Eating healthy at the U can be difficult when third floor DeNaples has all the ice cream and pizza a person could want. The Freshman-30 definitely hit me hard, but with the right knowledge and motivation, I realized you can eat healthy and enjoy some treats in moderation!
1. Know what you’re eating before you eat it!
I always check third floor menu online before going to eat there. If you google “University of Scranton campus dish” you can see all the options for the week for each meal and the nutritional facts.
2. Switch it up!
Eating the same meal three to four times a week gets boring. One of my favorite places to eat on campus is Einstein Bagels, located in Leahy Hall. If you have an early morning class in Leahy or Hyland, wake up a few minutes earlier to grab the asparagus, and mushroom egg white on a thintastic bagel! It consists of an egg white, cheese and roasted asparagus and sautéed mushrooms with a tomato spread.
3. Use your flex.
Late night is the most tempting time to eat unhealthy. The bacon egg and cheese from the grill works is all I want to eat after a long day, but stay strong! I usually stock up on some fruit cups, yogurt and hummus from the refrigerated section with my flex when I am craving a late night snack.
4. The Pod is your best friend.
Unfortunately, if you are a freshman, your meal swipe doesn’t cover the pod, but you can always use flex! For lunch if I want something quick and healthy, I usually grab a side salad of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with no dressing and a piece of grilled chicken. This combination does not go over the meal swipe, but figure out what you like on a side salad and see if it fits under the meal swipe! I feel full and healthy whenever I eat this combination!
5. Feed you hunger.
One of the worst mistakes I made while trying to diet freshman year was eating too little during the day, and then binge eating at night. If you do not feel full or are still hunger, EAT! Starving yourself will just increase your hunger and deplete your energy level.
6. Treat the gym like a class.
Living a healthy lifestyle is half eating and half exercising. Make it a priority to exercise! Women’s Health Magazine recommends 150 minutes of physical activity per week, which can easily be broken up for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Figure out what works best for you! Jogging for 30 minutes a day on an hour break in between classes will help you in the long run!
7. Avoid artificial sugar!
I love used to eat larabars and any granola bar from the mini pod until I realized one larabar has 20 grams of sugar!!!! The recommended amount of sugar for women is 25 grams and for men 38 grams. Avoid sugar in your coffee as well. I gradually started to cut artificial sugar out of my diet, and now only drink skim milk in my Starbucks coffee.