Caf food?!

themalloryfaye

I live on campus at a university. They dont necessarily hove the healthiest or most appetizing of foods. HELP! How do I truly eat healthier?!?!?!?

Cait_Sidhe

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

dovetail22uk

Don't eat the in the caf - bring a packed lunch.

Lucendiluna

(totally read cat food too ^^)
what do you have access to that can help you cook? microwave, kettle, fridge...?
maybe we can help you figure a few healthy menus

Rachlmale

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

So did I :P

Shadowknight137

Don't eat the in the caf - bring a packed lunch.

This.

janeypoosandbob

.

janeypoosandbob

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

So did I :P

Guilty as. :happy:

SRH7

Fresh food, bought in bulk that needs minimal cooking is your best bet.

* Big bags of rice and pasta keep well and are easy to cook (just make sure you weigh them so you keep within your calories)
* Rice noodles - just pour boiling water on, leave to soak, drain and eat. Great with chopped raw veg thrown in (peppers, onions, courgettes, chilies etc) and some soy sauce
* Got a microwave? Baked potatoes with a multitude of toppings, from cottage cheese to baked beans. Frozen or fresh veg cook really quickly and easily in the microwave (and if you use the same bowl to then throw your other ingredients in you have minimal washing up!
* Beans, pulses, lentils - supercheap, filling, full of protein. Tinned ones are great - just drain and thow in a salad. Or make chillies, curries etc by adding a tin of chopped tomatoes and some herbs and spices. If you are on a really tight budget then buy them dry and cook them.
* Tinned chopped tomatoes - amazing for making a host of different dishes and sauces, they are cheap and keep well.

Also, other students must be in the same position - why not cook together. I did this while in halls of residence where five of us took it in turn to cook each midweek evening (nothing fancy just simple things like pasta with veg that everyone would eat). It meant that four days a week you didn't have to cook, which was fab.

At weekends you could then do a roast dinner together - a whole chicken goes a long way. Then just throw a load of root vegetables on another baking tray, spray lightly with oil and roast while the chicken cooks (potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onions with some rosemary, garlic and/or sage are fab. Just scrub the veg and leave the peel on - extra fibre and minimal preparation). Dead easy to do and really nutritious.

Wish I was back in halls! Had some great times at uni

RLGallt

My daughter is in Winterguard & we travel bout every weekend to diff schools. Their options are geared toward the kids. I have been pre-cooking my meals/packing my own lunches & staying away from the baked goods table....so far so good.....when we stay at hotels I always check out their breakfast for the fruit & cheerios or oatmeal....they have some really cute lunch bags now that you can stuff full of healthy options....

Cr01502

Cat food is a great post workout meal.

Everything the body needs.

kelly_e_montana

I thought you were eating cat food also. LOL:laugh:

Markguns

I live on campus at a university. They don't necessarily have the healthiest or most appetizing of foods. HELP! How do I truly eat healthier?!?!?!?

hit the salad and fruit. stay away from dressings and creamed salads (ex egg salad, potato, etc). Got beans or cooked vegetables? Secondly send an open letter to your school newspaper see if you can inspire change.

SRH7

I live on campus at a university. They don't necessarily have the healthiest or most appetizing of foods. HELP! How do I truly eat healthier?!?!?!?

hit the salad and fruit. stay away from dressings and creamed salads (ex egg salad, potato, etc). Got beans or cooked vegetables? Secondly send an open letter to your school newspaper see if you can inspire change.

Really good idea (annoyed I didn't think of that myself!). I was a campaigns officer for the Student Union when I was at uni and if you get enough people together to say the same thing the powers that be will usually listen. If not, go to your local newspaper! We did it to save our on-campus laundrette (they wanted to turn it into a fast food cafe - we got students to send the Chancellor lots of dirty socks in protest).

moonsforeyes

I lived in the dorms for 4 years and also found this to be quite challenging at first.

