clean eating made difficult by college life

omid990 · January 2009

so since starting this (again:blushing: ) i've been trying to eat well, getting all of my fruits, veggies, and such in. the problem is that i'm in a college dorm, eating cafeteria food.

my first problem with this is that most of the food has a lot of salt and i can only eat so many salads to try and keep the sodium in check. how detrimental is too much sodium?

second, i tend to eat a lot of boxed and processed foods in the dorm. could foods like fruit snacks or goldfish be harmful to my weightloss?

any help would be appreciated.

omid990 · January 2009

so since starting this (again:blushing: ) i've been trying to eat well, getting all of my fruits, veggies, and such in. the problem is that i'm in a college dorm, eating cafeteria food.

my first problem with this is that most of the food has a lot of salt and i can only eat so many salads to try and keep the sodium in check. how detrimental is too much sodium?

second, i tend to eat a lot of boxed and processed foods in the dorm. could foods like fruit snacks or goldfish be harmful to my weightloss?

any help would be appreciated.

tashjs21 · January 2009

This is just my opinion...I don't have any medical background to back me up on this one.
I think my body responds to the most natural foods. I have tried to cut out as much processed food as possible and I have noticed the greatest results with that. When I do consume more processed foods...I definitely notice puffiness. The sodium is something you should definitely keep in check.

Good luck, I totally understand how you feel. I am not in college but I am on a tight budget and can't always buy the freshest foods. Do what you can!

MrsTomy · January 2009

I am in college too, and even though I live in an apartment and I am able to cook at home...I still often use processed foods because my schedule is intense and my budget for food is small. I like to eat the steam in the bag frozen veggies, Kashi brand frozen dinners (less sodium and tons of protein and fiber), and low sodium canned soups. Just try to do the best you can with what you have! Try to drink extra water to balance out the excess sodium. Good luck!

hapemopirate · January 2009

I'm trying to eat clean in college, too. I totally understand what you're going through with this one. The best advice I've gotten so far is to use the zip n steam bags from Ziploc. Someone on MFP suggested them to me, and I was a little skeptical, but I tried them. I made some really good mashed potatos with the bags -- no salt added. I used Low Sodium Vegetable Stock to add moisture and a little bit of organic fat free sour cream. A little fresh garlic and some pepper and I was in business. I'm a big believer in gourmet from the microwave now. Those bags will even cook salmon!

When I have to go to the cafe, I try to make the best possible choices, but I know it's hard. Everything is fried or swimming in unidentifiable sauce. Keep your head up, though. This is totally worth the struggle!

juxtapotato · January 2009

From where I am, vegetables actually come cheaper, so I usually incorporate them to my meals. I'm also guilty of purchasing canned tuna, but hey, fish can be rather pricey.

I've always considered fruits as a palate-sealer (as in: it tells me that I have to end a meal). Plus, they're brilliant for snacks-- better than packaged chips and whatnot

I think the problem with dorming and college life in general is that you constantly have to eat to stay awake (for studying, etc.) Hence, eating healthy's an absolute must.

Good luck to us!

kobrie17 · January 2009

i can definitley relate to this one! although

i am not centering my dieting around "clean eating" as someone mentioned above perservative packed foods do leave you bloated. in my case bloated and unsatisfied.

at my campus healthy choices are limited and damn near non existant later in the night, so my advice to you would be to store healthy snacks in your room for when better options arent available.

my best tips to you would be to get a fridge and stock it w/ a few healthy items that you cant find at your school in combination with things you can. i buy low fat cheese,salad dressings, and tortilla bread and then pick up other things from the salad bar and store them for later (ul need tupperware too!) here are a few things i make:
in my dorm i have a forman (? know what i mean?) grill so i use it to make toast with low fat bread, and light cream cheese, make it a balanced meal with some smoked salmon and some cucumber slices from the cafeteria.
quesadillas with low fat cheese, small tortillas, and natural pico de gallo (i get it from an on campus food place but u can also make it w/ tomatoes, onion, lime and salt).
this ones a little weird but i like it so il throw it out there, celery filled with cream cheese and spanish olives (works best if u mix the olives into the cream cheese) or you could do the classic ants on a log with natural peanut butter and raisins
peanut butter and banna sandwhices
grapes (frozen they're yummy sweet and last longer!)
granola bars instead of fruit snacks!
microwave popcorn...there are some natural options out there now
annie's macoroni and cheese is natural/organic and makes "easy mac" now..i found it at whole foods!

sometimes you have to eat all campus food and i hear ya when you say you can only eat so many salads--how about sandwhiches? there are all kinds of options in that! and i wouldnt feel so bad about the salt in the deli meat because there is usually alot of protein and fairly low calorie content. low fat breads, mayonaise, and cold cuts are usually available right? another great filing mini meal i like to have is a bowl of chili, maybe not that "cleanest" option, but plenty of fiber in the beans makes it more nutritious than fruit snacks. a baked potato is also an option on my campus but if its not at yours they're simple to make, you can store a bag of potatoes in your room and u just fork a bunch of holes in it and put it in the microwave.

