Let’s face it, the UNH dining halls are filled with healthy and unhealthy choices. Avoiding the freshman 15 can be one of the hardest things to do when coming to college. When a person walks into HOCO or any other dining hall the first options that they see are fried and unhealthy foods. Here are some tips to navigate the dining halls for the healithest options!
HOCO: Holloway Commons
Tip #1: Stay away from the greasy fried foods! When you first walk into HOCO the pizza station is right there, and during lunch the grill usually has fries, chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers…just keep walking. But during dinner the grill usually has healthy options like veggie burgers, grilled pineapple, salmon, and at times sweet potatoes.
Tip #2: Try the stir-fry station! The stir-fry station is filled with fresh vegetables and meats for you to combine. At the stir-fry station they offer steak, chicken or shrimp. Shrimp and chicken are filled with protein and low fat contents. Skip the teriyaki sauce at the end and put tomatoes or pineapple into your stir-fry to make a healthy sauce! Tofu is also a great choice too, it adds variety and can be an alternative for meat! Trust me its worth the wait.
Tip #3: Fresh Fruit! HOCO always has the best fruit selection compared to the other dining halls. HOCO always has a plentiful amount of bananas and apples (in which there are more than 3 varieties to choose from daily!). Bananas are great to add to cereal in the morning or with a sandwich during lunch. Eating a banana a day makes you feel fuller and is also a great post workout snack. HOCO also has specialty fruit at times like kiwis and peaches when they are in season.
Philly: Philbrook
Tip #4: Breakfast bar. Need I say more? The typical college student can survive off breakfast food. An omelet or egg scramble for dinner is one of my favorite choices. Choosing egg whites compared to regular eggs is a great choice to make. Egg whites have less fat compared to regular eggs. Whole eggs are filled with saturated fat and cholesterol. Filling your omelet of scramble with fresh spinach, tomatoes, broccoli and all the other different types of vegetables keeps you fuller longer without the extra calories.
Stillings:
Tip #5: The Stillings salad bar get special attention due to all the extras that are available to add in. Located in the same area as the dressings there are options such as artichoke hearts, a variation of beans, and corn, along with other fun choices. A lot of these special additives are only found in the Stillings salad bar so take advantage of them!
Tips for all the dining halls:
1. The sandwich and deli bar is always the go to choice for when you don’t like any of the main choices. When making a sandwich stick to the whole wheat/multigrain products. White breads have lots of preserves and more sugar. Wheat/multigrain products are packed with more fiber, vitamins B6 and vitamin E. Pita bread is also low in calories and high in fiber as well!
2. Also be mindful in what you choose to put in your sandwich. Instead of topping your sandwich with mayonnaise try putting guacamole (only found at Stillings) or hummus. These are both healthy and are a better choice. Guacamole is made from avocados and hummus is made from chickpeas, which are both great sources of healthy fats that are needed for you body.
3. The more color you have on your plate the better! If you only see a lot of brown on your plate you may want to change that. The more leafy greens, reds (from peppers or apples for example), and oranges you have on your plate means that you are making healthier choices!
Although it may not seem like it, UNH dining is ranked among the top dining halls in the nation. UNH dining caters to the students and takes into consideration our thoughts and wants as a consumer. They are always coming up with new ideas to bring in locally grown foods to increase sustainability by having theme nights and making healthy dining more appealing to everyone.