Eating Healthy on the College Meal Plan

If you want to continue eating healthy in college, you will need to find a way to avoid eating just fast food. You may want to try fast food for a while, since it is the most convenient, but after a few weeks of this diet, you will start feeling the aftereffects of greasy fast food. Constipation is one side effect. You may also feel sluggish and bloated, especially if you’ve been eating mostly home cooked dishes all your life.

Sooner or later, you will have to find food that resembles what you used to eat at home. Every school has a meal plan for its students, with some schools offering better dining options than others. There are colleges that serve meals in a common dining hall, without giving the students the option to eat out. Others have collaborated with nearby restaurants, extending the coverage of the students’ meal plan. Some schools are well-prepared for the needs of their students and have set up cafeterias in each residence hall for dorm inhabitants to use.

Regardless of the type of meal plan your school is offering, there are ways to eat healthy without having to spend money outside your meal plan.

EAT BREAKFAST

Carbohydrates give you the energy you need to start your day right, and are best eaten during breakfast. Bread, rice, cereals and pancakes, along with eggs and sausages, will sustain you for the rest of the morning until lunch time. You need to make time for breakfast because you don’t know whether you’ll be too busy to eat lunch or not. If you’ve always skipped breakfast, this is the time to create a new habit. Eating breakfast is one of the easiest ways to keep your focus during the day. If you’ve eaten a lot in the morning, you can go through the day without getting too hungry or too tired.

PROTEINS AND FIBER

Because you’ve loaded up on carbs in the morning, you can concentrate on other nutritional needs during lunch and dinner. Proteins can come in the form of lean meat (hamburger steak, chicken, etc.) and legumes. Fiber-rich foods like vegetables and fruits can be eaten during snack times, or after dinner. Eating a light salad in the evening can be a good option if you want to eat a heavy lunch.

Fiber is important in your diet, especially during the first weeks. Why This is because you may find it difficult to schedule your bathroom breaks, particularly when you have to share the toilet with other people. In fact, many new students find it impossible to use the toilets initially because they’re finding it difficult to adjust to the new environment. To avoid constipation, which may lead to more serious problems later on, you should try your best to eat food that will encourage regular bowel movement.

Homesick Home cooked food is not always available, and unless you have a way of freezing your food, it’s extremely inconvenient to ask your parents to send some food to sustain you. You can choose to eat food that’s familiar to you, once a week.

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