Here is what i did: I only utilized the cafeteria's salad bar and that was it most days! I bought my own groceries and kept them in my tiny dorm fridge. It got expensive, and required planning and prep but it was worth it. so I didn't miss out on going to the dining halls with my friends, i simply packed and brought my own lunch to the halls and only ever used their salad bar (or if they have fresh fruit, etc)

kathicooks

If you are already on the cafeteria plan, I get it that it's just too expensive to also prepare your own meals. But there are definitely better choices you can make. You have already heard to head to the salad bar, just stay away from creamy, gloppy dressings, cheese, bacon bits, and croutons. Those can completely wack out the calories and fat content of a perfectly healthy salad. At lunch time, how about lunch meats, yes high in sodium, but slicing them over a salad, or even a very meat filled, non-mayo coated sandwich would be great. Or a plate of lunch meat with a side of cottage cheese from the salad bar? For dinner, look to the plainest preparations of meats. I would take baked chicken, splash a touch of vinegar on it from the salad bar for a little extra flavor, and maybe hit it up with some hot sauce (just cuz I loves me some hot sauce!) and see what plain veggies they have to round out the plate. There are condiments that are your friend: vinegar, hot sauce, mustard are all great and can add a ton of flavor to the blandest caf food. Even just a touch of parmesan cheese sprinkled on something plain will add a ton of flavor without a lot of calories.

Stay away from anything creamy, gooey, etc. If it looks like it was made with cream sauce or a ton of butter, take a pass. The plainer the better and then doctor it up yourself.

themalloryfaye

(totally read cat food too ^^)
what do you have access to that can help you cook? microwave, kettle, fridge...?
maybe we can help you figure a few healthy menus

I have access to a fridge, stove, oven, microwave, toaster, the average kitchen appliances.

BookwomanTerri

Have you checked to see if they put their nutrition info online? I work at a college and can check online to see what they are serving each day and then I can get the nutrition info for each recipe. If your school doesn't offer that you could ask if they would.

IcklePickle18

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

Me too! :noway:

Contrarian

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

Me too.

alaskagrown86

I lived on campus all four years (was an RA) and mainly ate in the dining halls. I lucked out and my closest dining hall always had grilled chicken breasts at lunch and dinner and a great salad bar so if they didn't have any other appetizing, healthyish foods I would have a nice big salad with a piece or two of grilled chicken on top and a piece of fruit for dessert. It helps to start any meal with a big salad too, it'll fill you at least partially up before you have the chance to even look at the burgers and fries then you can have a smaller serving of something else and still get full without eating a metric ****-ton in calories. Other than that just focus on portion size and don't fall into the 'all you can eat' trap.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

When I was in college they had a make-your-own stir fry section and a pasta bar where they would make your pasta to order. I would get either of those a lot and just get plenty of fresh veggies. Pasta is a little trickier but it can still be healthy if you watch portions.

It's great if you can pack a lunch but if you're paying for a meal plan it makes sense to eat in the cafeteria.

Lucendiluna

(totally read cat food too ^^)
what do you have access to that can help you cook? microwave, kettle, fridge...?
maybe we can help you figure a few healthy menus

I have access to a fridge, stove, oven, microwave, toaster, the average kitchen appliances.

Great! That makes it easier
i'd suggest you focus your grocery shopping on vegetables, fruits, and lean meats. You'll be eating enough food with sauce, or cookies and so on, when you eat at the cafeteria or at the café in between classes. When you can eat in your dorm make it super healthy to balance it out. I'd say make breakfast every day and dinner 4 times a week at least? You can for instance grill some chicken, sauté (with a little olive oil) some chopped up veggies and have yourself a nice balanced diner, and it should take you 20 minutes tops to make. Have oatmeal, a fruit, and tea or coffee without sugar for breakfast, for instance.
Invest in some tupperwares, and you can bring a good lunch with you (quickly make a healthy salad with some lettuce, a tomato, a can of corn, some left over grilled chicken, and throw on top 1-2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 of vinegar).
You can save more time by being more organized. For instance grill 4 chicken breasts on Sunday evening. One for diner with veggies, one for lunch in a salad, one for dinner Monday night, with some beans maybe this time, the last one for lunch on Tuesday in a burrito of sorts.
When you end up eating in the caf or going out, you'll be eating more carbs and fat, so it should balance itself out over the week.
What do you think, would that be doable for you?

sechadyl

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

haha, me too.

smantha32

LOL I misread this and thought you were asking about cat food.

So did I. lol