College Prep Course: Eating 101

So they receive their diploma and go off to college.  How can you make sure they are eating enough, eating right, and keeping it healthy?  When they were in your house, you made sure that they started their day with some kind of breakfast, that they ate their vegetables, and went easy on the sodas, chips, and fast foods.  But now they are on their own.  They can eat whatever they want, whenever they want.  Scary....

To be honest, if you did not start them eating healthy when they were young (like my Vegan friend has done and like I hope I have done), there may be little you can do to assure that your College student will be eating right.  My advice?  Before you have that last talk about the birds and the bees, drinking, and drugs ("don't do them"), have a little chat with your son or daughter about the importance of eating well.

First, make sure they start the day with breakfast, even if they are in a hurry and have missed the cafeteria spread.  Have them keep a box of breakfast bars on hand - just in case.  Without breakfast, energy levels will drop and concentration will be challenging, especially with back-to-back pre-lunch classes. 

Go easy on (or better yet, avoid) fried foods at lunch and dinner and only eat dessert after having had a healthy meal first.  Don't ever replace meals with sweets.  I see some kids do that now.  It's a habit that should be broken.  Also, try to avoid soft drinks, especially caffeinated ones, especially late in the day.  They will be at the age where caffeine could begin to affect their sleep if they have it too late. 

When they need that pick-me-up in the middle of the day, encourage fruit, carrot sticks, yogurt, and/or whole grain crackers and cheese.  All of these now come in handy snack-size packages.

Make sure they vary their diets.  Chik Fil A is a yummy lunch and most campuses have them, but it shouldn't be eaten every day (or every other day, or even every other, other day - even if they replace the fries with the carrot slaw or the soup). 

Good news is all of them will be physically active - college campuses are often huge, with classes spread in all directions.  And without a car, walking is not just a form of exercise, but a necessity.  So they will need to eat a lot.  No meal-skipping...

Realistically, your college student will eat whatever tastes good to them and is readily available.  But a quick course in Eating 101 couldn't hurt.   : )

Good luck to all the rising Freshmen out there!   And, to you all, happy, healthy eating...