university student in need of help!

Keishagetsfit

hey guys,

so im in university almost done my second year but i live on campus. its so hard to watch what i eat because everything around me is fatty and fried. i dont know how to make sure i eat enough while not consuming soo much fat. does anyone have any suggestions on what to eat and how to maintain this once i go home for the summer. thanks in advance

dailyorange

When I was at the dining halls, I would either have a sandwich with whole wheat bread and a side of veggies and fruit or chicken breast with veggies and fruits. I know it's hard to choose when there is pizza, fries and everything else around you, but in the end if you eat fresh food and lean meat like chicken you'll feel a lot better. Good luck!

Keishagetsfit

thanks alot. My campus is very limited with the amount of healthy choices they offer. even some of the healthier choices are questionable to me.

fabdivac

maybe ask the dining and housing director or staff about providing more healthy choices. Most Universities do have a dining hall with cafeteria style. I work at a university with a very good dining hall, with a salad bar, pasta bar and many choices. You and some of your other students can make a difference in requesting better choices be provided on campus.

chasing_130

When I was in college & ate in the dining hall I stuck with: salads, cottage cheese, wheat wraps w/ veggies inside, soups, steamed veggies and cereal.

Keishagetsfit

thanks im trying really hard to stick to this

alazarus

Make friends with the salad bar! Also go for sandwiches instead of greasy fried food or heavy pasta. My college dining hall also had cold cuts like sliced ham, turkey, and cheese available-- some a sandwich on whole wheat bread is another good alternative. I'm sure your cafeteria has a place with fresh fruit somewhere-- try to fill up on fruit before starting your main course, especially if you know you're going to eat something heavy-- filling up on fruits or veggies may keep you from over-doing it on the greasy fried food. Also check to see if your University has other food places where you can use your meal plan besides the dining hall-- sometimes the smaller "cafe" places have healthy options.

SaraTonin

Pay attention to your portions, especially if your cafeteria is all-you-can-eat style like mine was!

God I miss it. I ate there for 3 years.

My favorite two meals were a spinach salad with a grilled chicken breast, or a stir fry made with fresh veggies from the grill.

I got to a point where I just NEVER ate at the burger, pizza, or fried food stations. I stuck ONLY to the salad bar, soups, sandwich bar, stir fry, pasta bar, and whenever the kitchen served anything healthy. I used to hear all the time about how unhealthy the food was. Bull. Ours had a ton of healthy meal options, you just have to tell yourself no. Especially to the dessert bar and second helpings..

hillaryt22

I also live in the dorms but my school has a "nutrition calculator" on the housing & dining website. It tells you all of the nutritional information of everything they serve in the dining halls. It helps me out a lot!

ybba12490

I know what you mean. I am currently a junior and have had difficulties with this since freshman year. Our dining hall has the typical salad bar, but you cannot eat salad all the time (yuck). In the cafeteria I'll usually eat a small bowl of bran flakes with skim milk, cottage cheese (I don't think its nonfat, ugh), bananas, apples, yogurt with granola, cucumbers or broccoli with small amounts of ranch dressing, and usually I just drink water or skim milk.

Your best bet, I've discovered, would be to buy food at the grocery store and bring it back to your dorm. Do you have a fridge and microwave in your room? Usually at the beginning of the week I'll buy food to have for the rest of the week, sometimes its lasts longer because I eat in the cafeteria occasionally. I buy: nonfat cottage cheese, sugarless applesauce, crystal light (to put into my water bottles), frozen veggies (you can steam them), chobani nonfat greek yogurt, string cheese, whole grain/wheat toast or crackers, granola bars (some are 100-160 cals), occasionally I buy slim fast bars or shakes.. I like the powder mix but don't have a blender , skim milk, the 100 cal rice cake or cookie packs, weight control oatmeal, and green tea bags.

Also, do you have a Subway on campus or close by? I've started eating the delicious 6" veggie delite and love it. It only has 230 cals (less, I believe, if you get it without cheese).

Good luck!

ybba12490

I also live in the dorms but my school has a "nutrition calculator" on the housing & dining website. It tells you all of the nutritional information of everything they serve in the dining halls. It helps me out a lot!

They have this for my dining hall as well. Sometimes I am SHOCKED at the calories or fats in some of the foods... stuff that I generally thought was healthy has terrifying numbers. Glad you pointed this out, its VERY helpful if you have access to that information!