Top 3 health tips

 Feast with fat:

“I always opt for low fat yogurt instead of fat free—the fat keeps you full longer,” says Emma Taylor, a senior at Salve Regina. Emma is onto something. According to Sheila Tucker, a registered dietician at Boston College, fat is an essential part of any healthy diet—even for those trying to lose weight. “Ever eat an almost-all-carbohydrate meal only to feel hungry again soon afterwards?” asks Tucker.  “Add a little fat to the meal and you'll feel satiated longer. It is fat that helps us feel full after a meal, not to mention that it's what makes food taste good, too!” The key is to limit your fat intake to around 30 percent of your total calorie allotment for the day, while limiting saturated fat.  Aim for healthy fats found in nuts, fish, and plant oils.  And remember that “fat-free” is not always the best option.


Mix and match:

“I really like to cook so I like to be creative with the healthy options instead of getting bored,” says Katherine McKenna, a sophomore at Boston College.  “For example, I'll get grilled chicken and ask the pasta station to put marinara sauce on it, or I like to mix up peanut butter with honey and a banana in a bowl.”  Mixing options at the dining hall allows you to create a more nutritional meal, but also one that you may find more appetizing. Why not follow Katherine’s lead and swap calorie-laden cream and butter sauces for the marinara or vinaigrette? Put the protein entrée on top of a salad or ask for two veggie sides in place of the starch to up your fiber and vitamin intake for the day.  Basically, think outside the box even when the dining hall doesn’t.


Go Online:

Most college dining halls have menus available online and some even offer the calorie counts and nutritional breakdowns of the menu items for the day. “Planning is key to any weight loss routine,” says Tucker. If you check the options in the dining hall and plan a healthy meal, you’re less likely to be tempted to splurge on something. Viewing the menu online may make you aware of some calorie catastrophes that you once considered healthy food. “I just learned that the pecan pie had 500+ calories in a serving,” says Stephanie, a senior at Harvard University.  Now you know to skip it, or at least budget for it.