Eating at College

lguy29
lguy29 Posts: 131
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
So I just posted a topic about getting too much sugar, and a lot of people suggested cooking things on my own, and I realized now I think my problem is that I'm in college and I only have a fridge, freezer, and microwave! Also, the food they serve in the cafeteria does not have calorie information, so I normally eat one of two things, being a sandwich or hot pasta and veggies. Are there any quick foods that can be "healthy"? Its very difficult to track food and I'm so busy being a student-athlete so sometimes the unhealthy foods are the easiest thing for me.

Thanks!

Replies

  • GinoATC
    GinoATC Posts: 60
    If you are an Athlete your diet will be much diff. than just an average person. But even with that being said you would be surprised of what you can do with a micowave. I ate a lot of baked (nuked) potatos. They only take a couple minutes in the micro and you can jazz them up so many ways. You could do salads if your caf. has them. Cereal, rice, beans, canned meats like tuna or chicken. Hope this helps.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Fresh fruit is one of the easiest, healthiest things you can eat. Also, your residence hall should have a kitchen available for student use, so you could keep some easy things in your mini-fridge to put together for the times that you have to miss dining hall meals or whatever -- tortillas, spinach, and mozzarella for quick tortilla pizzas, or similar recipes that you might like. I realize it seems weird to use the communal kitchen, but one thing I realized living in the halls is that everybody else thinks it's weird too, so it doesnt' get used all that often. ;) Just be sure to clean up after yourself if you use the big kitchen.
  • eillamarie
    eillamarie Posts: 862 Member
    I was once a student-athlete living on campus....stock your fridge full of fruits & vegetables, & low-sodium frozen meals are good too! Also, cottage cheese & low sugar yogurt, low sugar oatmeal (all you need to do is add hot water), and healthy cheeses! Also protein powder and milk!
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    Does your dining hall, or one near by, have a salad bar? I would try to stick to that for dinners, a big green salad with extra veggies and a lean protein option from the regular line. Breakfasts can be eggs and toast with fruit, lunches maybe sandwich and veggies. I know it's hard at college, especially since they seem to offer more unhealthy than healthy options. But I also know its doable.

    For easy stuff to keep in your room, high fiber cereal and oatmeal, low fat diary products, fresh fruit and veggies (or frozen), canned soup that is low sodium, etc. Try to stay away from frozen meals, even the "healthy" ones are loaded with sodium and sugar. Protein bars and powder to make shakes are also things you can keep in your room for quick meals or snacks. Keep flaxseed meal in your fridge to add to oatmeal, yogurt, even ice cream. It's great for you and adds fiber and protein to your day.

    Good luck! You can do it!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    I just thought too -- this might be a long-shot, but you could look into what food service supplies your dining halls, and see if you can get nutritional information from them. It wouldn't be exactly accurate because a lot of it varies in the preparation, but you'd have some kind of idea of what you're eating when you do eat in the halls.
  • lguy29
    lguy29 Posts: 131
    I try to stay away from protein shakes because they have a lot of sugar in them. Also I know the frozen meals can be very high in sodium, so I'm going to stay away from those as well. My caf does have a salad bar, so I can start eating more salads for dinner. However my residence hall does not have a kitchen for everyone to use do to safety regulations... I think I'll just try to load my fridge with healthier options. But it's tiny! I guess I really need to start paying attention when I go grocery shopping.

    Thanks everyone!
  • ashley0616
    ashley0616 Posts: 579 Member
    You can find low sugar protein shakes, if you look for them. I'm not talking EAS pre-packaged shakes, here. We're talking natural foods store all whey or soy protein shakes. They aren't cheap, but they have over 20g protein in a serving, 1-3 g sugar max, and some even have high fiber contents. I love them for recovery drinks after a workout.

    I think you have a good plan. Stick to it, and you'll do great!
  • 3LittleMonkeys
    3LittleMonkeys Posts: 373 Member
    You can get boil in the bag brown rice for the microwave. Success makes the product I am thinking of.

    http://www.successrice.com/products/40/WholeGrainBrownRice.aspx

    You can make a rice bowl from it. Mix in some protein and veggies and you are ready to go!

    You can make eggs (or eggwhites)in the microwave.
  • 3LittleMonkeys
    3LittleMonkeys Posts: 373 Member
    I know the Jillian Michaels Whey Protein Powder is sweetened with Stevia and not sugar. I am sure you can find other brands like that.
  • reallivefitness
    reallivefitness Posts: 99
    That's really rough that your dorm doesn't have a communal kitchen. I know that when I was living in the dorms last year, I used the basement kitchen all the time, because I was vegan then and couldn't eat in the cafeteria. And I know how rough it is to only have a tiny fridge and limited storage space.

    I would suggest figuring out what kind of stuff you can keep that doesn't need to be kept cool (microwave rice, pb, bread, heartier fruits like apples and oranges, etc) and use those as a base for a lot of meals. Find healthy soups that you can warm up and take with you in a thermos, make healthy sandwiches, etc. The key is learning to utilize what you have available to the fullest, which I know is hard.
  • msbailey2009
    msbailey2009 Posts: 22
    I'm about to go back to school (as a grad student) and I have to admit that this is something I struggled with a lot. I am not excited about navigating my way back through the cafeteria... Here are some of my ideas.
    -In the sandwich line, most schools have the grilled chicken patty option.. You could always eat the grilled chicken without the bread for protein and thow a little salsa on it to give it some flavor. If you are eating a lot of sandwiches, be careful with the condiments and stick to wheat bread.
    -Salad bar! Just get it to go and don't put salad dressing on it when you're in the caf. Back at your room in the mini-fridge, keep some of the salad spritzer dressing that only dispenses a couple of calls a spray. That or some oil and vinegar. Much healthier than glopping on the homemade cafeteria Ranch.
    -Eggs.
    -If you have a school grocery where you can use your meal plan, stock up on fruits and veggies. If they have it, I definitely suggest greek yogurt... Very filling and high in protein. If you can't find that, they should at least have some fat free or light yogurt for snacks.
    -I think your entry mentioned pasta? Keep with the tomato based sauce and skip any white sauce... I am pretty sure a good ten pounds of my undergrad weight came from campus fettuchini alfredo.
    -Plain cheerios and skim milk. That's actually better for you than all of the healthy-LOOKING high sugar granola options...
    -I second the brown bag microwavable rice above. Zap that and then one of those Broccoli steamer bags and you've more or less got some stir fry.
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