Which of the following is the best strategy for eating a healthy diet while youre in college?

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The main message: Focus on diet quality
Terms of Use
Poor Eating Is Associated With Poor Health
Nutrition Tips for Busy College Students
Balance Your Meals
Drink Water
Get Calcium
Keep a Regular Eating Schedule
Read the Nutrition Facts Label
Use Smaller Plates
Smart Foods for Quick Nutrition
Protein and Meat-Free Alternatives
Healthy Food Substitutions
Learn More About Health and Wellness

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The average college student is often pressed for time, under a lot of stress and eating on the go. You may find it difficult to avoid bad habits like skipping meals or frequently visiting fast food restaurants. But eating a healthy diet can help you feel better, cope with stress and perform better in the classroom and on the athletic field. It really isn’t that hard to get started.

Eat a good breakfast. Studies show that skipping breakfast detracts from scholastic achievement. When there isn’t time to sit down and enjoy your morning meal, grab a bagel, piece of fruit and some juice. Most of these items can be easily stored in your residence hall room.
If you must eat fast foods, choose wisely. Choose pizza with half the cheese, a regular size roast beef sandwich, baked potato or green salad with reduced calorie dressing. Limit high fat offerings like French fries, fried chicken or fish sandwiches.
Keep healthy snacks on hand. This way, if hunger strikes during a late night study session, you won’t be tempted by vending machine candy, chips or ice cream. Possibilities include fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, rice cakes or whole wheat crackers. If you have a refrigerator, consider raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese dip.
Eat plenty of foods rich in calcium. People in their early twenties need to be building up stores of calcium in their bodies to prevent osteoporosis later in life. If you don’t like milk, try to include ample amounts of low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheese and green leafy vegetables in your diet.
If you need to lose weight, do it sensibly. Starvation and/or diets that offer a quick fix usually backfire and are harmful. There is no truth to the theories that suggest eating foods in any particular combination will promote weight loss. The only safe way to lose weight, feel good while doing it, and keep it off, is to eat a balanced diet and exercise.
Limit your sugar intake – Sugar provides calories in your diet but few other nutrients, and it contributes significantly to tooth decay. Use it sparingly and consider sweetening coffee, tea, cereal, and fruit with diet sweeteners instead.
Visit the dining hall salad bar. The dining hall salad bar can be either an asset or a detriment to your diet depending on how you choose from it. Of course, leafy greens, raw vegetables, and fresh fruits are beneficial. But, if you choose a lot of creamy dressings, bacon bits and mayonnaise-based salads, the calories and fat may equal or even exceed those of a burger and fries—so choose wisely!
Limit your alcohol intake. If you drink alcohol, keep in mind that it supplies calories but no nutritional value. A light beer, a glass of wine or an ounce of liquor each has about 100 calories. There may also be health problems associated with drinking alcohol.
Drink lots of water. Your body needs at least eight glasses a day, and, if you exercise vigorously, you may need more. To remind yourself, carry a water bottle along to class and keep it handy during late night study sessions.
Enjoy your food. Food is a lot more than nourishment for our bodies, so take the time to enjoy and savor it!

Using Harvard’s Healthy Eating Plate as a guide, we recommend eating mostly vegetables, fruit, and whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins. We suggest drinking water instead of sugary beverages, and we also address common dietary concerns such as salt and sodium, vitamins, and alcohol. It’s also important to stay active and maintain a healthy weight.

The main message: Focus on diet quality

The type of carbohydrate in the diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, because some sources of carbohydrate—like vegetables (other than potatoes), fruits, whole grains, and beans—are healthier than others.
The Healthy Eating Plate also advises consumers to avoid sugary beverages, a major source of calories—usually with little nutritional value—in the American diet.
The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to use healthy oils, and it does not set a maximum on the percentage of calories people should get each day from healthy sources of fat. In this way, the Healthy Eating Plate recommends the opposite of the low-fat message promoted for decades by the USDA.

The Healthy Eating Plate summarizes the best evidence-based dietary information available today. As nutrition researchers are continually discovering valuable information, The Healthy Eating Plate will be updated to reflect new findings.

Want to learn more? Use the Healthy Eating Plate & Healthy Eating Pyramid, both created by the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, as your guides for choosing a healthy diet and creating healthy meals. To get started, here are 10 tips for healthy eating!

Terms of Use

The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products.

July 31, 2020 | Purdue University Global | Updated December 17, 2021

Too many snacks, large meal portions, decreased activity—these poor habits are not only unhealthy, they may affect academic performance. A 2020 study published in the Journal of American College Health (JACH) found that healthy eating is a factor in higher academic achievement among college students.

