Eating on a College Campus

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mayaofmaryland
mayaofmaryland Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I'm in my final year of college and have grown quite tired of the unhealthy food options at my school. I've been successful in losing about 35 lbs during my time at my university but I'm losing motivation to stay on track. I have access to a salad bar, a small kitchen, cooked protein (really only chicken), and the occasional string bean haha. I was wondering how other members have gotten creative with limited healthy options!

I would appreciate any suggestions!

Replies

  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Open up the definition of healthy. Everything is healthy (in moderation) and everything is unhealthy (with no moderation).
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    You can cook lots in a microwave and hot pot/coffee maker. If you're allowed those items of course. (You didn't say if you lived in the dorms or not plus college dorm rules vary)
  • mayaofmaryland
    mayaofmaryland Posts: 3 Member
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    Healthy meaning foods that will nourish the body and give me a balanced intake of vitamins and essential oils/fats. Chicken strips and fries are not exactly doing this haha. And I do live in a residence that allows for microwaves. I also have a toaster and rice cooker. The communal kitchen I have access to has a fully functional stove and oven. I also have various cooking supplies such as pots and pans, cutlery, etc.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    edited April 2015
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    mayaofmaryland wrote: »
    Healthy meaning foods that will nourish the body and give me a balanced intake of vitamins and essential oils/fats. Chicken strips and fries are not exactly doing this haha. And I do live in a residence that allows for microwaves. I also have a toaster and rice cooker. The communal kitchen I have access to has a fully functional stove and oven. I also have various cooking supplies such as pots and pans, cutlery, etc.

    I don't restrict my diet to any type of food - fries included. I just shoot for an overall balance like you said.
  • mayaofmaryland
    mayaofmaryland Posts: 3 Member
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    ncboiler89 wrote: »
    I don't restrict my diet to any type of food - fries included. I just shoot for an overall balance like you said.

    I also believe in not restricting myself. Balance is everything. However, when the balance starts to tip toward more fries than greens, I can feel my health start to suffer. I'm trying to find some more nutrient dense meals I can add back into my diet from my limited options to find my balance again.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Given your situation I would just categorize each food available into protein, fat and carbs and then consume enough of each to meet my calorie goal while balancing my macros. You might be bored of it but health wise I doubt your Dorm lords are serving up poison. If you can afford it then by all means go to the store and buy your preference of foods.
  • KatieLK14
    KatieLK14 Posts: 90 Member
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    I'm in the same sort of situation. I cook every few days and make enough for 3-4 meals. For breakfast I usually use my kettle/microwave to make oatmeal, and have some fruit with it. Lunch just depends on the day, usually some cottage cheese + greens and whatever is on hand haha. My dinners are usually chicken, sweet potato or brown rice and a vegetable. Or i'll make a big pot of chili or something and have it for many meals. Our communal kitchen has about 30 people using it, so its often busy and annoying to try to cook, so i'll cook at a time when I know it won't be so busy.
  • duckykissy
    duckykissy Posts: 285 Member
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    I think she meant the majority of food feels like it's just chicken strips and fries. My uni cafeteria used to serve the same things - fried foods & hamburgers, carving station, salad bar, and "international" which was usually spiceless spaghetti or a pasta of some sort. It's boring and the stuff that seems edible after weeks of the same may not be the healthiest choice to fall back on continuously.

    Honestly a lot can be done in the kitchen- do you have room in the fridge? If you don't maybe you can get one for your room?? If you do have access to a fridge, you can make your meals in the evening and pack a lunch/dinner if your dorm is far from your classes. Seriously you can make pretty much anything. While I was living in the dorms the hardest part was me cooking for myself meant I didn't go socialize during mealtimes with others. To combat this I would cook for my friends, maybe like a weekly Sunday night dinner? Or if you've got some friends who are similarly sick of the dining hall, perhaps you guys can cook in shifts?
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    I know what she was saying. Of course cafeteria food is monotonous, if you have access to more variety then by all means have at it. If not, make the best of it. Really what other choice do you have ?
  • duckykissy
    duckykissy Posts: 285 Member
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    Camo_xxx wrote: »
    I know what she was saying. Of course cafeteria food is monotonous, if you have access to more variety then by all means have at it. If not, make the best of it. Really what other choice do you have ?

    I was replying to the "Don't limit your diet" that is usually said in reply to people saying "I can't have x, but I really, really love it." One meal of chicken fingers and fries won't demolish a healthy diet, but when that is the only thing you can stomach and the only thing you start to eat... it's not the best. In fact that's a big part of where my "freshman 15" came from. But it sounds like OP has a few more options- if she's willing to put up with a communal kitchen. Personally, I found the best times to cook in there being the weekends because everyone went home.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Small kitchen = a world of opportunities.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
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    I lost at least 15 lbs freshman year scraping by on mostly top ramen.

    It wasn't the lack of variety that caused my loss it was a lack of calories.
  • pmg2000m
    pmg2000m Posts: 44 Member
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    Depending on the raw vegetable choices at your salad bar, sometimes you can fill up a container of veggies and make a stir fry in your kitchen. Toss in some cut up chicken, and you can have a tasty meal that is an nice option from the usual cold salad. Adding in your own oil or soy sauce helps to keep an accurate count of calories, etc.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I too dine in university cafeterias, and it helps if you can look up the dining hall menus ahead of time. If you can do that, you can look it up in the MFP database under "sodexo" and it almost always comes up, or at least something very close. Take small portions and count them that way.

    Besides that, the best you can do is eat conservatively from the hot entrees, pile up the foods from the salad bar, and cook what you can in your dorm/dorm kitchen. Usually at the salad bar here, I'll make a salad that has a base of shredded carrots to get a serving of carrots for the day and pile on things like chickpeas, cranberries, peas, etc. I find this to be more filling than a typical salad, and I've yet to have anyone give me a side-eye for eating a carrot-based salad.

    Edit: if your college sets out produce, take as much as they'll let you! Then you don't have to buy it, and they don't have to throw it out at the end of the day (or week, judging by the quality of some of it sometimes...)

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