It is National Nutrition Month! Time to put away those chips and pizzas and chocolates, and get healthy. Don’t know where to start? Worry not, this Health Hacks Timeline has some good ideas for healthy swaps that can get you through the day.

8 a.m.: Breakfast is always a good start to the day. It fuels your metabolism and keeps your brain active during those grueling morning classes. Freshmen and upperclassmen living on the South 40 have the luxury of Bear’s Den, which opens at 7:30 a.m. on weekdays.

9 a.m.—10 a.m.: If you find yourself on campus and craving a bagel and decide to go to Einstein Bros., make sure you have enough Bear Bucks on you. Next, choose whole wheat over flavored bagels, and top them with reduced-fat cream cheese/hummus/peanut butter. If you find yourself drawn to Cafe Bergson, ditch the bakery items and instead refresh your morning with a Jamba Juice smoothie. It’s understandable if you need your caffeine fix to stay awake through those classes, but it’s better to grab a Silk soy milk pack than sip on coffee, especially flavored coffees.

Noon—4 p.m.: Do you go to any of these places? If yes, you may want to have a look at these options.

6 p.m.—8 p.m.: Dinnertime! This is probably the one meal you get to have with all your friends and chat about your stressful day. But talking away all your worries does not mean you need to eat them away, too. Say no to those fries and instead get a side of grilled/sauteed vegetables. Pasta lovers, you can ask for the pasta to be made light on the pasta and sauce and with more vegetables/protein. Same goes for burger fans: you can ask for your burger to be made on just half of a roll. And you can substitute the rest with vegetables or salads from the case. It’s really tempting to grab those pizza slices for dinner—after all, you’ve had an exhausting day. But try getting a sandwich on whole wheat bread slices from Cherry Tree Cafe —customized with your favorite vegetables, meat and cheese. Stir-fry is another incredibly popular option, and it is extremely healthy if you make it right. The key is always to load your meal with more vegetables than meat or starch and not to douse it in dressing.

10 p.m.—11 p.m.: Whether you’ve just finished a workout or you’ve been struggling with homework in Bear’s Den, Paws & Go is your best bet if you’re looking for food around this time. For mealtimes, they usually have a wide selection at their salad bar and soup counter, but around this time, you probably only want a snack. Health bars or Chobani Greek yogurt are always good options, but fresh fruit from the farmer’s market section is even better, especially if you pair it with a protein source like milk or hummus. Paws & Go also has freshly squeezed orange juice during the daytime, which is much healthier than f’real milkshakes. Also, if you’re craving something sweet, it’s much healthier to get a small cup of fat-free frozen yogurt (without toppings) from Paws & Go than to get sidetracked by the ice cream options or, worse, the extremely rich Cherry Tree desserts. Remember: when it comes to desserts, Connie’s Choice tastes great and is not as unhealthy as other desserts, especially if you give in to your sweet tooth on a regular basis.

Midnight—2 a.m.: This is the time when people start flocking to Cherry Tree Cafe for midnight crepes. While crepes are okay once in a while, if this is your regular “de-stress” meal, you should consider switching it out for Bear’s Den’s midnight breakfast. A cup of fruit, yogurt and granola always wins over those creamy crepes. But if you really crave crepes, you could load yours with all or most fruits, ditch the whipped cream and go light on the chocolate/caramel drizzle. And you could perhaps share it with a friend, so you don’t have to load yourself with such a heavy meal so late in the night.

To all the upperclassmen living in the Village, having read all this you probably know what choices make a meal healthier and lighter on the stomach, especially given that a lot of the dining options are very similar to those on the South 40. I believe in you. It is time to move on from the errors of freshman and sophomore year and make the most of the new location!

Know that the dining staff is always willing to help you out, and you can always ask them to make your food with less or more of something.

At the end of the day, the goal of a healthy diet is to like what you eat, while eating what your body needs. It isn’t necessary to go on any sort of strict diet to be healthy. Just make a few swaps, play around with some of the options above, and, in no time, you’ll be on the path to building healthy habits while enjoying the food you like.

There is added an incentive! Dining Services is holding a lucky-draw contest where you can with a “Fitbit Flex” based on how many Connie’s Choice or MyPlate meals you buy this month! Look out for the flyers or see the Dining Services website for more information.

Hacks by location:

Whispers

Ditch bakery items for pre-packs with various types of fruits, chicken taco salads, vegetable juice and milk.

Bauer

It’s very hard to go to Starbucks and not have one of their amazing flavored coffees. What you can do, however, is to ask for non-fat milk, cut the whipped cream and decrease the flavor shots that go into your drink. As for Bauer Cafe, it has a good salad bar, some healthy prepacks and good sandwich options, too.

Holmes

If you make it past the never-ending queue, Holmes serves some of the best wraps and sandwiches. To make the meal healthier, hold back on the cheese and sauces and choose wheat bread. Vegetarians, fear not—the Mediterranean Panini is an excellent option.

Subway

Who doesn’t like Subway? But replace your foot-long with a six-inch and choose whole wheat, honey oat or multigrain breads. Also, the FreshFit sandwiches have some good options. Lastly, pick apple slices or chocolate milk over the cookies.

DUC

Swap your reglar pizza slice for a fresh salad or salad and soup/fruit. Don’t forget to add some form of protein to your salad! Load tacos/burritos with vegetables and go easy on the cheese/guacamole/salsa.The MyPlate optionsare always good if you’re looking for a balanced meal. The Wash U Wok offers many vegetable-rich meals.

Stanley’s

Look for the Wrighton Wrap! Great for both health and taste.Vegetarians—choose salads and soups or vegetarian wraps.