If you are heading off to college soon you may want to take note of these nutrition tips. Listed are ideas for eating healthy in the cafeteria and in your dorm room. These points should help make healthy eating easier.
- Keep a water bottle with you at all times. Just the sight of it will remind you to drink more water. Drink water with every meal.
- Keep a well-stocked fruit basket on a table in your dorm room.
- Stock a small refrigerator with vegetables, yogurt, whole grain bread, applesauce, snap peas and nuts.
- Don’t skip breakfast, but go ahead and skip some breakfast foods! Look for whole grain breads, oatmeal, fruit, fruit salad and granola. Skip the bacon, sausage, and greasy eggs.
- Occasionally substitute that cheeseburger and fries with a bean burrito, tuna wrap or chicken sandwich.
- Try fresh fruit, fruit salads, and fruit toppings when you want something sweet.
- Load up on fresh veggies at the salad bar as often as you can. Go for the nonfat dressing and limit cheese, bacon bits and croutons.
- Whenever possible choose 100% whole grain breads, tortillas, pastas and cereals.
- Limit juice to a small glass with breakfast. Orange and grapefruit juice are high in vitamin C.
- Don’t drink soda, it’s not a real food and does nothing for you nutritionally.
- Avoid breaded and fried foods. Breaded foods are loaded with fat from cooking oils.
- Be choosy at dinnertime; remember you don’t have to try everything. You’ll have another chance!
- Ask for grilled veggies or soup in place of fries.
- Stay away from vending machines.
- If you stay up late you are bound to get hungry. Instead of ordering a late night pizza, try having some fruit and a granola bar instead.
- Enjoy your baked potato or sweet potato with a small amount of cottage cheese or plain yogurt instead of loading it with butter, sour cream and bacon bits.
- Frequently enjoy vegetable soups and limit consumption of creamy soups.
- Enjoy salsa on your sandwich instead of mayonnaise. Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber and peppers are also great additions.
- Eat beans! Beans with rice, in burritos, in soups, chili and hummus. Beans are a great low-fat source of protein and keep you full for longer.
- Have nuts on hand when you need a quick snack in-between classes. Go for the unsalted raw kind found at a health food store in the refrigerated section.
- Allow yourself 2-3 reasonable treats per week so you don’t feel deprived.
