How to Eat Good in College (and Avoid Fifteen-Year-Old Freshmen)

Have you heard of the notorious ” Freshman 15 ” (or 20, or 30)? It is named after a phenomenon in which new college students are reported to gain an average of £ 15 by their sophomore year. Although there are many explanations for this weight gain, the main one is poor dietary choices. Don’t worry, we will help you with this.

Typically, many college campuses provide students with access to training facilities , tiered dining, nutritional classes, and health clinics if they know where to look. But I understand that when I am faced with liberation from the watchful eyes of my parents and the prospect of new experiences and the fulfillment of your favorite student fantasies of teenage films, healthy eating unsurprisingly takes up little space on your wish list, right under folding 386 paper cranes before the end. semester.

Are you doomed to gain 15 pounds?

At least not automatically.

Numerous studies have tried to assess if Freshman 15 really exists, but that’s just semantics. Don’t get me wrong, putting on noticeable weight in your first year (and while in college) is a very real possibility.

A study by the University of Utah Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences found that 1 in 4 study participants gained an average of 10 pounds during their first semester of college. It’s not even a whole year!

Not everyone will gain that much weight, if ever. Another Ohio study looked at 7,418 college students and found that the average student gains between £ 2.5 and £ 3.5 in his first year of college. It all depends on how you react to the influx of new dietary preferences and lifestyle choices.

Basically, this high school to college transition is the perfect time to learn about nutrition and weight management, and develop lifestyle habits that will serve you for a lifetime, in and out of school.

It’s about (energy) balance, yo

Your parents probably gave you some innate understanding of what is “good” and how to eat “in moderation.” However, I find that simply knowing how to define healthier foods pales in comparison to understanding the broader concept of energy balance (calories versus calories burned) and how that relates to weight.

After some time, it is the general energy balance that mainly determines the changes in your body. Simply put: if you consume more calories than you burn (through exercise, exercise, and basic body functions), you will gain weight over time. Conversely, eat less than you burn and you will lose weight over time.

The energy balance equation is simple thermodynamics, but in the context of the human body, it is not as static or predictable as it seems. Variables such as digestion and types of nutrients (fats, carbohydrates, fiber, alcohol and protein) that you consume, means that the caloric content that you see, say, on the product label, it is not something that will come (or go of it) in your diet. body. Anyway, the value is a little lower, but that doesn’t make it excuseful to throw too much food into the face hole.

I have seen crowds of health advocates on the Internet trying to downplay the impact of energy balance on weight by focusing on certain foods and demonizing others, but it is still possible to gain weight from overeating “healthy” foods. The reason you haven’t heard of someone gaining extra weight from overeating broccoli is because, first, it’s damn broccoli; second, it’s almost impossible to eat any meaningful amount of calories from vegetables before you decide you’d better shut your mouth than chew on another bite.

So, to make this information useful to you, you first need to calculate the approximate number of calories your body needs, or your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) . After that, you can, simply put, gain weight by consuming more calories , lose weight by consuming fewer calories, or maintain it by consuming more calories .

A word of caution: the math isn’t hard here. Individual metabolic rate, daily activity, exercise, water intake, and environment can and will affect how your body changes.

Basically, the body is not a math problem in which you can calculate the exact inputs and outputs. (And thank goodness because I’m not good at math.)

Your guide to dining in canteen

Canteen food usually means a portal to an impressive amount of pizza, burgers, fried chicken, and cookies as far as the eye can see. Because many college meal plans are all-you-can-eat, you can resist temptation with these general principles, O brave health-conscious warrior:

