College is the perfect spawning ground for bad habits and bad eating choices. It is the first time you have the opportunity to choose for yourself what you will eat and when you will eat it. It is a wonderful freedom but can cause havoc with your body. Then there are the odd hours students tend to keep because of fun parties or big papers due which can promote eating lots of starchy snack foods, often with alcohol, which also tends to be high in calories. And if this wasn’t bad enough, for some reason, maybe because there is not a requirement to participate in sports activities, college students get less exercise as part of a daily routine. It is easy to see how those “Freshman 15” pounds add up.
There is a way to combat the pounds creeping up while still enjoying the freedom of choice and new experiences in college. The easy answers are to make healthier eating choices in the cafeteria, build in routine exercise and adhere to a regular sleep routine. There is another easy step that is often over looked that can really help manage your eating habits-- set up your dorm room with healthy eats so when you do get hungry or have the munchies at odd hours what you have on hand provides better choices.
Here are some easy ways to set yourself up for healthy eats in your dorm room:
- Splurge on a fun basket or bowl and always keep it filled with fresh fruit
- Instead of buying popcorn to microwave, invest in an air popper to make fresh popcorn without any oil or heavy doses of salt
- No dorm room would be complete without a hot water kettle for making coffee, tea, low-sugar cocoa or low-sodium cups of soup
- Make sure your mugs and bowls are right-sized so you don’t end up double-portioning your healthy eats
- Foods to have on hand in addition to fresh fruit—PB2, Low sugar jam, popcorn to pop, lower calorie crackers (Melba Toast), whole raw nuts (almond, walnut, pecans), canned sardines, tuna and/or salmon, and mustard
- If you are fortunate enough to have a refrigerator then think of buying fresh prepared vegetables and hummus for healthy snacking. And for cold drinks avoid juices and sugared drinks. Instead stock up on flavored waters or zero calorie sodas.
- Have a designated area where you eat in your dorm. Being mindful that you are eating is a great way to notice what you are eating and being aware when you are full.
I don’t recommend a microwave. Most of the foods you cook in a microwave are prepackaged and highly processed. This means they have ingredients that are not so healthy for you already added in like salt, fat, sugar, artificial coloring and preservatives. They can also be higher in calories. It is better to stick with fresh, whole foods for your dorm room healthy eats to avoid the “Freshman 15”.
Enjoy! And Live Vibrant!