hope i gave you sum good ideas!
you just have to get creative!
plan ahead dont go out and look for something to eat when you're hungry!

kobrie17 · January 2009

i can definitley relate to this one! although

i am not centering my dieting around "clean eating" as someone mentioned above perservative packed foods do leave you bloated. in my case bloated and unsatisfied.

at my campus healthy choices are limited and damn near non existant later in the night, so my advice to you would be to store healthy snacks in your room for when better options arent available.

my best tips to you would be to get a fridge and stock it w/ a few healthy items that you cant find at your school in combination with things you can. i buy low fat cheese,salad dressings, and tortilla bread and then pick up other things from the salad bar and store them for later (ul need tupperware too!) here are a few things i make:
in my dorm i have a forman (? know what i mean?) grill so i use it to make toast with low fat bread, and light cream cheese, make it a balanced meal with some smoked salmon and some cucumber slices from the cafeteria.
quesadillas with low fat cheese, small tortillas, and natural pico de gallo (i get it from an on campus food place but u can also make it w/ tomatoes, onion, lime and salt).
this ones a little weird but i like it so il throw it out there, celery filled with cream cheese and spanish olives (works best if u mix the olives into the cream cheese) or you could do the classic ants on a log with natural peanut butter and raisins
peanut butter and banna sandwhices
grapes (frozen they're yummy sweet and last longer!)
granola bars instead of fruit snacks!
microwave popcorn...there are some natural options out there now
annie's macoroni and cheese is natural/organic and makes "easy mac" now..i found it at whole foods!

sometimes you have to eat all campus food and i hear ya when you say you can only eat so many salads--how about sandwhiches? there are all kinds of options in that! and i wouldnt feel so bad about the salt in the deli meat because there is usually alot of protein and fairly low calorie content. low fat breads, mayonaise, and cold cuts are usually available right? another great filing mini meal i like to have is a bowl of chili, maybe not that "cleanest" option, but plenty of fiber in the beans makes it more nutritious than fruit snacks. a baked potato is also an option on my campus but if its not at yours they're simple to make, you can store a bag of potatoes in your room and u just fork a bunch of holes in it and put it in the microwave.

hope i gave you sum good ideas!
you just have to get creative!
plan ahead dont go out and look for something to eat when you're hungry!

kobrie17 · January 2009

i can definitley relate to this one! although

i am not centering my dieting around "clean eating" as someone mentioned above perservative packed foods do leave you bloated. in my case bloated and unsatisfied.

at my campus healthy choices are limited and damn near non existant later in the night, so my advice to you would be to store healthy snacks in your room for when better options arent available.

my best tips to you would be to get a fridge and stock it w/ a few healthy items that you cant find at your school in combination with things you can. i buy low fat cheese,salad dressings, and tortilla bread and then pick up other things from the salad bar and store them for later (ul need tupperware too!) here are a few things i make:
in my dorm i have a forman (? know what i mean?) grill so i use it to make toast with low fat bread, and light cream cheese, make it a balanced meal with some smoked salmon and some cucumber slices from the cafeteria.
quesadillas with low fat cheese, small tortillas, and natural pico de gallo (i get it from an on campus food place but u can also make it w/ tomatoes, onion, lime and salt).
this ones a little weird but i like it so il throw it out there, celery filled with cream cheese and spanish olives (works best if u mix the olives into the cream cheese) or you could do the classic ants on a log with natural peanut butter and raisins
peanut butter and banna sandwhices
grapes (frozen they're yummy sweet and last longer!)
granola bars instead of fruit snacks!
microwave popcorn...there are some natural options out there now
annie's macoroni and cheese is natural/organic and makes "easy mac" now..i found it at whole foods!

sometimes you have to eat all campus food and i hear ya when you say you can only eat so many salads--how about sandwhiches? there are all kinds of options in that! and i wouldnt feel so bad about the salt in the deli meat because there is usually alot of protein and fairly low calorie content. low fat breads, mayonaise, and cold cuts are usually available right? another great filing mini meal i like to have is a bowl of chili, maybe not that "cleanest" option, but plenty of fiber in the beans makes it more nutritious than fruit snacks. a baked potato is also an option on my campus but if its not at yours they're simple to make, you can store a bag of potatoes in your room and u just fork a bunch of holes in it and put it in the microwave.

hope i gave you sum good ideas!
you just have to get creative!
plan ahead dont go out and look for something to eat when you're hungry!

yellow_pepper · January 2009

When I was in college, I lost weight eating a grilled chicken breast on a bed of greens with fat free Italian dressing for lunch and/or dinner every day.

My college campus had a grill in every cafeteria. If the grill can make you a grilled chicken sandwich, it can give you just a grilled chicken breast. They might charge the same, but that's something we all learn to live with when trying to lose weight - not getting as much food for your money.

The packaged snacks will hurt you if you have trouble with portion control (as I do).

Finally, try not do eat a fourth meal at 3am as college students seem especially susceptible to this kind of overeating - often after drinking.

omid990 · January 2009

thank you goes so much for your input. i really appreciate it

clean eating made difficult by college life

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