Nourished Living by Dietician Kelly Hamlin, MA, RD, CDN

Resolve to start the school year with healthy eating habits

All the signs are there. Back to school sales have begun and the leaves on some of the trees are already changing. I saw Halloween candy on the shelves at a Utica store yesterday.

Yes, it appears that it is time again for students to be heading off (or back) to their institutes of higher learning.

We’ve all experienced or heard the horror stories of dining hall food, eating pizza after midnight and the dreaded “Freshman 15”.

So what can our kids do to keep healthy and maintain (or lose) weight once they are on their own?

At the dining hall, the best approach is to use your best judgment and make healthy choices.

If there is a salad bar, use it. Just avoid high calorie and fattier toppings such as cheese.

Choose baked/grilled meat and poultry vs. fried.

Cut back on starchy items such as pasta, and choose whole grain varieties of breads.

Fill up on sources of protein, such as eggs, at breakfast.

See if they offer lower fat alternatives to bacon and sausage. Avoid the pancakes, tire-sized bagels and “Texas-sized” French toast.

When you absolutely must have pancakes or French Toast, try topping it with fruit (even if it’s only applesauce) instead of syrup.

It’s yummy and a great calorie saver!

Remember: just because the cafeteria is full of food, doesn’t mean you need to eat it all.

I’m sure your parents would rather you eat healthy than try to get them the best “bang for their buck” so to speak.

Back in my days at Hart Hall at SUNY Oswego refrigerators were allowed, but not microwaves. Today, they have come up with handy-dandy combo fridge/microwave units. Very cool and convenient!

Nothing says that you have to fill those refrigerators with high fat, high carb foods.

Some dorm room food suggestions are:

Whole grain pita chips with hummus, peanut butter, whole grain crackers, soup (non-creamed and preferably not ramen type), dried fruits and nuts (though healthy, watch portion sizes); healthy granola bars, tuna packets, baby carrots, yogurt, cottage cheese, low fat cheese sticks…

The healthy list goes on and on.

You could also see if your college town has a farmers market like the one we have in Old Forge on Fridays from 2 to 6 p.m.

Don’t forget to keep up your water consumption. A water pitcher with a filter is more economical—and more evironmentally-friendly—then bottled water.

For those of you who are of legal drinking age (and those of you who are drinking illegally—trust me, parents aren’t stupid) cut back on your alcohol consumption.

Aside from the obvious reasons, there are a ton of calories in alcohol.

That little shot has approximately 65 calories and a 12 oz. beer packs about 149 calories.

Those calories can add up significantly by the end of a typical weekend.

Parents and students can find some great information about the dangers and myths of alcohol at: www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov.

As far as the late night pizzas go, I guess it’s just a rite of passage. But may I suggest a thin crust variety with veggies?

Good luck to all of you who are going out into this scary world!

 

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