Ohmigosh, my school didn’t ever have hummus! We had a Pizza Hut and a Burger King!

I love falafel. And hey I am super impressed by how much stuff you got going on! Go you.

Go into college being a health food and fitness blogger; that helps 😉
I definitely think the closer to vegan you eat in the dining hall, the more heathful your choices. And that’s not to say you have to sacrifice flavor. My dining hall has great vegan food. I would just not trust the meat they serve. Maybe that’s more of an ethics thing and not a tip for eating “healthy” per say but it’s what’s most on my mind.

Fabulous to see movement towards offering more healthy driven options on campus! I always found it so hard to eat well on campus when I was in college. I won’t lie…I would ALWAYS bring my food for the most part.

My suggestions now would be to stick to fresh food as much as possible: sandwiches, salads, protein + veggies and then snag a granola bar or dry cereal for some added carbs. I think the second suggestion would be to keep things full of variety when possible! Step out of the box and try something new when you can..you never know what you may find!

ooooh that looks so good!
i went to college many years ago and the way i kept my freshman 15 off was skiing and doing triathlons….the food was never too good so exercise was the key for me back then 🙂
good luck on your presentaions! i am so proud of you and operation beautiful 🙂

What worked for me: joining a sorority. Seriously! I was surrounded by happy, healthy, positive women. Also, instead of eating in the cafeteria, we had a cook at our house. She was cooking for 40, so it wasn’t always the healthiest, but it was better (I felt) than cafeteria food. First, there was ALWAYS a big salad bar for lunch & dinner. Second, she kept healthy snacks like yogurt and fruit in the kitchen for munching. Not that I didn’t eat my fair share of 3:00 A.M. nachos and hot pockets, but I also snacked regularly on healthy stuff!

My strategy in college used be just like yours! I stuck very closely to the salad bar, and started each concoction with a huge bed of greens. Also, if I got the hot dinners or lunches served, I stuck to the rule of 1/4 protein, 1/4 carbs, 1/2 veggies.

I’m a grad student now. Cornell surprisingly has a lot of healthy options. I think a lot of it has to do with the local food movement here and the fact that Cornell is largely an ag school. That being said, my best healthy eating on campus advice is to bring a lunch from home. There are microwaves all over campus to heat things up (same was true at my undergrad school) and it’s a million times cheaper! While a lot of the food looks good, I think it’s pretty expensive (for me $8 for a lunch everyday would be WAYYYY too much).

Eating healthy in college, an oh-so-important thing to do but often no so easy. I lucked out at my school, we have really great options and really no so great options, but I enjoyed our food (don’t eat it anymore as a senior off campus). We have Bon Appetit, which is a great, sustainable, healthy dining service. I stuck to the vegetarian stuff. My problem was portions! The unlimited-ness of the dining hall was definitely a detriment to my diet 🙁

I am currently a freshman in college. My first semester was pretty rough and a huge wake up call as far as my eating habits. Not gonna lie, I did put on about 5 lbs. But come 2nd semester I have definitely realized what I needed to change. I now fill up the majority of my plate with veggies!! And I have recently become ‘flexitarian’. I’m happy to say those 5lbs from last semester are long gone! And you wont be hearing anything about freshman 15 from me! 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday and good luck on your presentations!

i’m a freshman right now so in the dining hall i always make a huge salad with as much veggies as i can. and always have a glass of skim milk too. need some protein1

Aww, I loved how my private college has d a burger joint on campus with veggie burgers and salad bar. I frequented there often and cheese pizza. haha Sometime, it was tempting to eat whatever with the 8 different food lines and it beign all you can eat.

First of all, the dining halls require a lot of will power! In my first two years of college, I remember getting up a few times for seconds–it’s so easy when it’s already paid for! Now living off campus, I pack most of my lunches because the options may seem healthy (ie. veggie wrap) but are usually laden with not-so-nutritious stuffings. I stick to my own food so that I know what’s in it. But, on the outside change that I do eat on campus, I make a HUGE salad, eat that first, and then decide if I really want the other offerings.

