Tips for eating healthy in college

Here are some tips for avoiding the Freshman 15 from Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Angie Dye and Lebanon Valley College Associate Professor of Philosophy Robert Valgenti.

• Be thoughtful about what you eat. Every time you consume food, a choice was made by someone – yourself, your parents, or society, Valgenti said. You can take back control simply by being mindful.
• Some college students binge-eat because you have to pay for each meal, but they are all-you-can-eat. Consider a cheap breakfast item so you aren’t starving later, even if your meal plan doesn’t include breakfast, Dye said. “When you get to lunch, you can eat it in a mindful way and not feel like you’re stocking up for a famine that is coming.”   
• If the college doesn’t offer good vegetable and fruit options, consider forking out a few extra bucks for your own salad ingredients, Dye said. It’s hard to put a price on your health.
• Try to get enough sleep and avoid extremely late bedtimes, Dye said. The body wants a fourth meal when there is too much time between dinner and bedtime.
• If you must stay up late to finish a project – and, let’s face it, most college students will at least some of the time – take a break to eat a snack rather than grazing while doing your homework, Dye said.
• Pay attention to the basics. As illustrated in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate diagram, about half of each plate should be fruits and vegetables, with only a small amount of dairy included.

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