College Dining Tips?

catofcanals

So, I'm going to be a second semester freshman in about a week from now. Last semester was riddled with all kinds of change and adjustment, and now I've gained some weight (predictable, I know, but still). I don't want this to happen anymore, yet with a meal plan, I feel like it's almost inevitable. My college has great food - one of the top university dining programs in the country, actually - yet to me, this is a blessing and a curse. There are so many choices, yet I find myself getting Chick Fil A more often than I'd like to share haha.

Anyone have any tips of what I should go for in my college's dining halls? Any particular options you remember from your college days? Chances are, whatever you can think of is served in one of the dining halls on my college's campus.

There are a few kitchens in my dorm, but I rarely can go to the grocery store, and when I do, I can only buy as much as I can carry, because I have to take a bus to get there.

Thanks for the help!

wertgirlfor

Well my friend's university has a huge cafeteria too, and if you've got the meal plan, take advantage of it. There's lots of healthy choices available; last time we went to eat there, we got soup, veggie wraps with edamame , and salad. Not that you have to eat like that everyday, but if your school has a lot of variety with foods, it should be easy to make some smart choices. Just think basic: fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole grains, etc.

For snacks, I would stock up on some nuts, trail mix, granola, dried fruit, etc. to eat while in the dorm. Plus stock up on cereals, oatmeal, peanut butter, and bread to have some quick breakfasts. There's a lot of healthy choices that aren't too hard to prepare/buy for.

kbf2107

So I was in your predicament about two years ago. I'm about to start my last semester, but I don't have a meal plan and do all my own shopping and cooking.

Anyway, when I did have a meal plan, the first thing I did was find the nutrition information for the food served in the dining halls. Since you mentioned that your school's dining program is one of the best in the country, I'm guessing it has some sort of website that has all the nutrition information, as well as a schedule of what kinds of foods will be served throughout the week. My school posted all this information online and it was the most important tool for me because it allowed me to plan out my meals. I knew what I would get from the dining hall even before I went and I only got that. Also, seeing how many calories, sodium, and fat that were in the other options turned me off, so I wasn't tempted too often.

The other thing I took advantage of was the abundance of fresh veggies and fruit. I'm not sure about the policy at your school, but my school is pretty lax about letting students take out fruits, so I did that and snacked on them throughout the day. And finally, I did shop for groceries every week, but this was mainly for breakfast food (just cereal and milk), post workout protein snacks/bars, and other snacks (e.g. reduced sodium pretzels, yogurt, etc.)

Hope all this helps and good luck!

trinity5703

I remember those days well... Im older than dirt, but have a couple of suggestions.

Focus on the veg and fruit.
Example: Fresh fruit, like strawberries, blueberries, banana etc and some low fat yogurt, with maybe an egg and a slice of whole wheat toast.

For lunch, do a salad. If it has diced egg or maybe a bit of ham...you are getting your veg and some protein. You could also add a sandwich with whole wheat of something like chicken, turkey, boiled ham, or roast beef. Skip the mayo and use mustard instead.

Same sort of plan for dinner. The main course.. veg, salad.. and maybe some fruit for desert.
Your biggest challenge is going to be portion control. Get familiar what 4 oz of chicken/beef/ffish etc looks like. Become familiar with what a cup or half cup of pasta/rice looks like. And keep that in mind when getting your meals.
Most dining halls will have the salad dressings in those little packages. Check the size and go for the low cal version.
Main course (meat/pasta) just ask them to please give you half or even a quarter of what they might consider a normal serving. Focus on the broiled/baked chicken, fish, (not fried) etc. and then fill up on the veg

IF your dining hall allows you to take some items back to the dorm room, grab some apples to nibble on between classes so you arent starved.

And... good luck!

catofcanals

Thanks a lot for the responses!

My school does have nutritional information online, so I will surely be utilizing that.

Also, my college's dining halls are probably different than most, in that the majority of them aren't "all-you-can-eat" style. Therefore, I can walk in, get whatever I want, pay for it, and take it back to my room. I'm definitely going to take advantage of the fresh produce more often this semester, for snacks and sides of meals.

Breakfasts are the main struggle, since I normally don't have time to go a dining hall in the morning before class. I normally ate cereal and milk (when I could get to the grocery store), or some granola bars. Maybe I'll toughen up and get up earlier to get some yogurt and fruit in the mornings.

LeahFerri

Breakfasts are the main struggle, since I normally don't have time to go a dining hall in the morning before class. I normally ate cereal and milk (when I could get to the grocery store), or some granola bars. Maybe I'll toughen up and get up earlier to get some yogurt and fruit in the mornings.

What's your morning class? I know as a biochemistry major, my first classes that were early were BIG basic science lectures. I had my last one of those (Thank goodness! Never taking an 8AM class again.) last semester, and I always took my breakfast with me to class. I couldn't have gone to a dining hall before that class even if I'd wanted to; they weren't open. It was a really basic class, so it didn't matter if I didn't take notes (never took notes, got an A), but I think I could have juggled breakfast and note-taking if I'd wanted to. If you have a refrigerator where you're keeping milk, you could definitely keep yogurt in there. I don't know exactly how your meal plan works or how concerned you are about wasting your meal plan (a major concern of mine when I had one and one of the main reasons I don't have one any more!), or if your campus has a convenience store where you can use your meal plan to buy things like yogurt ahead of time.

Bottom line: if you can get yogurt ahead of time and keep it where you live and take it to class, you'll be much happier about the amount of sleep you get and the food you eat.

Sabine_Stroehm

I just wanted to say: congrats on being so motivated to eat healthy while in college. Been there, no what a challenge it can be. I must admit, I didn't have your sense when I was in school. Well done. You'll be so glad you did this.