How to Make Healthy Choices in Your College Cafeteria
Most people think of their school cafeteria and the last thing that comes to mind is healthy eating. However, you may be surprised to find that more and more college cafeterias are making healthy eating easier and easier. Even if you are taking a UAB online course program, you could make healthier choices at breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is a good chance that you have heard of the dreaded freshman 15, which is when you gain weight during your first year of college. To avoid this, you want to be aware of your diet. Here is how to make healthy choices in your college cafeteria.
Don’t Go Back for Seconds
Of course, one of the best ways to make healthy choices in your cafeteria is to limit portion size and avoid making an extra trip to the buffet line for seconds. This should be first on your list, because it can be too easy to keep loading up when the meals are presented buffet style. If you can, you may want to have a cup of fruit after your meal, just to satisfy your sweet tooth without the added sugars.
Eat Your Vegetables
If you are going in for lunch at a college cafeteria, you not only want to avoid piling your plate with fried chicken or some other typically unhealthy meal, you also want to balance whatever entrée you choose with salad and other nutritious sides. Salad is important because it is roughage and it will improve your digestive tract. Also, you may not want to pour a big soda, or dispense yourself a snack from the vending machine, because those choices will add unneeded calories, fat and sugars.
Know the Ingredients
When you do load up on various items at the cafeteria, you want to make sure you know what’s in the food. The last thing you want is to load up on items that are made with ingredients that are not fresh. There are a lot of microwaved or prepared-from-frozen foods that have various chemicals and synthetic components that can be bad for you. Ideally, you want to ask the chef what the ingredients are. If the items were frozen first, you may want to pass and eat only the items that were prepared fresh that day.
Don’t Load up on Carbs
Carbs can be dangerous if you get too much of them. Not only can they rev you up and cause you to crash, they can also mess with your fat regulation. When you are sitting around studying all day, this can be very bad. Instead of loading up on carbs, you want to practice moderation.
Cool it on the Dessert
On top of everything, you want to avoid the temptation to eat desserts offered at the college cafeteria. Most of these desserts can be bad for you if over consumed. Ideally, you don’t want to take more than a few nibbles and then share the dessert with a friend. In the end, the more you fill up on dessert, the more unhealthy your diet will become.