Eating Healthy at College?

frayedpages0320
frayedpages0320 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, all.

Does anyone have any tips for eating healthy while in college? I'm a first year, and I'm struggling to find healthy, low-cal meals to eat. I have to eat in the dining hall because I have the full meal plan (required by the school); eating other places/making my own food would just be throwing out more money, which I can't afford.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks,

FrayedPages0320

Replies

  • jadedhippo
    jadedhippo Posts: 95 Member
    Eat the healthier options/foods in the dining hall
  • Carissa145
    Carissa145 Posts: 604 Member
    Does the dining hall have a salad bar?
  • justiceevers
    justiceevers Posts: 43
    I have this same problem. I have to buy protein powder to meet my protein requirements for the day and I also have a few of my own healthy snacks on hand. Is there a salad bar at your dining hall? I rely on that quite a bit. If you are forced to eat something that isn't the best for you, eat in moderation. You can also remove unhealthy parts of the meal (like eating just the hamburger patty instead of with a white flour bun). Just do your best to eat "real" food. Hope that helps :)
  • frayedpages0320
    frayedpages0320 Posts: 8 Member
    My school does have a salad bar, but I'm not a big salad person - too much lettuce/the spinach always tries to kill me. Don't get me wrong, though - I love veggies, and I try to eat them with every meal (there are other veggie options besides salad bar). I try my best to avoid foods from the grill (hamburgers, etc.) and try to stick to those that are lower in calories, but it's hard. My school publishes some of the nutritional info (we even have an app), but not all of it, and they don't always serve what they publish as the menu for the day. Most entrees - even some of those in the vegan section - are high in calories (usually 300+) and are not filling enough on their own. I pair it with veggies and soup (about 3-4oz), usually, but that never puts me in a good place calorie wise and doesn't allow me to have a snack during the day, so night time hunger can be hard to manage, especially when I'm up all night doing homework. When I do make it to breakfast, options are really bad (the only healthy things are eggs and yogurt - everything else is high in fat, sugar, and carbs). Otherwise, I just eat a Nature Valley granola bar on my way to class.

    Maybe, does anyone have any creative suggestions or combos for food? Removing parts of food is a good idea, but I hate wasting food.

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