Wow those are some pretty delicious looking eats, especially for a college!!! I’m a college student (though i’ve taken this semester off) but i’m a commuter, I live at home. So my biggest tip is to pack your meals and snacks!!! It will save you money and be so much better for you (well, depending on what you pack).

That place looks like a mall foodcourt! haha. My campus has randomly scattered food places, and a few kiosks in one building,but nothing huge. My best tips would be to eat a good healthy breakfast. Pack snacks and lunch for the day. If you must buy on campus, look for a sandwich place, or salad bar. Our campus recently got an excellent salad bar (but it’s pricy! My normal salads come out to $14!). You only live once, so don’t stay in and not drink just because you’re scared of calories. Go out and enjoy yourself! But if you’re going out to drink, try not to let the drunk munchies get out of control!!

if you’re drinking for one purpose only…stick to vodka and water. dont waste calories on a fancy and expensive cocktail you wont remember 🙂

My biggest tip is PACK YOUR OWN FOOD. It is cheaper, healthier, and tastier if you know what to pack. Honestly, I think campus food sucks.

I always made my own everything (salads, sandwiches, stir frys)…that way you know what is going into it, and you can make healthier choices!

Skip the meal plan. I forced myself to cook in our tiny little kitchen and never gained the freshmen 15. In fact, because I had some free time and a gym within a 2 minute walking distance I actually lost a lot of weight and toned up. Best body I’ve ever had!

Is falafel spelled wrong on that sign or is it just the angle? How funny.

Awesome that you were able to find something! When I went to community college I was not trying to be healthy whatsoever. Lunch was always cheese pizza and a pepsi. On Fridays they had taco salads, so I at least got some iceberg lettuce in there. At least it is full of water, so I was getting something.

Now that I think about it, other than getting a plain salad, the college didn’t offer anything of nutritional value.

I am in school in Chicago, so I have a bit of a different experience than people who only have access to campus food. But when I did eat from the on-campus dining hall, they had these convenient to-go boxes that had separations for different foods. It really helped you realize exactly how much you were consuming because if the chicken breast, sandwich, or pizza slice didn’t fit into the compartment for the “main” compartment, you knew that it was probably too big of a portion. And you can’t go wrong with the salad bar, but sometimes they do not have healthy dressing options. I had to ask the manager to provide an option other than the highly caloric ranch and thousand island dressings provided. Finally they gave in and put a “light” ranch option out. It’s better than nothing!

I lost 50 pounds during my junior and senior years in college. I moved into apartment-style housing with a kitchen, and I taught myself how to make healthy, fresh meals. I continued to attend Weight Watchers meetings on-campus and I learned how to make good choices in the dining halls. Most campuses have a lot of healthy foods available–you just have to know where to look!

I’m a college student, and I never eat at the school. I always, always bring my own lunch. It’s better (tastier and healthier) than the stuff they offer.

When at uni I would definitely try and bulk out my meals with salad etc – but yes – it can be hard eating healthily on campus 🙁

ughh I was sooo NOT healthy in college! Until senior year anyway, when I dropped the meal plan and food shopped every week!

I go to a small art college so we don’t have too many options on campus. Freshmen year I gained a little weight because the food selection was awful! But since then I’ve lived in a place with my own kitchen and I barely ever eat out. I also exercise a lot too. I’m more healthy now in college than I ever was actually. I just avoid campus food!

Ah, I’m so happy you made this post about healthy places to eat at UCF. I’m a grad student there and had no idea that place existed. It must be fairly new. Good to know.

I really wish I could have made it to your presentation today…I could really use your advice these days regarding self-image.

I should tell you, last year I saw a “you are beautiful” message written on a mirror in the bathroom at the teaching academy. It made me smile.

You are so awesome!