You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy an extra large pepperoni pizza. Same thing, right? Right! Unless, say, you’re lactose intolerant. Or vegan. Or hate pizza. Okay, the last one is unlikely, but you get the point! Junk food is great unless you can’t have any. So what do you do when you’re a college student and you’re main source of food is filled with ice cream and french fries? Here are seven tips for surviving the dining hall.
1. Cook Up Some New Ideas
Just because a plate is served with mashed potatoes and chicken doesn’t mean you have to eat both of them! With all of the condiments and sides served in the dining halls, you don’t have to stick with the prepared meals. By coming up with your own food combinations, you can easily find meals that fulfill your dietary requirements and feed your soul.
2. Service With A Smile
Just because you can’t eat ice cream (or your forbidden equivalent), doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what you eat. By depriving yourself, you’ll only make it harder to avoid those certain foods.
3. Q and A The Cook
If you want to eat something but aren’t sure if you can, ask! You don’t want to risk eating something that could potentially harm you but you also don’t want to deprive yourself.
4. Change Your Language, Change Your Results
Sometimes it’s not about what you’re food isn’t, it’s about what it is. Try not to think of your “dietary restrictions” as “restrictions.” You aren’t in food prison. By eating and not eating certain foods, you’re enjoying a new array of dietary options you may not have tried otherwise. A good mood is the key to good food!
5. Ditch The Dining Hall
Sometimes you just can’t find the foods you need in the dining hall. Thankfully, we have dining points. Buick Street is a good option for the chefs of the world. Instead of guessing what is in your food, now you can know for sure.
6. Practice Makes Perfect
Sometimes we make mistakes. Unfortunately, for some, those mistakes mean upset stomachs or moral dilemmas. All we can do is try better next time. Luckily, there are a lot of food options that make mistakes easier to avoid!
7. Be You and Call BU
If there are not enough options in the dining hall and restaurants on campus, set up a personal counselling session at the BU Sargent Nutrition Center to discuss all your food options.
Remember, food can be fun! Just make sure to take care of yourself.