Eat Healthy in College

When you attend college or university, it’s likely the first time you’ve lived by and had to take care of yourself. It can be hard to stay healthy in college, especially with the late hours of studying, limited budget, and constant socializing. But by making sensible food choices and taking the time to work out, you can eat healthy and stay fit in college.

Steps

Navigating Campus and Off-Campus Eating

1. Make smart choices in the cafeteria. The dreaded "Freshman Fifteen" is often related to the unhealthy choices students make in the cafeteria. It may be exciting to have unlimited food and socializing options, but constantly being in an all-you-can-eat setting can get unhealthy quickly. Realize that most students aren't looking out for their health and nutrition so the choices may not be geared towards a healthy lifestyle. Avoid those choices and find the diamonds in the rough!
   • Take a lap around the cafeteria before making your choice(s). Many people overeat in cafeterias or buffets because they can't make a decision about what to eat. It helps to read the menu, scour the different food bars, and choose what's most appealing to you.
   • When in doubt, hit the Make a Salad Bar. Load up your plate with vegetables and top them with a source of protein like chicken, tuna, or tofu. Stay away from the thick, creamy salad dressings, as these are loaded with extra calories. Consider making your own dressing out of olive oil and vinegar. You can also have a fresh deli sandwich made for you loaded with vegetables.
   • You don't have to stick with one food. Mixing and matching can help you get a well-rounded meal that contains the vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates you need.
   • Skip dessert most evenings. Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to eat it. Save dessert for two or three nights a week. When you do eat dessert, choose a healthy option like frozen yogurt with nuts or granola rather than cheesecake or brownies.
2. Store healthy snacks in your dorm room. Keep fruit, nuts, granola, and canned soups in your dorm room for snacks or quick meals. Rather than running to the vending machine during your late night study session, snack on these healthier items. This is a cost-effective and waistline-friendly way to keep yourself full and energized throughout the day!
   • These kinds of foods keep you fuller for longer, and won't make you "crash" the way energy drinks or sweets do.
   • There are plenty of fruits that don't need to be refrigerated, including oranges, bananas, apples, and pears.
   • If possible, get a mini-refrigerator in your dorm room to store perishable items like yogurt, hummus, and carrots.
3. Curb late-night snacking. College students often stay up late to finish assignments or cram for exams, and rely on snacks to stay awake. But the extra calories of late night snacking can really add up if you're not careful.
   • Drink tea. Keep an electric teapot in your dorm room and drink green, black, or herbal teas at night. If you are craving sweets, then add some honey to your tea. Tea can also help you stay awake to study without making you feel jittery the way coffee does.
   • If you're going to snack at night, then choose healthy options like fruits or nuts, which can provide your body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs to perform well.
4. Eat at home when possible. Socializing is a major component of the college experience, and it often centers around food or alcoholic beverages. Not only can cooking your own meals at home help you control your calorie and nutrient intake, but it may also save you money.
   • If you cook at home, it’s very easy to plan meals for a few days or a week.
5. Stock your kitchen with healthy choices. The best way to ensure that you eat healthy is to buy healthy foods. Having nutrient-rich options on hand will help reinforce healthy eating habits and help you avoid unhealthy patterns.
   • You may find that keeping healthy foods requires you to food shop more often. If this isn’t feasible, consider options such as frozen fruits and vegetables, which are as healthy as fresh food and minimally processed. These can easily be incorporated into any dish such as a stir fry or Greek yogurt.
   • Make sure to stock non-perishable whole grains such as whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, so you can make easy, go-to meals in a pinch.
   • Purchase dairy products such as yogurt, milk, or cheese to ensure you get protein and calcium.
   • Buy protein rich foods such as beans, nuts, and fresh meat.
   • Stock healthy oils such as olive, walnut, and sesame instead of butter or margarine.
   • Keep a variety of herbs and spices on hand to jazz up any meal and offer different flavors depending on what foods you crave.

