Question
“Dear Josephine Miner,
How do you eat healthy while being in college? The freshman fifteen is proving itself to be true. It’s so hard not to eat poorly when stressed out about classes and the dining options on campus are full of unhealthy choices.
Sincerely, Parker”
Answer
Dear Parker,
Many students struggle with their weight while in college. Missouri S&T offers a wide variety of meal options which is great considering the range of diversity, but not all options are healthy. For those with no willpower unhealthy foods are too accessible, but the following tips can help students start to have healthier eating habits. At Thomas Jefferson dining hall meals are buffet style where students can have unlimited plates of a variety of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is a great option for some students, however it can lead to overeating. When eating at Thomas Jefferson try to limit yourself to just one (two plates if you have a more active lifestyle). Make sure to always have a fruit or vegetable with every meal and only have one starch per meal. Also, make sure to always have some sort of protein with every meal, even if it’s a non-traditional protein.
The Havener Center has a multitude of dining options including: Einstein Bros Bagels, Rustic Range, Mondo’s Subs, Chick-fil-A, Za’tar, and the food court. At Einstein’s bagels, breakfast sandwiches or lunch sandwiches can all be made healthier by asking for the bagel to be thinned. Einstein’s can thin bagels by trimming off excess bagel from the top and bottom half to cut calories around twenty five percent from a meal. Sandwiches still taste just as yummy even with less bagel. Another tip is to use reduced fat schmear, which comes in 6 different flavors! At Rustic Range, try asking for the burger or sandwich to be on a lettuce wrap. Another option is to not eat the bun at all, especially if you intend to eat french-fries as well. This advice is also relevant for Chick-fil-A eaters. Don’t eat the bun on the sandwich and try to alternate between getting a crispy chicken sandwich (or nuggets) and a grilled chicken sandwich (or nuggets). Again, limiting to one starch per meal can really help maintain and manage weight.
The Mexican bar in the Havener food court is a great option for healthier eating. Try sticking to ordering taco salads (without the tortilla shell bowl) and rice bowls. Avoid any options that include flour tortillas like quesadillas or burritos. Burritos usually include rice which means you’ll be doubling up on carbohydrates. Flour tortillas are less nutritious and more caloric than corn tortilla, so stick to hard taco shells or nachos if that is a must have. Make sure to load up on as many vegetables and beans when ordering from the Mexican bar.
Overall, try to avoid fatty meats, stick to one carb per meal, eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal, and limit snacking to a minimum. Best of luck to all students on the struggle to eat healthy while surviving courses and trying not to stress eat. Readers in need of advice please email any questions to miner@mst.edu.
Sincerely, Josephine Miner
