A Day In The Life

Of A Student

STUDENT SOLUTIONS: As a former commuter student, walking into a student dining hall was something I never did. Instead, I typically meal prepped from home for breakfast, snack and lunch. Unlike commuters, students living on campus may not have the option to meal prep the way I did. Having a makeshift “dorm kitchen” or limited refrigerator/prep space really alters the capacity and ability, and motivation to create healthy meals.

To help students create some #solutions, I decided to go undercover and experience a day in the life of a student! Recently, I walked into the dining hall at Monmouth University for lunch to get the scoop on the dining halls!  Never had it occurred to me that all the food was unlimited, with just one swipe (valued at $15). With this value in mind, I aim to provide students with tips, tricks, and the confidence to make a healthy choice.

STUDENT SOLUTIONS TIPS:

1. When to Eat: Within every dining hall or restaurant, there is bound to be a healthy choice. The food is presented in buffet style, so my first recommendation would be never arrive extremely hungry. Eat every 3-4 hours to keep blood sugar stable, prevent cravings, and help ensure self control.  

2. Take Your Time: Allow yourself about 15-30 minutes to enjoy your meal and catch up with friends, when possible. Rushing in to eat in a hurry will not give your brain enough time to process that it feels “full.”  A rule of thumb to keep in mind based on extensive research: it takes about 20 minutes for the brain to release signals and signs of satiety.

3. Hit Up the Salad Bar: The salad bar could be extremely helpful, but also prove detrimental if approached without a plan, so let’s review exactly what you should be adding to your salad bowl:

• Load up on leafy greens: my favorites tend to be arugula or spinach (rich in iron, B Vitamins, magnesium, potassium)

• Add low starch veggies: at virtually every salad bar you can find sliced cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, onions & mushrooms.

• Choose 1 starchy vegetable or grain: carrots, sweet potatoes, quinoa, beets, & peas are all classified as complex carbs due to the macronutrient content. I typically go for beets because they are rich in flavor, color, and antioxidants. These are great slow releasing carbohydrates to help sustain energy and focus, as they keep blood sugar stable in comparison to simple, processed carbohydrates.

• Add nuts and seeds for a boost of protein.  My favorite is pumpkin seeds since they actually contain all the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. In addition, nuts and seeds are rich in essential fats, like omega 3, which support brain function.

• Skip the Packaged, Pre-Made Dressings: Use olive oil, vinegar, & fresh lemon juice for dressing to decrease unnecessary calorie intake, sodium, sugar, additives, and preservatives from bottled dressings. Or BYOD (bring your own dressing). For example, if you have a blender or whisk back in your dorm, you can make this delicious, anti-inflammatory dressing and keep it in a small bottle that you can carry around on the go.

Golden Dressing Recipe:

• Ingredients: 1/4 cup organic tahini (sesame seed paste), 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  

  Instructions: Combine and blend or whisk together.

  Store in small jar like this (click here) 
  
  

4. Hit the Hot Bar: If you’re craving a warm comforting meal, check out the menu online before going, so you can make a conscious decision (that’s what I did). I decided to grab some of the lean grilled chicken breast, roasted veggies, and about 1 serving of potatoes for some energy-sustaining carbohydrates. This meal is well balanced and does not need additional fats such as avocado, due to the food being cooked in oils.

5. Cravings: schedule in some treats for yourself throughout the week. I always used to leave mine for study snacks or post exam treats. If you know you have flexibility in your diet, then the cravings die down and the guilt of eating these splurges begins to diminish. From personal experience, I did really well by keeping one of these dark chocolate square in my lunch box each day (here). It’s all about balance at the end of the day!

6. Fruits: The dining hall may not advocate taking food to go. However, you are paying for it and fruit is a great option to throw in your bag to have as a snack later on in between classes or even to potentially add to smoothies you make from your dorm or apartment. Have your apple or banana with a healthy fat, such as peanut butter or a cheese stick, to help increase satiety and decrease the impact of fruit sugar (fructose) break down in the body.

7. Get Creative: mix and match items from different stations to create a diverse, well-balanced, colorful range of healthy options.

Avocado toast: grab some guac from the “Mexican station”, spread it on gluten free toast from the fridge, top with a drizzle of olive oil from the salad bar and pair with hard boiled eggs from the deli station.

Directions here: https://spoonuniversity.com/recipe/3-dining-hall-avocado-toast-recipes

Food Sensitivities in the Dining Hall :

Gluten-Free Items: I was pleased to see some gluten-free options for students that have allergies, intolerances or sensitivities. Some of the items I saw in the dining hall included gluten-free bagels, breads, cereals & cookies. However, remember that gluten-free doesn’t necessarily equate “healthy”. Use gluten-free items if needed; however, staying away from these processed items is ideal, as they may be loaded with fillers and even sugar to make them taste better, and structurally compensate for the lack of gluten.

Dairy-Free: Unsweetened almond milk is perfect to use for making smoothies or just to have at a meal time. These alternatives are typically fortified with vitamin D and loaded with calcium. Though these brands often have added gums and flavors, students are still making the better choice when opting for dairy-free items if they have intolerances to prevent inflammation of the gut from regular lactose or sensitivities to milk proteins.

Flashback to typical day for me as a student:

• Breakfast: I typically had a shake that I made the night before and took it on the go the next morning for my 8:30 am class. My standard shake recipe has been; 1 scoop plant based protein powder, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 2 cups spinach, 1 tsp spirulina, 1.5 cups crushed ice, ¼ avocado and a dash of cinnamon.

• Snack: I usually snacked on a piece of fruit with 1 oz cheese or 1 tbsp nut butter.

• Lunch: I always packed a salad for lunch, loaded with low starch veggies, ¼ an avocado, and 2-3 tablespoons of nuts or seeds and a homemade dressing. I slowly adjusted to vegetarian lunches because it cut my time in half for prepping. However, I was sure to have a protein shake (just powder & water) alongside my vegetarian salad to ensure satiety.

• Dinner to Go: If I had to stay on campus, two main restaurants I would eat at would’ve been either Evelyn's or Hansel & Griddle. At Evelyn’s or any mediterranean restaurant, I would always get grilled chicken (or shish taouk) with a side of fattoush (chopped salad) and hummus. At Hansel And Griddle, I went for my favorite “breakfast for dinner”, including scrambled eggs, sautéed spinach, and avocado.

• Study Snacks:

  • A protein shake was something I always had on hand when I was in the library. To this day, I usually pack some protein powder in a little baggie and a shaker cup in my bag. So all you need is a water fountain to grab some water, add the powder and shake it up for a convenient snack!

  • Dark Square of Chocolate: this really helped me with some of those stressful moments in the library when craving something sweet. Dark chocolate should be 70% or greater cocoa content for optimal antioxidant levels. My trick was to wrap up a serving of dark chocolate and pack it in my lunch bag for later, to have with a cup of coffee during a study session.

  • Sliced veggies: cucumbers, bell peppers and celery sticks are my favorite crunchy snack alongside some mashed avocado or hummus. When you’re craving something like chips, try this out to satisfy that need for a  “crunchy” snack.