Articles on College | Topics: online, college, colleges, university, universities
by Queen Underwood
All that freedom that most college students look forward to acquiring when they leave home often ends up being not what it is cut out to be. One big problem that many college freshmen encounter when they leave home to go to college is that of the dorm room and campus diet.
When the college bound leave home, they are likely to gain weight during their freshman year. This has become what is known as the "freshman 15". That is because many freshmen gain approximately 15 pounds when they enter college. This often occurs for many reasons. One reason is that neither of their parents are there to make sure they eat healthy meals.
Another reason why college students may gain weight is that they have no time to cook themselves proper meals or they just do not know how. Therefore, college students may need guidance in these areas to help them keep the weight off. Some easy diet tips for college students are as follows:
Eat a limited amount of meat and breads and eat quite a bit of vegetables.
Watch the amount of fried foods that you take in. Fried foods are the main culprit of wait gain. Avoid as much as possible pizza, French fries, chicken fingers, and all the other tasty foods they sell in the student union, at nearby fast food restaurants, or in the student dining room. You can eat these once in awhile as a snack, but not every single night.
Try finding creative tasty ways to incorporate vegetables into your diet. Some people like a variety of salad greens, stir fry veggie dishes, and more. The only caution is to try to use healthier oil, such as olive oil, to cook your veggies with. You can also add vegetables to almost any low fat casserole dish.
Watch the consumption of chips, crackers, and other snacks. Whenever possible try to snack on fresh fruits and raw vegetables instead of potato chips, tortilla chips and crackers that contain quite a bit of saturated or trans fat. Also, there are alternative chips that you can purchase that are lower in fat, such as Lays Baked potato chips. Fruit and nut mixes such as trail mix are a great alternative snack to eat instead of many deserts, too. Just keep in mind that raw nuts are healthier for you than some cooked ones, but that they are better for you than eating a 500-calorie piece of double chocolate cake.
Purchase foods without large amounts of saturated fats and/or trans fats in them. You can look on the label and it will tell you how many grams of each of these different types of fats that are in each food. Avoid the ones with the highest grams of trans and saturated fats. Also, look on the ingredient list for "partially hydrogenated oil" or "hydrogenated oil". Foods with these ingredients should be avoided whenever possible, or at least eaten in minimal amounts.
Prepare healthy meals such as casseroles and pasta dishes ahead of time. These usually can be stored in the freezer. Then, during exam time when you do not have time to cook you can pull out a homemade frozen entrée and enjoy.
Try not to eat too many pre-packaged foods.
| Historical Quote |
Face your own ambivalence about letting go and you will be better able to help you children cope with their own feelings. The insight you gain through your own acceptance of change will bolster your confidence and make you a stronger college parent. The confidence you develop will be evident to your child, who will be able to move away from you without fear.
| —Norman Goddam (20th century) |
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Avoid drinking too much alcohol. This may be a concept too hard to comprehend for college students. However, the fact is that most beers, especially regular beers, contain quite a few carbohydrates, fats, and calories. This often is one of the main culprits of weight gain in college students-increase alcohol consumption.
Avoid going for seconds as much as possible. Usually one plate of food is enough. If you do not want to feel left out when at a huge college event where large amounts of food are set out, then you would want to consider just taking a smaller plate or dish if available. You can fill this with all kinds of foods.
Get a food nutrition guide. These are often available at a campus grocery store or bookstore. You may also find them for free in the student union and/or student dining area. You may want to check the campus health services office for one as well, where they are often given out free of charge.
If you are staying at a college campus with facilities where your classes are spread far apart, you may not have as much of a concern with weight loss. That is because you will get plenty of exercise walking to and from class. However, you still need to be careful.
One more aspect of college nutrition is to remember not too eat too much late at night. It can be hard to always resist eating a pizza with friends who want to party until three in the morning. However, the less you eat late at night the better, and the less weight you will gain.
Another aspect of weight gain prevention is to become active in some type of exercise program. Usually most college campuses offer dance and/or aerobic classes through both their sports departments and theater departments.
These are fun ways to get the exercise you need. Also, if there is a particular athletic sport you are interested in that will help keep you fit as well. Anything that you do to keep you fit will help you in the long run. You will be less likely to remain at your high school weight and avoid the plight of the "Freshman 15" that most college students dread.
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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "The Freshman Fifteen – Easy Diet Tips for the College Bound" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by SloanSemester.org. |
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