So, there's this horrifying thing called "freshman 15" that everyone hears about as they enter their first year of college. Well, lucky for you I have experience plenty of dorm food in my day so I have some tips on how to eat healthy and avoid the horrifying "freshman 15."
First things first, avoid the pizza. It tastes like cardboard anyway and it's totally overrated. Going away to college and getting a meal plan is super exciting for college students because we are typically excited to eat whatever we want, whenever we want (aka eat all the pizza we want 24/7). But no! Rule number one, avoid the pizza! P.S. I hate to break it to you, but you must also avoid the baked goods. They are frozen and then thawed (ick) and they sit out for hours, not my cup of tea and definitely shouldn't be yours.
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When you're looking for a nice meal, you should for sure hit up your sandwich station to make the finest chicken wrap (make sure to steal some chicken from the salad station). When you want to add a sauce to it but don't want the extra calories, I totally recommend using hummus! Healthy fats and low in calories. Don't forget to use a whole wheat wrap! I also recommend getting the meals the cafeteria prepares for you, but stick with getting veggies and red skins to keep it nutritious.
If you're school is blessed with Mongolian BBQ like CMU is, you should for sure take advantage of it. Make sure to pick lots of veggies, and also stick with brown rice rather than noodles. And if you're looking to be super healthy, substitute the sugary, high-calorie sauce for some hot sauce or soy instead. P.S. Remember that salad station I previously mentioned?
Yeah, eat a salad every day. But I warn you, you'll get sick of it. The beauty of having Mongolian BBQ is because you can use their meat to put in your salad! Make sure to pick the fat free dressings/low calorie ones ... they taste just as good.
Everyone loves breakfast, don't deny it. But eating healthy when there is unlimited waffles and french toast offered is hard! So, get an egg white omelette. This way you can mix it up with different veggies, stay full, get protein and stay healthy (I like mine with feta and hot sauce, just sayin').
When it comes to snacking, I really recommend doing celery and peanut butter. I am also a fruit fiend, so I can never pass up a bowl of fresh cut fruit. Yup, simple as that. It never gets old and it's super healthy.
The tricky part about the cafeteria at colleges is you think you are limited with choices, but really you have to be clever and make up your own meals and snacks. Not only is diet a part of avoiding the freshman 15, but working out is as well. Make sure to get your exercise in! And nope, I am not a part of the freshman 15 statistic and if you eat well you won't be either!