• Eat two or three times a day in the dining room: Save your trips to the dining room for a time when you can actually sit down and take your time to eat a hearty meal. Try not to go to the cafeteria just for the “light snack.”
• Pop into a salad bar: you can turn whatever you get into the dining room into a salad. Eat fiber vegetables to increase your food intake (not to mention the excellent micronutrients and fiber). If vegetables are low in fat, they usually contain fewer calories.
• Focus on protein: You should have access to an assortment of protein options: chicken, hamburger patties, lunch meats (although they may be higher in sodium), beans, eggs (hard-boiled or scrambled eggs), tofu, tuna, peanut butter, and T. D. Sometimes you may need a MacGyver. For example, if only fried chicken is available, remove the fried skins to preserve what is otherwise a great source of protein. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
• Use a large plate: Most health food recommendations scoff at this idea, asresearch has shown that the size of the bowl of food can affect how much you eat, despite hunger cues (and even taste). However, in a buffet setting, I find this strategy of taking a large plate, loading as much food into it as you can actually eat, and eating only that plate is physiological and psychological satisfaction. To solve this problem, focus on vegetables, then proteins, and finally, carbohydrate sources (such as beans, rice, and potatoes).
• Make Special Requests: Take control of your situation by asking food service workers to make changes. In my experience, many of them kindly accept reasonable changes and requests, like a burger without a bun. Just explain to them that you would rather eat what you can than waste food.
• Drink plenty of water: Drink water with your meals as it helps you feel full. You can often confuse hunger signals with mild dehydration.
• Avoid Calorie Consumption : I personally am not a fan of calories, especially from soda or fruit juices, so stay away from gushing drinks. Liquid calories are too easy to digest, let alone not satisfying. If you’re in a rush, a smoothie , glass of milk, or a bowl of soup will work, but you want this to be the exception, not the norm.
• Eat when you are a little hungry and until you are full: common sense, right? Except that common sense has its roots in gastronomic paradise, where it is easy to succumb to temptation and also ignore the signals of satiety. I say “slightly hungry” because when you get into full Kirby mode, you rely much less on healthy lifestyle choices and more anxious to squeeze something into your belly. Don’t worry if you can’t do it right from the start. These self-control tactics are actually quite advanced skills that can take time to develop.
• Sometimes it’s great to pamper yourself: Balancing a sensible diet wisely with moderate amounts of foods that make you happy too. The trick is not to deprive yourself entirely, but to find the minimum amount of treats that will satisfy you. This balance will be especially beneficial when you eat with friends who may have less healthy eating habits.
• The food will still be there tomorrow: just remember that even if this meatloaf seems to speak to your soul, you can still enjoy another meal tomorrow or at your next meal.

In general, do not eat like a moron. Just because Mom and Dad aren’t around doesn’t mean you can sabotage your long term health by eating clean crap all the time.

When you are not in the dining room

You spend an hour or two in the dining room. Hence, your dietary choices outside of these dining walls are just as important to your daily healthy eating strategy. Here are a few things to try or consider:

• Try intermittent fasting : This strategy of eating only for a limited amount of time and not eating at other times may work great for some people, but not everyone. Let’s say you don’t actually eat breakfast, and you still have morning classes in a row. Intermittent fasting allows you to fast until noon (or later) and then eat your first meal as you get close to it. Intermittent fasting has been proven to have many other health benefits if it works out to your schedule.
• Develop yourself: Take a course on basic principles of nutrition. Seriously, this is not the same as being forced to learn obscure mathematical equations that apply only to a specific context. Nutrition and health maintenance apply to all aspects of your life.
• Learn to cook in your dorm room: This is a great way to tailor the menu to your preferences. However, don’t expect dorm cooking to go out of the way for gourmets as most dorms are not properly equipped. This does not mean that you cannot prepare delicious and healthy food . (More on this below.)

Many campus menus follow a six-week or eight-week cycle, which means the menus are reset after this time interval. Inevitably, you will moan at the thought of eating some more food in the dining room. I know, I know – the horror of the first world food problem.

Eat well in your dorm room

While many people can visit caves around campus, you can also easily prepare a hearty meal in my own room in a hostel . As far as I know, in most canteens you can take small items such as fruit or sandwiches with you. In addition to this, it is a good idea to have a few non-perishable items on hand.

Here are some examples of food to keep in a dorm room:

• Nuts and peanut butter
• Dried fruit
• Oatmeal, rice, beans, tortillas, bread
• Canned vegetables
• Canned tuna or sardines
• Canned chicken
• Hot sauce, various sauces and spices (to make food more delicious)

Understandably, your dorm room is low on space. If space and budget permits, there are some kitchen utensils that can make preparing meals in your dorm easier.

• Can opener : Yes, he opens cans.
• Mini fridge: You can live without one, but having one will certainly help diversify your staple foods (e.g. eggs, egg whites, milk, etc.).
• Microwave: There is a long list of what you can cook in the microwave . Think about mugs, oatmeal , rice , eggs, and even salmon (ask your roommate first).
• Plastic food containers: There are very few things that can match the ability to store food and then transport it around campus with ease.
• Rice Cooker: Did you know that you can cook more than just rice in a rice cooker ? You can find some interesting non-rice recipes here and here .
• Magic Bullet Blender: Oh Magic Bullet, how I love you. I’ve mixed a lot of smoothies, sauces and guacamole with it and it’s surprisingly tiny – perfect for dorm rooms. Here are some recipes for smoothies and protein smoothies .
• George Foreman’s Grill: This handy grill is a little unusual for most dorm room residents, but if you have one, everyone on your floor will envy you. Think of the juicy steaks!

You don’t have to own all of these, but I’d say the microwave, rice cooker, and can opener are game-changers.

As a student, you will face a myriad of both exciting and serious stressors throughout your college career. Hopefully, with this healthier diet, they won’t be among them.

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