THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER26,2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 13
Summer sandwiches have autumn appeal
There's a slight chill in the air signaling fall's arrival, and people are asking where the summer went.
There are certain social conventions that come with the change of seasons. White can't be worn anymore unless it's the ambiguous winter white, shorts and sandals can't be worn and only warm foods can be eaten. A tan starts to look bad because everyone knows you go to a tanning booth. What is this madness? Why follow such social standards? We usually don't, because they're stupid.
So tomorrow I suggest the following: get up and put on shorts and your favorite white shirt, go tanning and make one of these three wrap sandwiches. I promise, each one of these wraps will be to your liking, so start drooling.
Note: If it rains tomorrow, do it the next sunny day.
Turkey Ranch BLT Wrap
1 large white flour tortilla
2-4 slices of smoked turkey deli meat
2-4 slices of cooked bacon
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons of the cheese of your choice
shredded
1 tablespoon of Ranch Dressing
1. Layer ingredients in above order on half of tortilla, and fold. Make sure you tuck your fingers under the food while folding so the food doesn't spill out. Wrap and cut in half.
Vegetarian Wrap
Cost: $9-$12
1 spinach tortilla
1/2 of an avocado, peeled and pitted
1/3 cup of light cream cheese
1/4 cup of chopped tomatoes
2 slices of Muenster cheese
EAT THIS
Christina DiGiacomo
cdigiacomo@kansan.com
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
1/4 cup shredded lettuce
1 tablespoon of Thousand Island dressing
1. Mix cream cheese and avocado until smashed and mixed together. Season with salt and pepper. Fold chopped tomatoes into avocado mixture.
2. Add avocado mixture onto half of tortilla. Next layer ingredients in ingredient list order. Wrap and cut in half.
Cost:$10-12
New York Wrap
1 wheat tortilla
3-4 slices of pastrami
3-4 slices of corned beef
1 1/2 tablespoons of minced onion
1 1/2 tablespoons of classic yellow mustard
2 slices of provolone cheese
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Layer ingredients in above order as follows. Fold the wrap then place it on a piece of tin foil and enclose the wrap in the tinfoil.
3. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Unwrap the tinfoil, cut in half and enjoy.
Cost: $6-8
Note: If you can't find spinach or wheat tortillas, use large flour tortillas.
Find more Eat This at www.kansan.com
Caffeine addiction a trend with students
HEALTH
I tried to make up for lost study time this weekend by drowning myself in my biology notes and a few large cups of coffee. But, while I was trying to concentrate on how my body converts food into energy, I found myself wondering how my bottomless mug of double-shot espresso fit into the picture.
Leslie Kimmel
lkimmel@kansan.com
Caffeine is a staple in the diets of most college students. It wakes us up after a long night, and it keeps our eyes open in those wee hours of the morning.In fact,the National Sleep Foundation estimates 85 percent of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis. This makes it the most-used drug throughout the world, easily beating alcohol and nicotine.
Yes, you read that right, I just called caffeine a drug.
Lynn Grieger, a registered dietitian explained that caffeine acts as a mild stimulant that alters our state of mind. This makes it popular among those of us who have to cram for tests because it speeds our metabolism and raises our levels of alertness.
So if the medical world considers caffeine a drug, then does it have similar effects of other drugs in its category? Not
quite. Caffeine has been linked to heightened anxiety and slower reaction times, but only after excessive consumption. It also causes dehydration through diuresis, that annoying urge to pee every five minutes. This can be balanced by drinking more water throughout the day.
Dependency to caffeine is easily developed. if caffeine is ingested five to seven hours before falling asleep, it can also cause restless sleep and a tendency to wake up more during the night. This can leave you feeling more tired during the day which leads to more caffeine consumption.
The National Sleep Foundation suggests ingesting less than 250 milligrams of caffeine a day to avoid these side effects. To
put this number into perspective, remember that one 8 ounce cup of coffee contains about 115 milligrams of caffeine, an 8 ounce can of soda has between 30 and 50 milligrams, an ounce of chocolate has 20 milligrams, and one regular strength NoDoz tablet packs in 100 milligrams of the drug.
Some researchers say caffeine dependency is strictly psychological. But the pounding headache I got last week told me otherwise.Much like cigarette addiction, caffeine dependency can be hard to stop, but there are some easier ways to kick the habit.
If staying up to finish your paper is a must, pass on caffeine pills and go with Bcomplex vitamins such as Tyrosine. Finals week last semester taught me the hard way that caffeine supplements like NoDoz can irritate the stomach lining, so I suggest finding other ways to give yourself some energy.
Dilute coffee with warm water or milk. This will lower the amount of coffee you use in each cup, which lowers the amount of caffeine you consume at one time.
Check the caffeine content in other
foods. To most people, the thought of caffeine conjures images of cups of coffee and cans of Coke. However, chocolate, some medicines and coffee-flavored foods can all contain a noticeable amount of the drug.
Exercise if you start feeling tired. If the urge to nap hits you in mid-day, try walking home from class or making the afternoon your time of day to hit the gym. I have found that working out in the morning gets my blood pumping and is a good substitute for those early morning cups of coffee.
Get some sleep. A half-hour nap is a good way to give your body a jump-start, but the National Sleep Foundation has found that even 10 minutes of sleep is a good pick-me-up. Plus, a small amount of sleep eliminates your need for caffeine, which means your nighttime rest will become more worthwhile.
Binge-drinking cups of coffee is sometimes the only way college students can get through our busy lives. But, while caffeine can periodically make straight A's seem achievable, try to keep in mind that nothing is a substitute for good sleep.