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Eating Well

If you love midnight pizza, vending machines, and salty or sugary treats, relax. You are no different than most other college students. It’s easy to fall into unhealthy eating habits in college because so many less healthy foods are tasty, cheap, and convenient.

Improving your eating habits can better health, improve athletic performance, make focusing easier, and boost concentration. If unsure how to start, call (608)265-5600 to schedule an appointment with a nutritionist at University Health Services (UHS). UHS can help develop a healthy eating plan tailored specifically to your values, lifestyle, and preferences.

MyPyramid, the government’s guide to nutrition, recommends finding a balance between energy taken in through food and the energy used up through physical activity. For further guidance on calorie needs, go to www.MyPyramid.gov.

Example daily plan

Most people should get about 2200 calories a day. What is also important, however, is where these calories come from. Below is an example of a basic 2200-calorie eating plan that includes daily amounts for the major food groups. Those who are physically active, muscular, or male may need to change this plan to include more calories

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Grains (7 ounces): Eat at least three ounces of whole grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. One ounce of grain is the same as a slice of bread, a cup of breakfast cereal, or a half-cup cooked rice, cereal, or pasta.

Vegetables (3 cups): Vary vegetable types over the course of a week to get the most nutrients.

  • Dark green vegetables—3 cups weekly
  • Orange vegetables—4 cups weekly
  • Dried beans and peas—3 cups weekly
  • Starchy vegetables—3 cups weekly
  • Other vegetables—6-1/2 cups weekly

Fruit (2 cups): Consume a variety of fruit. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit. Don’t depend on fruit juices.

Milk (3 cups): Go low-fat or fat-free when choosing milk, yogurt, and other milk products. If milk isn’t an option for personal or physical reasons, choose lactose-free products or try other sources such as calcium-fortified foods and beverages. Those eating a restricted diet should be certain that calcium needs are covered with a supplement.

Meat and beans (6 ounces): Choose low-fat or lean meat and poultry and bake it, broil it, or grill it. Vary protein sources over the course of the week—choose fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds for a change.

Fats and oils (6 teaspoons): Be certain to include a fat with every meal and emphasize those from fish and from plant sources. Choose salmon, olive oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds, trail mix, peanut butter, olives, avocados, mayonnaise, and salad dressings over less healthy fats such as butter or hydrogenated oils.

Other helpful ideas for busy college students:

  • Choose meals that contain most or all of the basic food groups listed above. This way a variety of nutrients needed to maintain a high energy level and strong immune system are included in the diet.
  • Avoid skipping meals (especially breakfast), and work on eating larger meals for breakfast and lunch. This helps keep energy high throughout the day and prevents eating too much in the evening. Think of lunch as the most significant meal of the day, rather than just a snack.
  • Be sure to consume plenty of foods that are rich in calcium, such as 1% or skim milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese, and calcium-fortified orange juice or soy milk.
  • Make an extra effort to get three to five servings of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit each day. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals and helpful chemicals that work to protect health. Take advantage of salad bars, Asian foods, fruit vendors on Library Mall, restaurant sides, and soup, stews, or chili.
  • Be sure to have protein at every meal. Choose meats (chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, lean beef, or ham) or vegetable proteins (peanut butter, tofu, nuts, and legumes such as dry beans, peas, or lentils).
  • Choose foods that haven’t been prepared with added fat. Baking, boiling, broiling, grilling, stewing, and roasting are all cooking techniques that don’t add fat.
  • Be aware that many drinks are high-calorie, including smoothies, fruit juices, fruit drinks, some coffee drinks, beer, wine, and some mixed drinks.
  • Keep a supply of healthy snacks on hand so that there will be less temptation to go for unhealthy foods like soft drinks, candy, and chips. Some healthy snack ideas include:
    • nuts
    • low-fat cheese sticks
    • hummus
    • peanut butter
    • chocolate milk (available in vending machines throughout campus)
    • fresh, dried or canned fruit
    • low-fat yogurt
    • bars (types that have at least five grams of protein do more to manage hunger than regular granola bars)
    • baked tortilla or potato chips
    • popcorn
    • pretzels
  • Balance food intake with physical activity; strive for 30 to 60 minutes of exercise every day or most days of the week. Even just walking briskly around campus counts.