Avoiding The "Freshman Fifteen"

1. Make a meal plan to ensure you’re eating healthy. Write a meal plan to help enforce healthy eating habits and avoid unhealthy behaviors. Consider making a plan that includes healthy eating, exercise, and time to rest and relax alone and with friends.
   • Your plan should include meals that meet all of your nutritional needs to sustain your health and well-being. For example, you need to make sure you’re getting enough protein, vitamins, and fiber through foods such as lean meats or nuts, and fruits and vegetables. Aim to eat food that are either processed minimally or that require little cooking or changing their form.
   • Make sure to allot time for physical activity, such as walking or jogging, for at least thirty minutes a day. You’ll also want to make sure to include time for rest and relaxation, such as reading a non-school book. These can help reinforce your healthy eating habits and contribute to your overall well-being.
   • Be aware places or situations where you are more likely to “sin,” such as “doing lunch” with friends or simply just feeling bored. Actively try and avoid overeating or snacking mindlessly during these situations. You can distract yourself if that’s easier. Keep clean snacks such as apples or cut vegetables with you to help avoid derailing your healthy habits.
   • Consider allowing yourself one day to cheat and eat foods that aren’t a part of your clean plan. One day of conscious cheating may keep you from bad behaviors on other days.
2. Plan meals as often as possible. Planning your meals in advance can help you to avoid poor and unhealthy eating habits. It can also help ensure that you’re getting plenty of nutrients, not gaining weight, and may even save you money.
   • For example, plan your breakfasts to help start off your day on the right foot. Packing a lunch can help you avoid buying unhealthy fast foods. If you have lunch plans, order the healthiest choice on the menu, such as salad that isn’t loaded with cheese or heavy dressing.
3. Allow yourself cheat days. No person is perfect and sometimes you crave unhealthy foods. Allow yourself occasional cheat days to enjoy junk food or foods you wouldn’t normally eat on your plan. You can do this with your friends for maximum enjoyment.
   • There is increasing evidence that allowing yourself to cheat occasionally and consciously will help you maintain your diet in the long run because you’re not denying yourself anything.
   • Never berate yourself or let mistakes or cheat days derail your overall healthy habits. Setbacks are normal.
4. Choose healthy foods at restaurants. Eating out is a big part of college, and it can cause a major setback for many people’s otherwise healthy diets because of processed, high fat and calorie dishes. Consciously avoiding certain foods and making good choices at restaurants can help you reinforce your good eating habits.
   • Picking healthy choices when eating out often means being the 'odd-one-out' when dining with friends. That's okay! Don't fall into the peer pressure of eating unhealthy foods or large amounts of alcohol.
   • Avoid unhealthy pitfalls like breadbaskets, fried foods, or dishes in heavy sauces such as fettucine alfredo.
   • Salads or steamed vegetables and steaks are good choices of healthy foods.
   • Avoid buffets, which are often filled with unhealthy and processed food choices and can encourage you to overeat.
   • Have whole fruits for dessert, which are healthy and clean.
5. Cut down on drinking. No matter how healthy you eat, the extra calories in alcohol can sabotage your diet. In addition, staying up partying and drinking may lead to unhealthy late-night snacking.
   • When you do drink, stay away from sugary cocktails or mixed drinks, as they are loaded with calories. Some cocktails exceed 600 calories!
   • Try and stick to wine spritzers or light beers.
6. Keep a scale in your room. Don't wait until you can visibly see the weight on your body to start eating healthier. Make things a little easier for yourself by keeping a scale on hand so that you can check in every once in a while.
   • Always weigh yourself at the same time every day to get the most accurate reading.
   • Keeping track of your weight can also help you determine which eating habits are working for you and which ones aren't. If you lose weight one week, for example, think back on what things you ate and what kinds of exercises you did that week. Try to replicate the routine in the future.
   • You may want to consider taking measurements as well, since muscle weighs more than fat. Plus, there may be confounding factors, like water weight, that influence the number on the scale.
7. Exercise. Aim to exercise most days of the week. Doing cardiovascular exercise can help you lose or maintain weight and stay healthy. Plan your workouts right before or right after classes so that you know your day isn't done until you've completed everything you need to.
   • Aim to walk 10,000 steps a day, which translates to walking about 5 miles (or 8km) per day. Wearing a pedometer can help you make sure you’re taking enough steps per day.
   • You can do any type of cardio training to maintain your health. Beyond walking, consider running, swimming, rowing, or biking.
   • In addition to cardiovascular exercise, strength training can help you lose or maintain weight. It builds calorie-burning muscle while promoting your overall health.
8. Get plenty of rest. If you’re not getting enough rest, your brain and body won’t be able to function at their best. By making sure you sleep, take breaks from studying, you may be able to maintain or lose weight.
   • Recent studies have shows that rest is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight and reducing stress.
   • Aim to sleep 7-8 hours per night.
   • Take off at least one full day a week to give your brain and body a chance to rest and recover from studying. You could do this on your eating “cheat day.”

