By Emerson Driscoll
ROSTON M / @pbomio via Pinterest
The transition from high school to college brings about obvious life changes and growth, many of which you were expecting: leaving the comfort of home, distancing yourself from friends and family, and starting a new life in a different place. But what about your eating habits? There are no longer family dinners, most of us don’t have cars, and Chick-fil-A isn’t a quick drive away. As someone who didn’t prepare for this challenge, I came into college thinking eating would be easy. I assumed the dining halls would offer healthy, good options and that I wouldn’t burn through my dining dollars as quickly as I did in the first few months. Then there’s the infamous “freshman 15” fear that many people start to worry about.
The solution to these problems isn’t simple: It’s college, and most freshmen live in dorms. How can we make healthy meals without the kitchen access we had at home, and how can we trust that food is truly unprocessed when labeled as such?
Even grocery shopping becomes difficult as I’m now looking for meals that are either pre-made or easy to make in a microwave. Otherwise, I’m at the dining hall, tempted by options that I often regret eating afterward.
While we need to make the best of our situation and accept that life here will be different from home, I think healthier options should always be available in addition to the regular choices, especially for those of us in dorms with limited access to fresh foods. And not just healthy—good, too. All students deserve that option, and a quick meal swipe shouldn’t drain dining dollars. I’ll admit, most of mine end up at Panera on soup. Healthy foods don’t have to be boring or ignored; they should be an appealing choice that students can easily access.
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