Hey everyone,
I am going to college next fall and am a little apprehensive about the food choices I'll have there. I am a self-diagnosed health nut and love to eat and exercise, but I am worried that because I have a 13 meal/week meal plan on campus and I don't want to have to depend on fast food and vending machines. Sure, there will probably be salads and fruits/veggies in some places, but I don't want to have to spend a bunch of time every day searching for them. I am extremely happy with my current lifestyle and don't want to have to change it so much in the next year just because of different living conditions. Any personal experiences, suggestions, or advice for this? Thanks!
Tell them you don't want to be on their meal plan because their options are not healthy enough. Tell them specifically why their options are not healthy enough for you. They will make an allowance.
I think you will be surprised at the quality of the foods on campus these days. Sure, you can still find big stacks of French Fries and greasy burgers, but you will also find a much wider variety of fruits and veggies, vegitarian options and low fat/cal items.
Make it a priority in your first week (or on a visit) to locate all the food options in your area as well as the hours they are open. Some of the smaller 'cafe' type choices will probably have better choices than your regular dining hall. Find these places and buy food there when you can. You can also stock yourself up with fruit and veggies(fresh, or frozen if you can, since that way it wont go bad and waste $$) and easy to make things like tuna, plain oatmeal and yogurt. You will need this kind of stuff anyway for the days you can't or don't want to go to the dining hall or you have used all your meals for the week.
I dont think you are really going to have a problem while you are there, your healthy eating habits that are already ingrained in you will keep you on track. I think the problem for most people is that they always ate junk, and going to college with unlimited supplies of junk, they just eat way more and end up gaining weight.
BTW: To Jessica- 13 meal plan means you can visit the dining hall up to 13 times in the week for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Usually, the dining hall is unlimited and will vary the choices, kind of like in school (Friday Pizza Day! ) but with much more in the way of choices.
I think you will be surprised at the quality of the foods on campus these days. Sure, you can still find big stacks of French Fries and greasy burgers, but you will also find a much wider variety of fruits and veggies, vegitarian options and low fat/cal items.
Make it a priority in your first week (or on a visit) to locate all the food options in your area as well as the hours they are open. Some of the smaller 'cafe' type choices will probably have better choices than your regular dining hall. Find these places and buy food there when you can. You can also stock yourself up with fruit and veggies(fresh, or frozen if you can, since that way it wont go bad and waste $$) and easy to make things like tuna, plain oatmeal and yogurt. You will need this kind of stuff anyway for the days you can't or don't want to go to the dining hall or you have used all your meals for the week.
I dont think you are really going to have a problem while you are there, your healthy eating habits that are already ingrained in you will keep you on track. I think the problem for most people is that they always ate junk, and going to college with unlimited supplies of junk, they just eat way more and end up gaining weight.
BTW: To Jessica- 13 meal plan means you can visit the dining hall up to 13 times in the week for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Usually, the dining hall is unlimited and will vary the choices, kind of like in school (Friday Pizza Day! ) but with much more in the way of choices.
Hey there!! i just went off to college this year and i will share with you my experience!! well first of all.. i wanted to ask did you mean that you HAD to get that meal plan.. or you CHOSE to get it?
now here's about what my school has... the main dining hall is buffet style. there is junk food like pizza and burgers and fries. there's also a salad bar with veggies and also a sandwich bar where you can make your own sandwiches! there is a part with mexican food and then a part they change all the time. they always have some kinds of veggies out there.. and theres a basket with fruit that you can get! theres a good mixture of both healthy and bad foods. we also have different places to go eat at.. they have your normal junk food, sandwiches, DELICIOUS wraps! so i am sure your school will offer lots of different meal options. ours for the meal plan is buffet style.. do you happen to know if yours is like that?
however.. i didnt get a meal plan this semester bc theyre kinda expensive here... like $7 a meal... i had 110 meals a semester (7 per week) but i thought they would transfer over to the next semester if i didnt finish.. WRONG. i had to rush them all in at the end! haha
Thanks for all the input.
Bootylicious - Yeah, I had to sign up for a meal plan - the largest option was 20 meals/week! I'm hoping my campus offers a buffet style menu like yours - I know that each residence hall has a different theme..like one is mexican, one italian, etc..so hopefully there are some healthier choices mixed in.
That's a good idea to locate all of the healthier food options when I visit again, I never really thought about doing that beforehand.
I didn't get a meal plan in college, but I did eat on campus quite often, and I must say the choice were pretty good. The main dining hall had a buffet with just about anything, from pizza, burgers, fries to salads and healthier protein chocies. Then, we had a few fast food places on campus. Not the best choices, but there was a Wendy's, which seems to be one of the better fast food choices with salads and baked potatoes. I think I did ok through college, although there was definitely room for improvement. I was just more apt to go where all my friends were going instead of going somewhere alone. Good luck! You seem to know what you want, so you will do fine.
) but with much more in the way of choices.
