The second you walk into Eick you’re faced with thousands of choices and begin to ask yourself, should I get the white bread with less calories, or the whole-wheat bread? Egg whites, or regular eggs? How about the frozen yogurt, is it really that bad for you?
We know that picking healthy meals in college can be challenging with the variety of options available to you. But don’t fret! We met up with our on-campus registered dietician, Jeanne Molloy, who gave us a crash course in healthy eating at the College. Here’s what we learned:
Breakfast
Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A healthy breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism and motivate you to eat healthy throughout the rest of the day.
Jeanne says the ideal breakfast has fiber-filled whole grains and fruits or veggies, with a serving of protein.
A great breakfast option is whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a sliced banana on top. According to Jeanne, peanut butter is an excellent way to get protein and, in moderation, it is a part of a very healthy diet.
Jeanne also says whole wheat toast with a veggie-packed omelet is a great option. Egg yolks tend to get a bad rep because of their cholesterol, but Jeanne says, “some cholesterol is actually good for your body, so egg yolks can be a part of a healthy diet.”
However, if you’re trying to limit your calorie intake, she suggests opting for egg whites because they are “an extremely lean source of protein, yet very low in calories.”
What is the Balanced Way?
You see it everywhere it Eick—“Eat the Balanced Way!” But what does it really mean? Jeanne explains that the Balanced Way is an approach to meal planning that can be very helpful for maintaining a healthy diet.
“According to the Balanced Way, 1/2 of our plates should be filled with fruit or veggies, ¼ should contain lean meat, and the other ¼ should consist of fiber rich whole grains,” says Jeanne.
“We need to be getting between 20 and 35 grams of fiber a day, but most Americans only get 10 to 12,” she adds.
How can we incorporate the Balanced Way and fiber into our lunches and dinners? Jeanne suggests adding vegetables to fiber-rich whole grain rice paired with either grilled or rotisserie chicken. Both forms of chicken are prepared in ways that melt away excess fat.
“Tofu is considered a very lean protein, meaning it is low in calories and fat,” Jeanne adds, so it would be a “great protein substitute for vegetarians, or anyone trying to cut calories from their diet.”
The Wok can be one of the healthiest dinner options if you do it right, “use plenty of veggies, add lean meat, and opt for the whole grain rice for fiber,” Jeanne suggests.
No dressing or sauce would be ideal because you can avoid the sodium, she says, but if you need a kick of flavor, go for the sweet and sour sauce on the side.
Dessert
Okay, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: What about dessert?
While we don’t think a tray of cookies and a slice of cheesecake in one sitting would be in your best interest, there is definitely nothing wrong with dessert. One cookie is 180 calories and you’ve been eating healthy all week—you deserve it!
For days that you’re feeling slightly ambitious and want to continue your healthy eating streak, Jeanne suggests opting for desserts with the Balanced Way label.
“Each Balanced Way option is under 300 calories, has less that 35% calories from fat, less than 250 mg of sodium and at least one gram of fiber,” she says.
Jeanne says frozen yogurt “is actually one of the healthier dessert options because it is made with skim milk and is completely fat free.” So, frozen yogurt really isn’t that bad!
The Tools for Healthy Eating
Lucky for us, we are given so many tools to help us plan healthy meals here at the College. We just need to take advantage of them! Sodexo provides us with a database full of nutrition facts and recipes for every possible food you would ever find in good ol’ Eick.
In addition to online assistance, anyone with a meal plan is entitled to a free consultation with our fabulous registered dietician on campus, Jeanne Molloy. She has guided countless students to healthier lifestyles, and you can be one of them!