Getting the Nutrition You Need

1. Be aware of proper nutrition. Informing yourself about the basics of proper nutrition can help you understand what your body needs to be healthy and avoid gaining the dreaded “Freshman Fifteen.” It can also help you identify the best healthy foods for an eating plan to keep you on track.
   • Depending on how active you are, men need 2,500 calories per day while women need approximately 2,000.
   • You will get proper nutrition if you incorporate foods from the five food groups every day. The five food groups are: fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and vegetables are an important part of any healthy diet. They contain many important nutrients for you that can help you stay healthy and maintain your weight.
   • You need 1-1.5 cups of fruit per day. You can get this from eating whole fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries, or from drinking 100% fruit juice. Make sure to vary the fruits you choose so that you get a range of nutrients and try to not process them. For example, eating a cup of pure berries is much healthier than eating berries on top of a cake.
   • You need 2.5-3 cups of vegetables per day. You can get this from eating whole vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, or peppers, or from drinking 100% vegetable juice. Make sure to vary the vegetables you choose so that you get a range of nutrients.
   • Fruits and vegetables are easily incorporated into a variety of dishes including soups and stews, stir fry, or even something as simple as a cup of Greek yogurt with fresh fruit for a dessert.
3. Consume breads and grains for energy. One of the primary sources of energy for you should be breads and grains. Getting enough breads and grains every day will help you keep up your energy and can also provide additional nutrients such as iron.
   • You need between 5-8 ounces of grains per day, of which ½ should be whole grains. You can get grains and whole grains from foods such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta or bread, oatmeal, or cereal. Choose grains that are as minimally processed as possible. For example, brown rice and whole wheat bread are far healthier than white rice.
   • Choose breads and grains that are fortified with iron, Vitamin B, fiber and protein.
4. Eat protein to help maintain strength and provide energy. Protein is an important nutrient for any person, especially when you’re experiencing the pressures of studying. Traditional sources of protein such as meat or alternative sources such as fish or nuts can help you get enough protein.
   • You need 5-6.5 ounces of protein per day.
   • You can get protein from lean meats including beef, pork, or poultry; cooked beans; eggs; peanut butter; or nuts and seeds.
   • You can get protein from a wide variety of non-meat foods including: nuts and nut butters such as almonds or peanut butter, soy products, tofu, quinoa, or legumes like lima beans.
   • Be careful when consuming seafood or fish. Limit your cooked fish intake to 8-12 oz. per week and your canned intake to 6 oz. per week. Avoid tuna steaks, swordfish, mackerel, shark or any other fish with high mercury levels.
5. Ingest dairy for extra protein, strong bones and muscles. Calcium is essential for maintaining your healthy and maybe even your weight. Eating foods such as cheese, yogurt, and even ice cream can help ensure you get the recommend servings of dairy.
   • You need 2-3 cups, or 12 oz., of dairy per day.
   • You can get calcium from a wide range of foods including dairy products like cheese, milk, or yogurt; leafy green vegetables such as spinach; dried beans or peas; and tofu.

Tips

• Learn to distinguish between hunger and boredom. Many people overeat not because they are hungry, but because they are bored or restless.
• Consider keeping a food journal to keep track of what you eat.

Related Articles

• Eat Cheap While in College
• Spend Money Carefully at College
• Survive on a College Cafeteria Meal Plan
• Slim Down at College

Sources and Citations

See also

• Stay Away from Junk Food
• Choose Low FODMAP Foods As a Vegetarian
• Count Macronutrients
• Eat Properly
• Stop Being Hungry Quickly
• Develop Healthy Eating Habits
• Make Yourself Less Thirsty
• Avoid Food Triggered Seizures
• Cut Down on Junk Food
• Add Flavor to Quinoa

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