Eating healthy in college can be hard: we’ve all either experienced or heard the stories of the dreaded freshmen fifteen. There’s so many factors that us as students have no control over. We are either subjected to our college’s meal plan or to buy food (which none of us have the time or the money for). So, the key isn’t necessarily healthy eating but smart eating: which with the right tips is achievable, even on a meal plan.
1. Pack Snacks. Pack healthy snacks (grab some fruit, veggies, or other alternatives to-go from the dinning hall even) in your bag. Often we come out of back to back classes starved and then bing eat whatever we lay our eyes on. Packing and portioning snacks will help keep you full and avoid binge eating.
2. Look at Nutritional Information. Emerson’s dining hall gives you the nutritional information of the food being served right at each station or online if you want to check the day’s options in advance. Also, this year with the addition of Einstein Bros Bagels comes the option of healthy menu items. Specifically listed on the board at EmCaf, Einstein Bro’s displays healthy options and their calorie counts. This helps you avoid being tricked into eating something you think is healthy but is really the opposite.
3. Plan Ahead. If you know you’re going out with friends to dinner and want to treat yourself go ahead, but don’t gorge on food all day. If you really are craving some ice cream or a treat, don’t deny yourself, plan ahead for your guilty pleasure snack and watch what you eat the rest of the day or make an extra effort to hit the gym. Denying yourself a night out or your favorite treat isn’t going to help eating better, it’ll just make the whole experience less enjoyable and lead to a short lived attempt at smart eating. Planning ahead can allow you to feel good about what you’ve eaten that day and still treat yourself.
4. Substitute. While yes you can, and should, allow yourself treats and cheat days don’t always use that as an excuse for eating junk food. Eating a bag of gummy worms or a F’real everyday no longer makes it a cheat day, there is no smart eating plan to cheat on. Instead, pick satisfying alternatives both in taste and the feeling it gives your body (although healthier options in the long run always feel better for your body).
Often when you’re craving certain things it’s because your body feels as if its missing a nutrient, so replace those unhealthy craving foods with the smart alternative. For chocolate cravings try nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Want a sugar fix? Try dairy, meat, fruit, nuts, and veggies instead. Craving carbs? Eat foods high in protein instead like nuts, beans, fish and meat. Want the saltiness of McDonald’s fries? Instead, try some cashews and other nuts. On top of fulfilling your craving these foods are more filling and some of the fruits, nuts, and veggies boost your metabolism and are super foods that do things like reduce belly fat and give you added health benefits.
5. Portion. Smart eating doesn’t mean excluding food from your diet, it’s learning to portion what you eat to what’s appropriate. Your plate at dinner shouldn’t be all grains and carbs, or filled with meat and protein. Ideally, one-half of your plate should be fruits and veggies, one-fourth grains, and one-fourth protein. At the dining hall there is always a veggie, protein and grain option offered in order to help you achieve the balance of a perfect plate.
Portioning especially applies to snacking. Don’t sit with a bag of tortilla chips and guacamole while watching television and mindlessly eat. Look at the serving size and portion out how much you’re going to eat in a bowl. This goes for “healthier options” too, moderation is key because there can be too much of a good thing.