Nutrition for College Students

College is such an exciting time and a new adventure. I just finished my first year at the University of Minnesota as a nutrition and kinesiology student and have found some super helpful tips and tricks when it comes to nutrition in college. The last thing you want to be concerned with or consume your time is eating healthy meals that support your goals. Below is common problems, how to solve them, and some tips and tricks to keep eating healthy and enjoy this new time in life.

Eating Those Veggies

You might find (or have already found) that healthy food can be challenging to come across in college. Finding a balance is going to be everything and crucial. I want to add that you can enjoy any foods, not a single food is inherently good or bad; however, there are foods that make us feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally and foods that do not. It's going to be important to find a balance between your favorite foods and those that make us feel better. The dining halls can be filled with foods you don’t normally have at home or some of your favorite foods as well.

Getting vegetables in can be extremely hard especially if you live in a dorm where it is not as easy to prepare them. A couple of things I found extremely helpful to combat this problem was eating a side salad every time I went to the dining hall. Most (if not all) dining halls have a salad bar with tomes of toppings. Use this and take advantage of it! It is a fun way to get all your nutrients in for the day and leave you feeling satisfied. This also gives you an opportunity and try some new salad combinations and makes it easier to not get burnt out if you change your salad each time. Plus, salads are always better when they are prepared for you! If you no longer have access to a dining hall, purchase a bag of lettuce, one or two toppings, and one or two dressings for the week. Then change the toppings up each week. Another super helpful tip I have for getting vegetables in is purchasing some frozen vegetables if you have easy access to a freezer. I was lucky enough to have a good size freezer in my fridge where I was able to store vegetables. I would buy 5-6 bags of frozen vegetables each week (only about $2-3 per bag!) and then eat about a bag a day. Frozen vegetables also have the same nutrient compositions as fresh vegetables. According to Emma Willingham, a clinical dietitian at Houston Methodist, “The nutritional value of a vegetable isn't reduced during either the canning or freezing process — making canned or frozen veggies just as healthy as fresh ones.” These two tips combined should ensure that you get the recommended, by the CDC, 2-3 cups of vegetables per day. Eating this amount of vegetables per day ensures that you get the correct amount of vitamins and nutrients, stay full, regulate your blood sugar, and get adequate fiber intake! All super, super important to keep you feeling amazing physically, mentally, and emotionally!

Getting Adequate Protein

Maintaining adequate protein intake can also be a struggle in college. You may or may not have access to lots of different proteins at home. Maybe each night you have a different kind of meat for dinner or have access to lots of protein throughout the day. I do want to add that you don’t especially need to consume an obnoxious amount of protein each day. According to Harvard Health, The RDA (recommended dietary allowance) is 0.8g/ kg of body weight. (This is for someone who does not exercise as regularly.) So a 150 lbs (68kg) person, should consume about 54 grams of protein per day. For someone who does exercise regularly, they should consume about 1.2-1.7 g/kg of body weight. For a 150 lbs person who does exercise, they should consume about 81-115 grams per day. This is FAR FAR less than what we hear that we need. Our body will only use as much protein as it needs but it can’t store protein so it will be stored as fat. According to Mayo Clinic, too much protein can also lead to elevated blood lipids and heart disease because most protein sources also contain saturated fats. Gail Butterfield, Ph.D., RD, director of Nutrition Studies at the Palo Alto Veterans' Administration Medical Center and nutrition lecturer at Stanford University, has said “Adding more protein but not more calories or exercise to your diet won't help you build more muscle mass, but it may put your other bodily systems under stress.” If you are trying to build muscle, keeping your protein content but increasing your overall caloric intake will be crucial. This way, more carbs can give you more energy and fuel without causing problems with excess protein.

Now that you are aware of the fact that you do not have as much protein, it should make it a bit easier to get your protein in for the day. I know when I started college, this was a big concern to me because I was eating an obnoxious amount of protein. Now that I am aware I do not need as much, I was able to focus on eating healthier protein options and getting in as much as I needed. My first tip is to eat protein with each meal. This has many benefits, a big one being the regulation of blood sugar. A regulated blood sugar, will leave you feeling fuller longer and allow that brain to do the work it needs to in school! For breakfast, I had greek yogurt every morning. My mornings were typically busy and this was a quick breakfast that was satisfying and started my day with some protein. I mixed it with peanut butter, oats, and maple syrup (get that protein, carb, and fat!). To make it even better, mix it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight! The dining hall will also have a variety of proteins so make sure you get that in with each meal. Here is a list of proteins to look for in the dining hall (or purchase if you no longer have access to a dining hall):

Protein (Calories & Grams of Protein/100 g)

• Chicken- Breast (148 cal, 32.8g)

• Ground Beef (163 cal, 26.49)

• Steak- Ribeye (274 cal, 17.5g)

• Tofu (76 cal, 8.5g)

• Tempeh (195 cal, 20g)

• Eggs (143 cal, 13g)

• Salmon (170 cal, 19.3g)

• Greek Yogurt (59 cal, 10.5g)

• Tilapia (109, 19.2g)

• Turkey (147 cal, 30g)

• Pork Loin (131 cal, 22.2g)

• Beef Roast (267 cal, 25.9g)

• Deli Meat (104 cal, 17g)

• Cheese Sticks (314 cal, 26g)

• Cottage Cheese (103 cal, 12.5g)

• Protein Powder (387 cal, 77g)

• Fresh Tuna (118 cal, 25.7g)

• Shrimp (77 cal, 17.6g)

Now, you might need to keep some protein options on deck for snacks or quick meals. A couple of easy options to keep in your dorm or apartment are cheese sticks, cottage cheese, deli meat, and eggs. These are super easy options to grab with you on the go and store. They also take little to no preparation. Convince is key, don’t try and complicate things and make extra work for yourself, which may lead to burnout and completely giving up on eating healthy. A little quick storytime now. I was determined to continue to cook and prepare lots of protein in my dorm room. I purchased everything you would find in a kitchen for my dorm. You name it, I had it, pots, pans, spices, air fryer, rice cooker, bowls, utensils, EVERYTHING. Only to find out that I really had no time to cook and use all of those kitchen gadgets but it was a good laugh anytime anyone walked into our room and saw the fully equipped kitchen, haha.

Enjoying College

This is such an exciting time in life. Meeting new people, discovering new hobbies, and getting the opportunity to study what you want. Don’t let food hold you back from getting the full experience. Go out and enjoy a variety of foods! If an event involves food, enjoy it (especially if it is free!!) Remember to practice balance by enjoying fun foods and your favorite foods and enjoying those foods that are good for us too. Take a look back on some of my previous posts for tips on grocery shopping and meal prep if that is something you need some guidance on!

I hope this finds you well and are able to use these tips and tricks. Let me know how they go or if you have any questions, I would love to hear from you!

Regan