College Student Living On Campus- What do I eat?

deannaxsmithx

My dining hall has very limited choices for someone who is trying to eat healthy. The salad bar seems to be the only thing offered there that's healthy. My dorm has no kitchen so I have no access to a stove/oven. I have a microwave but I try to avoid eating frozen meals because of the sodium. Anyone have any suggestions on what I can eat that's low in calories and preferably high in protein while I live here?

jmpaterno

It's really all about calories (eating less than you burn), but I totally get that it can be easier to stick to low-calorie food than try to eyeball portions of higher-calorie food like fries or something. Could you do a burger with no bun and a big salad? A sandwich? A bit of pasta with a pile of cooked vegetables on top? Eggs in the morning? Broth-based (not cream-based) soup would also be good. Of course, you could always just eat something like one piece of pizza with a salad, but I wouldn't do that since I'm not good at stopping at one, although you might be. If you have a microwave, I think you can cook eggs in it, and you can definitely do low-sodium soups and oatmeal (such a filling option) in it. You might also be able to buy frozen precooked chicken breasts and veggies and cook them in the microwave.

KiwiAlexP

There are heaps of things you can do in the microwave - try tracking down a microwave cookbook. I occasionally make bolognaise sauce for spaghetti in the microwave which can be a versatile meal base and it has no added oil and heaps of extra vegetables could be added

RodaRose

Get the dean of students to provide you the nutrition / calories of the food the cafeteria serves.

Psychgrrl

The nutritional info may be available on the dining website, if it's not posted by the food. If your dining is run by Sodexo or Aramark on Campus--their food is in MFP.

The dining hall on the campus where I work always offers grilled chicken, a healthy grain, veggies, eggs made to order, a good vegan option and a huge salad bar.

Try talking to the dining manager to see what healthy options they have which you might not be aware of.

That being said, I make most of my food in the microwave. I buy frozen veggies and heat them up with tofu, chicken or tuna. And beans!

sahead710

College campuses are terrible, when I was in college the healthiest option was subway, which I don't really consider healthy at all. You can do a lot with a microwave however, if you buy steamers you can cook most frozen vegetables that way, some grains like oatmeal just require boiling water (I made couscous today in the microwave!) and you can boil water in a microwave, if you have lettuce and lunch meats and cheese, you can make lettuce wraps, you can cook raw bacon in the microwave and it turns out great I think, eggs too turn out really good and they only go in for a short time. That's what I have before my morning workout a bacon egg and cheddar cheese sandwich it sticks in my stomach and is high in protein and made in the microwave. Lean meats are difficult, though, you might have to buy pre cooked meats and heat them, plain grilled chicken might come that way frozen in a bag, that and maybe plain chicken wings you can heat up. technically I think you can cook raw meat in the microwave, but I've never done it. I think in your situation it might be worth a try. You could also buy rotisserie chicken and de-skin it to cut down on the sodium and you can use that in several different ways.
Tupperwares and plastic forks, knives, spoons, cups and paper plates are your best friends when you are a college student/microwave chef! Hope you can find stuff that works for you!

dizzieblondeuk

If you have a microwave, would you also be allowed to have a slow cooker/crock pot? The scope of what you could make (in bulk, and reheatable in the microwave) expands massively if you have one of those - and they range from the expensive to dirt cheap to buy! Cookbooks for slow cookers are easy to get hold of, and often are geared towards healthy and/or budget eating, so particularly suitable for health conscious students! I especially love making stews, slow cooked meats and curries in mine.

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Commander_Keen

whats wrong with a salad bar w/ some protein?

RodaRose

Eat in the cafeteria. Breakfast has good protein options with eggs and bacon and milk and cereal. Look for good options at lunch and dinner as well.

Francl27

Commander_Keen wrote: »

whats wrong with a salad bar w/ some protein?

For me that would get old very fast, lol.

andrikosDE

Francl27 wrote: »

Commander_Keen wrote: »

whats wrong with a salad bar w/ some protein?

For me that would get old very fast, lol.

Not for me.
I eat a green salad every day at work. It's never the same, cheap, and lot better than all the aramark crap they serve.
I eat "real" food at night where I can cook whatever I want however I want it.