11 Ways to Be Healthy at College Without Losing Your Mind
Whether your go-to is home-cooked lasagna or take-out cashew chicken, your eating habits in college will probably be different than what you’re used to at home—and it takes time to settle into a routine. If you’ve been rushing to class on an empty stomach, don’t know what to eat at the dining hall, or binged on pizza every night this week, don’t stress. You’ll gradually find the rhythm that works for you. To help you get started, we’ve pulled together 11 tips for navigating meal plans, cooking in dorms, and avoiding the one eating habit that nutritionists say you should try to kick. Here’s how to be healthyish in college:
Photo by Alex Lau1/111. Stock your dorm with these five compact, easy-to-clean appliances:
- Mini-fridge: Keep fruit fresh, keep drinks cold, and save your leftover pad Thai for tomorrow.
- Microwave: Heat up said leftover pad Thai, bake a sweet potato, and even poach eggs.
- Electric kettle: Hot water can be used for a ton of dorm-friendly drinks and meals, from tea and pour-over coffee to instant oatmeal and brown rice.
- Small blender: Purée fruit for smoothies, blend ingredients for protein shakes, and scramble eggs with veggies (which you can then cook in your microwave)! The Magic Bullet gets the job done.
- Vacuum: If your room feels clean, you’ll feel clean. This version is light, collapsible, and comes with a smaller handheld device that lets you get underneath your bed.
For more college-approved wellness products and dorm décor ideas, check out Teen Vogue’s Best of Back to School 2017.
Photo by Ted Cavanaugh2/112. Make time for breakfast.
When you’re hustling to class, rehearsal, or a weekend out of town, breakfast can be easy to skip. Use an app like Streaks to help you remember to grab something in the morning, even if it’s a bar on the go. (One to try: Perfect Bar in peanut butter). Whether it’s a yogurt from your mini fridge or an omelet at the dining hall, eating breakfast will give you the early-morning boost you’ll need to concentrate in class, make it to intramural practice, and go out with friends.
Photo by @leefromamerica3/113. Stay on a schedule.
Staying up late to study and partying until early in the morning can throw your eating schedule out of whack. How to maintain a routine? NYU Dietitian Lisa Sasson suggests thinking about meals ahead of time. “When you don’t plan, whether you’re eating in the dining hall or you’re doing your own shopping, it can sometimes lead to not having healthy food around or being hungry and impulse buying,” Sasson said. “If you’re in a dining hall that means you know what the meals are, plan what you’re going to eat, make sure that most of your tray is a lot of vegetables when you look down with smaller amounts of starchy foods.” If you’re heading to class or practice around a mealtime, Sasson suggests bringing a healthy snack with you. She said, “I think if we walk around really hungry we make poor decisions.”
Photo by Marcus Nilsson4/114. Make the dining hall work for you.
Try these tips to get well-balanced meals every time:
- Scout out the dining hall scene. Maybe there’s a giant communal cafeteria on one side of campus and a smaller grab-and-go shop on the other. Learn as much as you can about the dining options at your school so that you can seek out what you like.
- Eat foods that really fill you up. “Soups or big salads can be great options with your meal. Stick to things like seltzer and water as your beverages” says Sasson.
- Try something new. You don’t like red meat? You haven’t gotten over the “I hate broccoli” phase? College is the perfect time to step outside of your comfort zone and try new foods. And with all-you-can-eat meal plans, there’s no more cost-efficient way to conduct some serious taste-testing.
- Don’t overdo it. “If once in a while you’re gonna have fried food, that’s fine,” Sasson said. “If you deprive yourself, sometimes you just go overboard.”
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li5/115. Get cooking.
If you have access to a kitchen (but little time or desire to cook), ease into cooking with these 11 easy and healthy meals.
Photo by Alex Lau6/116. No fridge? No problem!
Keep non-perishable snacks on hand. We like protein bars , almond butter, kale chips, trail mix and dark chocolate.
Photo by Alex Lau7/117. Drink lots of water.
There’s nothing wrong with grabbing a cup of coffee, but remember to hydrate with some good, old-fashioned H2O. An easy way to remind yourself to drink up? Calculate how much water you need to drink a day, then buy a water bottle and bring it EVERYWHERE. (Here’s Teen Vogue’s 2017 pick for the best water bottle around.) Want to go fancier with charcoal water or rose water? Read Healthyish’s guide.
Photo by Alex Lau8/118. Eat for you and you alone.
Being healthyish is about feeling good. Nutritionist Jennie Miremadi says, “The way you eat has an impact not only on how you look, but also on how you feel. When you make the connection that eating healthy food makes you feel good in your body, and eating unhealthy food makes you feel unwell, you’ll be more inclined to choose the healthier food.” Still, just because your roommate hasn’t had carbs in a month doesn’t mean you should feel bad about that late-night slice. In college, everyone’s figuring it out for themselves. You do you.
Photo by Alex Lau9/119. Put the technology away.
Eating in front of your computer, phone, or TV can take away the enjoyment of food— not to mention that it sucks out any social aspect of meals. “Don’t sit and stare at the computer and eat,” Sasson says. “You won’t even realize how much you’re eating.” TV dinners aside, Sasson also cautions against sitting for too long. “When I’m at my computer, I make sure I get up every hour or every half hour. It’s very important—stretch, walk, get outside.”
Photo by Alex Lau10/1110. Sweat it out.
Finding a workout routine is just as important as getting on a regular eating schedule. Go to the gym with a friend. If the treadmill isn’t your thing, run outside or check out group classes that might be offered by your school. If they don’t already have a yoga or barre class, get a group together and start one. In the wise words of Queen Bey, “A little sweat ain’t never hurt nobody.”
Illustration by Laura Callaghan11/1111. Don’t freak out about the Freshman 15.
So you gain a few pounds. It happens. Put down the scale and get on with living your best college life.
