With spring break approaching in less than a month, many students at Arrowhead are preparing for vacations to the warmer corners of the earth. Spring break begins April 8th, through the 17th.  These preparations include shopping for clothing suitable for the warm weather including swimsuits, shorts, crop tops, and sandals.

Another preparation includes a change in dietary habits to feel more confident in the revealing clothing worn in warmer states. According to health.com, there are healthy, effective ways to change dietary habits as a teen to feel confident on vacation and enjoy the time away from school.

The goal of these dietary changes is NOT to lose weight, but rather to feel your best and fuel your body with the most nourishing foods while simultaneously reducing unnecessary bloating or weight gain.

One superfood that is often looked past is the walnut. The walnut, according to health.com, is a mood improver. Walnuts contain the amino acid tryptophan, which is a key ingredient to serotonin production. Since serotonin is the number one feel good chemical produced by the human body, walnuts are directly connected to the upkeep of a light and happy mood.

Spinach is an energy increasing food that can be incorporated into a variety of dishes. Spinach contains iron which supplies red blood cells with extra fuel to work faster and more efficient in our bodies. Also, according to health.com, researchers in Sweden found that spinach contains a compound that makes the mitochondria work more efficiently. The mitochondria is the “powerhouse” or energy producing organelle of the human cell.

Kettle Morraine Junior Lydia Andersen says, “I have definitely been focusing on eating right and working out before spring break, because I know that I will be in a swimsuit a lot and I want to feel confident and comfortable.”

For dry skin, salmon provides a helping hand in hydrating skin. Salmon contains eicosapentaenoic acid, which is a fatty acid that regulates oil production in the skin and simultaneously hydrates the skin.

Junior Jaxson Carr says, “I always try to eat healthy year round, but I especially notice other people changing their diets right around spring break.”

Blueberries are a summertime fruit that can help with memory retention. Blueberries contain the antioxidant anthocyanins which according to a psychologist at the university of Cincinnati Robert Krikorian, is proven to increase memory retention. So store those memories of spring break 2017 by eating a few servings of blueberries a day!

These are just a few things you can eat to feel confident over spring break. There are websites such as health.com, authoritynutrition.com, and fitnessmagazine.com that have numerous options for healthy foods to eat year round.