Nutrition tips for College-bound Students

Nutrition tips for College-bound Students

In just a few weeks, many Rhode Island students will be heading off to college. For freshmen, that means a whole new world of living on their own, making decisions and learning how to strike a good balance between learning, socializing and staying healthy.

One of the biggest concerns for parents is how well their college-bound students will eat while away at school. 

Overeating, late night junk food binges and skipping healthy food choices are some of the concerns parents have when it comes to the long list of "firsts" for college students. Talking to your teenager now instead of after they leave for college is extremely important -- they will be overwhelmed with the newness of the college experience and won't have room in their heads for a nutrition lecture from Mom or Dad.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

Dr. Mary Flynn, a research dietitian at The Miriam Hospital has answers for parents who may be concerned about how to help their teen stay on track with nutrition while living away from home. Dr. Flynn offers the following suggestions to make the first year of college a smooth one when it comes to nutrition.

What are some tips to give teens about eating well in the college cafeteria?

It is always good to have a plan for eating.  Try to look at the menu in advance.  Most likely it will be posted on-line so you know what your choices are.  Buffet style eating tends to promote overeating but if you know what you plan to eat, you should be less likely to pick up food impulsively.  Most campuses have a variety of cafeterias available; at least one would be healthy.  Make sure you know what your choices are.  

Don’t be afraid to ask questions; what is in the food? Where are calories posted?  Campus dining services tend to be responsive as they know students can be very nutrition- aware.

How does a teen avoid overeating with all of the choices they are given?
 

The availability of a variety of foods can lead to overeating.  No one needs dessert daily and most likely not all the desserts available are delicious.  If there are some desserts served that you really love, plan to eat them when you have a lighter dinner meal.  

Avoid/ minimize liquid calories.  Some studies have shown that we do not well regulate liquid calories.  This means when we drink calories such as soda, punch, juice and milk, we do not eat less at the next meal so liquid calories more easily lead to weight gain.

Try to pay attention to serving sizes.  Whether you are serving yourself or you are being served make sure that the serving sizes for richer foods – like fries or foods with sauce – are not too large. 

What are some good junk food alternatives?

Junk foods, by definition, provide calories without providing nutrients that will improve your health.  Extra calories may be needed by varsity athletes but not by the majority of college students.  I am not a fan of snacking as it leads to overeating and weight gain; however, healthier snacks would be nuts, trail mix that is mainly nuts and seeds and anything whole grain.  

There are more and more whole grain crackers and chip-type snacks available. Popcorn that is air-popped or lower fat microwave is reasonably healthy. It provides some nutrition as it is a seed and fiber.  I discourage snacks that are non-fat foods, like pretzels.  It is easier to over-eat a snack of pretzels than a snack food with fat like a whole grain tortilla chip; pretzels and other non-fat foods do not provide satisfaction so people tend to eat more of them than a food with some fat.

What's a good "care package" to send to freshmen? Any suggested foods to stock their closet/pantry?

My immediate thought is – do students really need food in their room? Having food in their room could encourage eating when they might not really be hungry; just bored with food available.  So I would not encourage food in a dorm room.  That said,  food items like healthy breakfast bars (ones made with whole grain, nuts, seeds, not heavy on sweeteners)  will keep indefinitely and could provide a quick breakfast or lunch, if needed.  Other than that, I would say gift cards for stores that sell healthier food items like sandwiches or salads.