How to Eat Healthy in College - and Like It

It's not always easy to eat right. America's obesity endemic is evidence of that. But just because you're at college doesn't mean you're doomed walking through four years of a nutritional desert. There are ways to eat well and it doesn't necessarily mean adhering to a Spartan diet, either. You can eat healthily and like it. Here's how:

Buy a meal plan that makes sense: The most expensive meal plan isn't necessarily the best. Conversely, you shouldn't get the cheapest meal plan only to save money. If this is your first time ordering a meal plan at a college, you should probably buy one that covers 14-21 meals a week, especially if you're living in a dorm and don't have access to a kitchen, or you dislike cooking. Skip a meal plan only if you're confident that you're willing to prepare meals for yourself. It's harder than you may think! Remember that neither starving nor eating cold cereal three times a day is healthy.

Make time for breakfast: Especially if you have morning classes, it can be hard to have breakfast every morning. But eating breakfast doesn't necessarily mean sitting down for 30 minutes leisurely reading the newspaper, either. If you can't hit the cafeteria before class, pack breakfast for when you're on the go. This will require that you occasionally go grocery shopping but it will be worth it for your health and will be lighter on your checkbook (or parents' checkbook), too. Buy juice boxes in bulk (usually 10-24 packs) and save. You can also try cow's or soy milk, which often come in small boxes like juice, too. Cereal, fruit, or yogurt bars are other good choices. Try pastries, which you can easily wrap in a napkin, too. Other options include dried fruit and nuts,

Have a large lunch: Don't pig out (unless, of course, it's a special celebration!) but do eat a full, well-rounded meal. Your lunch should definitely feature some kind of protein to give you energy for the day. This is the time go grab that juicy hamburger or steak or veal parmigiana or tofu delight-not at dinner, if you can help it. The reason why is because if you eat a lot at dinner, your body will digest it all very slowly. Chances are you go to bed not too long after dinner and since your body isn't as alert when you're sleeping, it won't process the food as quickly as it would've earlier in this day. It can also result in a stomachache right before bed, too-and that's never a good ingredient for a comforting rest.

Snack (smartly) throughout the day: If you can, try to eat 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of 2 or 3 big ones. As previously mentioned, lunch (which for most people falls between about 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) should be your biggest meal of the day. Eating only when you are hungry prevents you from over-eating. Remember that each small meal should include one to three snacks, depending on what you eat. Healthy snacks you may enjoy include granola bars, peanuts, fresh fruit, mozzarella sticks, strawberry smoothies, forest ham, or celery sticks. An example of a wise smaller meal would be a carton of chocolate milk, dried apricots, and carrot sticks.

Drink lots of water: It's very important that you stay well-hydrated. It helps your body function properly, which includes ensuring a normal metabolism. In other words, drinking water is good way to control your weight. (And with the horror of the Freshman 15 being a reality for many college students, who doesn't like the thought of that?) Always try to carry your own thermos or water bottle because you might not have access to a water fountain throughout the day. Even if there's a water fountain near all of your classes, you probably shouldn't escape class every time you need a sip of water. Remember that water also boasts zero calories!

Don't forget your fruits and vegetables: Not everybody likes fruits and vegetables and cafeteria food usually doesn't make this fact any easier. If your cafeteria regularly carries bruised or otherwise unappetizing fruit, it's worth your health to buy fresh apples, bananas, pears, grapes, and oranges at a grocery store. The same rings true if your cafeteria doesn't prepare vegetables the way you like them. Don't sacrifice your health just because the food's unsatisfying! If you're lucky, though, your campus normally serves fruits and vegetables that you like so don't skimp on them. Try to have one fruit or vegetable at every meal. Real fruit juice, quality fruit yogurt, and fruit bars and smoothies made with fresh fruit count, too. But blueberry cobbler? Probably not.

Avoid empty calories: Sadly, chocolates and milkshakes, when eaten excessively everyday, are not the best choices for your body. With that in mind, avoid "empty" calories by eating food with low nutritional value only sparingly. Skip soda and bug juice whenever possible (limit yourself to drinking it only a couple times a week, if ever). Eat smaller servings of desert (i.e., one little cookie instead of two big ones) and save junk snacks, like potato chips and pork rinds, for special treats.