College students often face a challenge when trying to eat healthy foods. Some students live in dorms and do not have their own cooking or refrigeration facilities. Others live in crowded apartments where everyone forages in the refrigerator for everyone else’s food. Still others eat at university food services where food choices may be limited. Most students have time constraints that make buying, preparing, and eating healthy food a difficult task. In addition, many lack the financial resources needed to buy many foods that their parents purchased while they lived at home. What’s a student to do? The following sections provide advice for some of the particular problems you may face.

Fast Food: Eating on the Run

If your campus is like many others across the country, you’ve probably noticed a distinct move toward fast-food restaurants in your student unions so that they now resemble the food courts found in most major shopping malls. These new eating centers fit student’s needs for a fast bite of food at a reasonable rate between classes and also bring in money to your school.

You should recognize that not all fast foods are created equal and not all of them are bad for you. Even at the often­ maligned burger chains, menus are healthier than ever before and offer excellent choices for the discriminating eater. The key word here is discriminating. It really is possible to eat healthy food if you follow these suggestions.

Ask for nutritional analyses of items. Most fast-food chains now have them.

Order it “your way”- avoid mayonnaise or sauces and other add-ons. Some places even have fat-free mayon-naise if you ask.

Hold the cheese.

Order single, small burgers rather than large, high­calorie, bacon or cheese-topped choices.

Order salads and be careful how much dressing you put on. Try the vinegar and oil or low-fat alternative dressings. Stay away from eggs and other high-fat add-ons such as bacon bits.

When ordering a chicken sandwich, order the skinless broiled version rather than the deep-fried version.

Check to see what type of oil is used to cook fries if you must have them. Avoid lard-based or other saturated fat products.

Order the wheat buns/bread and ask them to hold the butter.

Avoid fried foods in general, including hot apple pies and other crust-based fried foods.

Opt for spots where foods tend to be broiled rather than fried.

When Funds Are Short

Balancing the need for adequate nutrition with the many other activities that are part of college life can become a difficult task. However, if you take the time to plan healthy diets, you may find that you are eating better, enjoying eating more, and actually saving money.

In addition, you can take these steps to help ensure a quality diet:

Buy fruits and vegetables in season whenever possible for their lower cost, higher nutrient quality, and greater variety.

Use coupons and specials whenever possible.

Whenever possible, shop at discount warehouse food chains; capitalize on nofrills products.

Plan ahead and avoid extra trips to the store. Make a list and stick to it.

Purchase meats and other products in volume, freezing portions for future needs. Or purchase small amounts of meats and other expensive proteins and combine them with beans and plant proteins for lower total cost, lower calories, and lower fat.

Cook large meals and freeze smaller portions.

Drain off extra fat after cooking. Save juices for use in soups and in other dishes.

If you find that you have no money for food, talk to someone at your county!city health department. Although they often restrict subsidies such as food stamps for full-time students, they may know of some alternative ways for you to get assistance.

What Do You Think?

What problems cause you the most difficulty when you try to eat more healthful foods? Are these problems that you noted in your family, too, or are they unique to your current situation as a student? What actions can you take that would help improve your current eating practices?