Develop Healthy Habits to Eat Well at College

Leaving home is a major transition in one's life, and for many of us, our diet suffers because of it.

However, a healthy diet can go a long way to making sure your body and brain have everything they need to function properly. A lack of food or poor food choices can affect energy and ability to concentrate, and students need a lot of both!

The Dreaded "Freshman Fifteen"

There are several aspects of college life that may lead you to begin eating unhealthy during your first year of college, including:

• Unlimited food in the dining halls
• More sedentary studying
• Increased stress
• Decreased sleep

Here are some strategies and pitfalls you can avoid:

Look out for large portions. Dining hall buffets and dessert stations are tempting, so do you best to take what you know you will eat.
It helps to know what constitutes a serving:

• A 3-ounce serving of meat is about the size of your palm
• A grain serving is one slice of bread, half a bagel, or ½ cup of pasta
• A serving of fruit or cooked vegetables is ½ cup

Limit your less-than-healthy food choices. Pizza, fried foods, baked goods and other comfort foods can be tempting – plus there's the dessert station! – but you can substitute and make healthier choices, such as fresh fruit for dessert.

Don't fall in a a food rut. Many students fall into the habit of choosing the same food day after day, healthy or not. Most dining halls offer a large variety of food choices, so go ahead andtry new foods.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Be empowered to ask about what's in your food and to make healthy requests, such as an entrée without sauce or lettuce instead of bread for a sandwich.

Tips to Eat Well on Campus

Eating habits can be established very quickly once you're on campus, so start looking for healthy options right away.

Here are some ways you can get prepared and stay informed about your food choices:

Go online and get technical. Many colleges have a campus dining website. Look at the posted menu – which includes nutrition information – and choose what you want to eat ahead of time.

Do a walk-through. While you head through your campus's dining hall or cafeteria, review all of your eating choices before deciding what to eat.

Be informed. Read the nutrition information that's posted in the dining hall. Look for information not only about calories, fat and fiber but also potential allergens in the food such as nuts or eggs and whether it is vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free.

Make healthy choices most of the time. Choose from the healthy offerings – grilled or sautéed meats and vegetables, whole grains like wheat pasta or brown rice, fresh fruit – in the dining hall and at quick-service campus eateries.

If you eat well most of the time, you can indulge in the occasional late-night pizza or trip to the dessert station –just not at every meal!

Go for variety. Avoid getting in a routine of eating the same few dishes every day, and instead eat a variety of foods in moderation.

Hydrate the right way. Be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day, but watch out for the empty calories that many beverages contain, likefancy coffee drinks and sugary sodas that have lots of calories and very little, if any, nutrition. Water is a better choice.

Eat breakfast. You may want to sleep as late as possible, but you should make time for at least a quick breakfast to provide energy for the day. Something with protein and healthy carbohydrates, like Greek yogurt with fruit or a hard-boiled egg and whole-grain toast, is a good choice.

Snack smart. Keep healthy snacks handy for energy between meals or while studying. Nuts (a small handful), fruit, whole-grain crackers and cheese or hummus, and Greek yogurt are all good snack choices.

Ask for help. Feel free tosee a campus dietician or someone on the school's health services staff for suggestions on getting the nutrition you need.

You can ask dining hall managers or staff about foods being served and ways that you can better use university food services to meet your needs.

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