What are Good Foods in College?

I took advantage of the salad bar. We had a grill where they make hamburgers and you could always ask for grilled chicken so I did that when I needed protein. Scrambled eggs are good protein in the morning or choose a non-sugary cereal. I ate whole wheat bagels and light cream cheese which don't have much nutritional value but they aren't too bad in calories or fat. You can also get a sandwich and eat just the lunchmeat and cheese or open-faced so you have less carbs.

It's difficult to avoid the chicken strips, fries, and pizza but you will feel a lot better if you aren't eating that every day!

Also, I feel your pain. I gained my Freshman 20 in the first semester of college haha. I was drinking 5-7 days a week and eating whatever....you know, like a typical freshman

I did so much walking in college I couldn't gain weight if I wanted to! But either way... it's good you're not into the drinking: when I was a freshman, an upperclassmen told me that a lot of people avoided the "freshman 15" by just staying away from the beer. *shrug* I didn't get into beer, so I guess it worked well enough for me.

Have plenty of apples and hard boiled eggs on hand, those are easy to reach for when short on time and more filling than the sugary stuff. I've found it helpful.

I took advantage of the salad bar and the omlette station. I would eat a few eggs but pack in the veggies. Omlettes with spinach, onion, tomato, peppers, but avoid the cheese. It would fill me up quite a bit. I would also pack fruit in my purse and eat it later.
When I went off the meal plan I ate a lot of baked chicken, and pita/wraps/sandwiches on low cal bread. Again though, I would stuff those with more veggies than anything else.

I found the best thing for me was to always have a water bottle on hand, and to ALWAYS walk to class. I went to a fairly large school and found that walking to class took just as much time as riding the campus buses. I probably walked about 5 miles a day carrying my backpack!

My downfall was late night study stress snacking. A lot of my peers had problems with alcohol and soda.

At your age and only 30 pounds to lose you can turn it around pretty quick, especially not drinking. Cut your portions down and add some exercise and you should start seeing results. Good luck!

I know what you are going through! I just graduated from college, I gained the freshman 15, lost it, and then once I graduated gained some back lol. It was very easy for me to drop in college though. When I was in our café I mostly ate lowfat yogurt and granola (for breakfast and dessert sometimes), making my own grilled sandwiches at the sandwich station, salads with low fat dressing, veggie burgers, baked chicken. You can usually survive the foods as long as you stay away from anything fried, covered in fatty dressing, or loaded with cheese. However, you can indulge with it once in a while! I learned to have a small portion of French fries or a piece of pizza once a week so I wouldn't binge on it later. As others have said I also walked everywhere with my backpack, which weighed about 20 pounds, so that helped. I also went to fitness classes, which are usually free! See if there are any fitness classes you can join they are fun, help release stress, and are usually only an hour or less. hope this helps some!

I actually lost some weight my first semester of college...a combination of walking everywhere, being a dance major, and my food choices. I'm not usually the one attacking the pizza or the desserts because I don't like how greasy and sluggish I feel after eating it, and I haven't gotten into drinking so I'm saving plenty of room for calories there too. You don't need to go on any crazy diet or workout regime to feel healthier- it's all about lifestyle choices that make you feel good! Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, opt for the chicken instead of the lasagna, but let yourself eat the food that looks amazing (even if unhealthy) every now and then, because you deserve it!

Here's what I tend to stick to:
- Unprocessed foods. this is easier when it comes to doing my own grocery shopping, because I'm able to read the ingredients and see if it's really something I want putting in my body or not. Good, whole (preferably organic) foods are my vice!
- Oatmeal, eggs, milk, and fruit in the morning! A great balance of carbs, protein, and fats (unless you prefer egg whites, which are an amazing source of protein in itself) to get your day going and provide you with natural energy. Oatmeal is great with pumpkin seeds and dried fruit added to it too.
- Coffee! All day everyday. I add a little bit of unsweetened almond milk to it sometimes, but usually I just drink it black. Saves unnecessary calories, and you'll feel Norwegian!
- WATER. Enough said
- Lunches and dinner should have a great mix of green, leafy veggies (or if not available, a good variety of other kinds of veggies), a source of calcium, a healthy fat, carbs, and protein. Grilled chicken, fish, tofu, ham, turkey, lean beef, lean pork are best. Carbs can range from fruits, sweet potatoes, rice, whole grains. Again, it's all about avoiding the unprocessed stuff. Olive oil and vinegar are great sources of healthy fats. Same with nuts and seeds
- Snacks? TRAIL MIX. That's my favorite snack. I really like raw mixed nuts with dried fruit thrown in. A good combination of fats, protein, and carbs. About a handful is all you need to feel it's magic! Other great snacks are cereal and milk, apples with almond or cashew butter, hummus and veggies, yogurt and organic granola, air popped popcorn...it goes on!

I hope this helps! Take it from another college freshman, it's totally possible to feel great at school despite horrendous food choices in the dining hall. No need to force or rush anything, it can happen and you can totally do this. You deserve it!