Dining Hall

Dining Halls are a health challenge unique to college students. Younger people’s eating habits are largely dictated by what they’re parents eat, and graduates have the opportunity to shop for themselves. So, you can view the dining hall as an opportunity to break from any unhealthy habits that your family may have or a chance to eat well without directly footing the bill yourself. Dining halls are notorious for the unlimited availability of high calorie foods; dragging college students toward the Freshman 15. Here are some tips on how to eat healthily in the dining hall.

Drop the tray. One of my friends taught me about this in February of my freshman year and I wish I’d learned it sooner. Having a tray makes it easy to load up on food as you wander your way through the dining hall. It is easy to end up with more than you’d ever consider eating. Having one, decently sized plate makes you watch your portions and be more conscious of the food you’re picking up. According to the New York Times, already "scores of colleges and universities across the country are shelving the trays in hopes of conserving water, cutting food waste, softening the ambience and saving money. Some even believe trayless cafeterias could help avoid the dreaded “freshman 15” — the number of pounds supposedly gained in the first year on campus (and on all-you-can-eat meal plans)." (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/nyregion/29tray.html?scp=2&sq=Without%20Cafeteria%20Trays,%20Colleges%20Cut%20Water%20Use%20and%20Calories&st=cs

Plan your meals. Many universities post weekly and monthly menus in advance. While you’re cruising the Internet in your before lunch class, look at your dining halls offerings for that day. If you’ve decided on what to eat before hand, you’re less likely to pick up something unhealthy on impulse.

Think about your choices. All dining halls have some basic offerings on a day-to-day basis. Create a chart of Healthy, Moderately Healthy, Moderately Unhealthy, and I Risk a Heart Attack by Simply Consuming This. I would recommend having two-thirds of each meal be from the Healthy, and one-third from the Moderately Healthy. On days where I’ve done my government suggested 30 minutes of cardio, I can reward myself with one or two small items from the Moderately Unhealthy column. And, try to eat sparingly, if ever, from the truly Unhealthy column.

HEALTHY	MODERATELY HEALTY	MODERATELY UNHEALTY	UNHEALTHY
Grilled Chicken Steamed Broccoli Yogurt Cottage Cheese Carrot sticks Sweet Potatoes Sliced Turkey Salad	Whole grain pasta Scrambled Eggs Roast Beef Rice Taco Meat Spinach bake Breaded Fish Sandwich Bread	Tuna Salad French Fries Hamburgers Hash Browns Chicken Strips Frozen Yogurt Pizza Oatmeal cookies	Mozzarella Sticks Creamy Pastas Cake Chicken Pot Pie Mashed Potatoes Fruit Loops Pancakes Bread sticks

Watch your portions. If you’re using a plate instead of a tray, this should be easier. Still, try to limit yourself to one carbohydrate each meal, but feel free to eat as many green vegetables as you like. Ideally your plate should look something like this