Limited eating options
Photo courtesy of Peri McIntosh
Eating healthy is a much easier thing to do when you're the one doing the grocery shopping and cooking. (Or if you're just extremely wealthy and you can hire a nutritionist and chef to take care of all your cooking for you). However, many of us college students depend on a meal plan for our sustenance. This limits the options for food, but also provides us with the convenience of having meals made for us.
Just as navigating the grocery takes some self-control and discretion, so does navigating the cafeteria. A good rule of thumb I've learned is to put a variety of colors on my plate. Now I don't mean colors that come from artificial dyes and other additives, but fruits, vegetables and other foods with various natural colors. Also, load up on the plants. Fruits, vegetables, and salads. Take advantage of them all. You can't go wrong with these and it's tough to get too much of them. When you eat meat, try to avoid the red meats and go for poultry, or even better, fish.
There's a Chinese proverb that sums this up well, saying, 'Eating what stands on one leg [mushrooms and other plants] is better than eating what stands on two legs [fowl], which is better than eating what stands on four legs [cows, pigs, and other mammals].'
The other downfall of the cafeteria: dessert. It's so easy to grab an extra cookie'or five'when they are sitting there ready to go and calling your name. But treats should be treated like treats. Having dessert is not a bad thing, as long as you aren't having a dessert every day with every meal. Just because you have the option of eating unlimited amounts of cake, doesn't mean you should take advantage of that option. You can also put soda into the desserts category. Drink water as much as you can and treat soft drinks as a special occasion treat.
As you eat, take your time. Don't rush through a meal, but eat slowly and appreciate it. This will help you to avoid over eating and allow you to listen to your body to find out when you're full.
