We all groan at the thought of college campus food and we often wonder if the rumored "freshman 15" is true. As a sophomore who happily declined her meal plan this year, I tried my best to keep the dreaded freshman 15 at bay. I’ve included a few tips to help you keep yourself on track for your first semester on campus. You don’t want to go home for Christmas and realize your jeans are far too tight and you still have the holiday season to get through.
The Dining Hall:
This is where you’ll be doing a majority of your eating. You have an array of food choices from the salad bar to the pizza trays to the oh so tempting pasta dishes. Usually, most items in the dining hall are an all you can eat kind of buffet. The calories and fat content of the food should be displayed by serving, however many students fill their plate with double, even triple the suggested serving size.
Before you pick up a plate and pile away, walk the entire dining hall to see your options. Watch your portion sizes and try to fill yourself up on soup, salad (dressing on the side), and veggies first. If that pasta is still calling you by name, serve yourself a dessert size dish which is smaller than your normal dinner plate.
If your campus offers food vendors, such as Subway or Chipotle, try to include lean meats, like grilled chicken or turkey. Skip the blended cheese and dressings such as mayo, ranch dressing, and even sour cream as these can pack on unhealthy fats and unnecessary calories. Choose whole wheat bread, or skip the bread all together and have yourself a healthy salad or burrito bowl!
Stay Active!
It’s easy to sit in your dorm room after your classes and turn on your TV before you hit the books for a major cram session. Avoid that temptation and before you head home for the day, go to your campus gym, even if you’re only there for 30 minutes. That 30 minutes spent in the gym can help reduce stress and clear your mind before you have to spend all night studying. If your schedule is jam packed, you can still make sure you’re staying active by walking to all your classes instead of riding the bus, and taking the stairs to your room.
Keep healthy items in your fridge
If you don’t have time to go to the dining hall for every meal, keep healthy foods stocked in your room. It’s easy to make yourself a bowl of oatmeal with chopped bananas and nuts to keep you full until lunch time. Keeping healthy items on hand will prevent you from hitting up the vending machines for potato chips and candy bars!
What other healthy tips can you suggest to our readers? Do you have any concerns with the Freshman 15, and if so what are you going to do to prevent it?
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