to 100 calories. Vitamin drinks also are not advised. These drinks contain calories and one can gain the same nutrients from vitamins. It is best to avoid these drinks and stick with water or unsweetened beverages.

Roscioll urges students to avoid the dieting myth that all carbohydrates are always bad. “Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel,” Roscioll said. We can not cut them out of our diet completely, but we must consume them in moderation.

College students are constantly on the go and may not have time to sit down and eat a healthy balanced meal. Roscioll suggests students carry snacks on them. Granola bars, trail mix, crackers and nuts are all healthy snacks that can hold one over until they are able to eat a proper meal.

Eating a healthy breakfast is key in maintaining a healthy diet.

It is all right for one to indulge in their favorite food once in a while.

Too many restrictions often do more harm than good. It is the amount we consume of favorite foods that is harmful to diets.

The amount of food college students eat is at times larger than the recommended servings. The average person should consume about 2500 calories a day. Eating the appropriate serving size is one of the more important factors in dieting.

Students may have the will to eat healthy, but sometimes the campus food does not leave them with that option.

“The food that they have in the cafeteria doesn’t seem too healthy,”

Caitlin Robillard, a sophomore history major, said. “I usually go to the grocery store to buy food.”

Exercise works in conjunction with dieting. Robillard recommends that students exercise three to five days a week for a half hour to 45 minutes.

This will not only aid in dieting, but also helps in students overall wellness.

Lucid dreaming is the art of directing your actions while you dream. Sleep researchers and psychologists have done various studies on the topic, which is becoming increasingly popular and has appeared in films such as Pan’s Labyrinth.

KEOUGH STAFF WRITER SEK723@CABRINI EDU

Lucid dreaming is the basis behind the new movie

“The Good Night.” For those who are unaware, lucid dreaming is when a person realizes they are dreaming and can guide their actions within the dream.

The movie is about a man who is unhappy with his real life so he decides to develop the art of lucid dreaming. It premiered on Oct. 5 and is starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz and Martin Freeman.

An article in the New York Times discussed lucid dreaming and said this practice existed in the West since about 1867, but it is now becoming more of a trend in other parts of the country. Many people are interested in the lucid experience and are determined to train themselves. There are mental exercises that can be done, as well as workshops and chat rooms that discuss the practice.

Psychologists are also extremely fascinated with the research they have found. Sleep researchers and dream experts have confirmed that lucid dreaming does exist. A psychophysiologist, Dr. Stephen LaBerge, founded the Lucidity Institute, where he carries out research and teaches others to become lucid dreamers. “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible,” LaBerge said in an article for the New York Times.

Although it is becoming more known, many people are still clueless as to what lucid dreaming is. Some Cabrini students knew what is was, but others did not.

Michael Pio, a senior English and secondary education major, has heard of it but didn’t know what it was. He said he has never tried to control his actions in dreams, nor does he think about it. He has, however, done things in his dreams that he couldn’t do in real life, like fly or date a supermodel.

On the other hand, Kate Conahan, a sophomore exercise science and health promotion major, had never heard of it, but she has been aware she was dreaming. She said she can, “Make things go the way I’d like to in real life.” She usually realizes she’s dreaming just before she wakes up.

Lucid dreaming could be helpful for people that have nightmares. If a person could realize they were dreaming it might not be as scary.

Danielle Murphy, a junior psychology, sociology and religious studies major, said that she has lucid dreams and can direct the actions.

“When I have a repeated dream and I know something bad is going to happen, I try to do something different so the result will be different, but it usually just happens anyway,” Murphy said.

People are able to train themselves to be a lucid dreamer whereas others have always done it.

Dr. Jayne Gackenbach, a psychology professor that also does research on lucid dreaming, said in an article for the New York Times that, “adept lucid dreamers are excellent at remembering dreams,” and that, “they tend to have strong visualization and spatial skills.”

The New York Times article discusses ways that people can train themselves to be a lucid dreamer. One example would be reality checks that involve constantly glancing at the time. The article said, “The theory is that if a person does this regularly while awake, he or she will likely repeat it while dreaming and will recognize inconsistencies.”

Another method is to keep a dream journal. This will put into perspective the signs to look out for in a dream to know it’s not real. For instance, if a person remembers seeing a monster in their dream and writes it in a journal, he will know that if he sees a monster again that he is probably dreaming.

Other movies that have incorporated lucid dreaming are “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Vanilla Sky.” In addition, there are quite a few books coming out on this topic.

Do your homework, get good grades, take advanced classes, get into a great college—make money. Ok, so maybe people don’t just come out and say it, but why else would they work so hard on getting that degree?

According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Center Poll, 81 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds listed getting rich as either the most or second most important goal in life.

Conversely, in a poll conducted by the Associated Press and MTV only one percent listed money as a cause to their happiness. So if it is not making them happy, then why do young adults want money so bad?

“It’s like a game, like a race to see who can get the most money,” Daniel Taylor, a graduate student, said. “It’s almost like the thing to do.”

It is heard in music and it is seen on television. In our capitalistic society money is flaunted to no end. Per- haps teens are more susceptible to the imagery but that doesn’t mean that they want money and nothing else.

“It’s a more materialistic society,” Mike Sullivan, a sophomore history and secondary education major, said. “People want one thing and another as well.” Maybe it’s not that young adults want money, but rather that they see money as a means to acquiring other things that they want. Money is universal; in order to get a car or a new pair of jeans it is necessary. But money couldn’t possibly be more important than family and friends could it? Do people worship the almighty dollar above blood and water?

When asked what’s most a life preserver that keeps a person from sinking into unhappiness. important to her, Melissa Koch, a graduate student, said, “Family and raising my kids.”

Once a family is established, money seems to take a backseat. It almost seems that money isn’t a key to happiness but rather

Without it, young adults may feel inadequate but with it they may just feel safe and secure.

Not one student interviewed said that they thought getting rich was important, but perhaps that was because they were confronted with these statistics.

The unconscious may harbor some of these monetary wants but it seems that at least some students know where their priorities lie.

“Money is a necessity, but ultimately the relationships you establish around you are most important,” Sullivan said.

It is near impossible to escape the “get rich” mentality in our society, but it seems that when it comes to happiness money is no substitute for family and friends.

Money can buy cars and money can grant the person who possesses it power, and while many young adults seem intent on gaining it, what they want most and what they need most— is priceless.

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