Healthy eating is essential for everyone, of course. But for busy people trying to balance work, school, family, and social activities, it is especially important. Find out more about brain food for college students.

Poor Eating Is Associated With Poor Health

Why is eating healthy important for college students? Poor nutrition is associated with these potential consequences, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Weight gain and obesity
Heart disease and stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Cancer
Brain function deficits

College students who reported eating fast food more than seven times a week had much lower GPAs than those who reported eating it less than four times a week or not at all, according to the JACH study.

These studies reinforce what most of us know: eating well offers you the best chance at success. As a busy college student, eating healthy is a bigger challenge, but it can be accomplished by following a few helpful tips.

Nutrition Tips for Busy College Students

Busy people don’t have a lot of time to prepare and eat healthy meals. It can be helpful to have a quick list of ideas to maintain healthy eating.

Balance Your Meals

Strive to eat from at least three different food groups every day to help ensure you’re getting proper nutrition. Choose items from these food groups:

Dairy
Fruits
Grains
Healthy fats
Protein
Vegetables

Cut down sharply on foods high in solid fats, added sugars, and salt. This includes:

Cake
Candy
Cookies
Ice cream
Pizza
Sweetened drinks
Fatty meats such as bacon, hot dogs, ribs, and sausages

Drink Water

Proper hydration is important for your body’s health. Roughly 20% of the water you intake daily is in the food you eat, the Mayo Clinic reports. The remaining 80% you should be getting from drinks. The Mayo Clinic recommends that adults drink about 8 glasses of water each day.

Get Calcium

Calcium is essential. Try:

Adding a cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt to your meal
Drinking soy milk if you don’t drink cow milk
Eating other foods high in calcium including kale, turnips, collard greens, beans, papaya, dried figs, and oranges

Keep a Regular Eating Schedule

Eating three balanced meals per day plus snacks should provide you with enough energy to last all day. It will also keep your metabolism active. If you need to, schedule your meal times.

Breakfast

You’ve likely heard this advice: don’t skip breakfast. The JACH study found that students' current GPA significantly increased with the number of days that they reported eating breakfast. And according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, skipping breakfast was associated with poor academic performance and poor mental health.

Read the Nutrition Facts Label

Compare calories, fats, sodium, and sugars in your foods using the nutrition facts label on packaged items. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration made changes to label guidelines in 2020. Reading food labels can provide insight into the amount of fat, sugar, salt, and other ingredients you’re consuming to help you balance your intake to acceptable levels.

Use Smaller Plates

Using a smaller plate for your food can help you with portion control. On larger plates, you may not realize how much food you’re actually eating. By staying away from oversized bowls, glasses, plates, and mugs, you may avoid eating excess calories.

Smart Foods for Quick Nutrition

Some foods can give your brain or health a boost. Weave them into your day, beginning with a good breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries. Try ending it with a dinner of salmon and vegetables.

Snacks

Healthy grab-and-go snacks include:

Protein and Meat-Free Alternatives

Consume meat sparingly for good brain health. Instead, try protein-rich beans, soy beans, or lentils. They’re rich in B vitamins, which are good for your brain.

Berries

Berries are considered the best fruit to eat for brain health, and they make a healthy sweet treat. Eat two or more servings each week. Flavonoids in berries are good for brain health.

Nuts

Nuts contain vitamin E, which may have qualities that protect the brain. Try to eat them five days each week in place of processed snacks. It’s best to eat dry-roasted, unsalted nuts.

Vegetables

Asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and spinach provide folate and vitamins that are good for brain health. Aim to eat six or more greens every week. A good mix of veggies will also give you a variety of nutrients.

Salmon

Salmon is an oily fish that is one of the best sources of brain-enriching omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends eating two 3.5-ounce servings of fish per week.

Healthy Food Substitutions

Try to substitute unhealthy food with healthier food. You won’t go without, but you will be eating something to help boost your brain.

Instead of This	Try This
Refined grains (white bread, white rice)	Whole grains (whole grain bread, brown rice)
Fried food (french fries, fried chicken)	Grilled or baked foods (baked potato, grilled chicken)
Baked goods, sweets, specialty desserts	Fruit
Whole milk	Low-fat or skim milk, soy milk
Sugar-sweetened drinks	Water or seltzer

Learn More About Health and Wellness

Good nutrition is only part of your overall health. Be sure to exercise and get enough sleep. Explore Purdue University Global’s Student Life blog for more health and wellness tips, and to learn more about our online programs, reach out to us today.

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