Pasta Party
December 16th, 2025
Photo:
Writer: Ansley Lilley
Editor: Charlie Zien
The night before every high school cross-country race, my team gathered for what became our favorite tradition: the pasta party. We’d meet at someone’s house, cram around a warm kitchen table, and load our plates with spaghetti, garlic bread, and anything else packed with carbs. At the time, it just felt like an excuse to hang out with my teammates and eat ridiculous amounts of food. But during those long practices and early-morning races, I realized that carbs weren’t just delicious, they were powerful. They were the fuel that helped us push through miles, hills, and sprinting to the finish line.
Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred energy source. When you eat carbs like bread, rice, pasta, fruit, oats, or potatoes, your body breaks them down into glucose, which fuels everything from your muscles to your brain. Without enough carbs, you hit the wall (as my cross country coach called it): fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, and the inability to focus no matter how much caffeine you chug. Trying to work out on an empty stomach or study after skipping lunch is like trying to run a race without the pasta party the night before, impossible.
Not all carbs are the same though. Complex carbs offer long-lasting energy, while simple carbs provide a quick boost when you need it, like before a workout or during an afternoon slump. Both played a role at our pasta parties, pasta as our complex carb and garlic bread for that quick burst when we needed it most.
Now in college, I have been able to apply the lessons I learned during cross country to my life. Between late-night study sessions, early classes, part-time jobs, club meetings, and trying to maintain some sort of social life, it’s easy to feel drained. And yet many people try cutting carbs because of a trend or the belief that carbs are “bad.” But the truth I learned at those pasta parties is that your body needs carbs, especially when you’re busy, active, and mentally overloaded. For college students, carbs are essential not only for physical activity but also for mental performance. Your brain alone uses more energy than any other organ, and carbs help keep it sharp during lectures, exams, and late-night cramming. They help regulate your mood by supporting serotonin production, and they keep you full and energized especially when you choose complex carbs like whole grains, vegetables, and legumes that digest slowly and provide steady energy throughout the day.
But more than anything, those pasta parties taught me that food is fuel, but it’s also community, tradition, and joy. That lesson carries easily into college life. Eating balanced, carb-friendly meals, whether it’s oatmeal before class or a hearty pasta dinner before a big exam, helps you show up as your best self.
