College & Healthy Eating

Help! I’m In College and I Can’t Eat Healthy.

When you have control over what you stock in your fridge, the ability to eat healthy is at your discretion. On the other hand, college students who are on a university meal plan are faced with a whole different set of seemingly complex nutritional issues. Here are some things you can do in college to make the best of a bad situation.

1) Decrease your on campus meal plan. You can get as many as 6 meals/day or as few as 3. If your university does not have food you would typically eat, then don’t waste your money. Decreasing your meal plan, reduces the opportunities for temptation and mindless eating. You are also saving money that can be spent on better food choices.

2) Go for broke in the cafeteria. YOU are paying school fees that include food. On rare occasions when the cafeteria has a healthier choice of foods such as grilled fish or low-fat granola cereal, get as much as you can and take it back to your dorm! At least you can eat “better” for a few more days. I remember sneaking Tupperware containers into the “cafe” so I could fill up on cereal and fruit. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was on a tight budget, so I learned make the most of my meal plan and my money.

3) Get to know the cafeteria staff. These are the people who prepare your food. A lot of students are rude to them. If you are friendly, they know you who you are, and you explain that you are trying to eat healthier, they may be able to help you. When I attended Kentucky State University and Prairie View A&M University, I befriended the staff so well that they fixed black bean burgers, veggie hot dogs, baked potatoes, and salads for me on a regular basis. The food was made to order so it was fresh. See, it does pay to be nice!

4) Keep staple foods in your dorm (if possible). Oatmeal, whole grain crackers, & protein powder, will last unrefrigerated. Use these as emergency foods, snacks, or to add on to a meal if necessary. It helps keep temptation at bay and is much better than a late night run for some hot wings.

5) Volunteer in the weight room/rec center. You can often gain unlimited access to the equipment for odd hour workouts (definitely comes in handy during finals week). You can also get to know many of the coaches who periodically receive free samples of supplements and workout gear.  I recall many times I was able to workout after the weight room closed or even got free apparel b/c I knew the individual working the facility. Use this to your advantage. Hey, life is about who you know, right?

Although it is not as great as having your own freshly stocked refrigerator, you can certainly learn to make the college cafeteria work for you rather than against you. Like everything else in life, it is a choice YOU have to make. How bad do you want it? Only you can decide!