Eating Healthier with Limited Options on Campus

By Joyana Richer
News Reporter

Unhealthy food options are abundant on college campuses, but an Austin food and health consultant said it’s not that hard to eat healthy.

Lisa Feddersen, a consultant to the food and vitamin industry, says the best ways to eat healthy is to be educated on what to consume. Eating the proper food can prevent you from becoming sick.

Feddersen consults others as well as applies this lifestyle herself. She said smoothies and shakes with protein powder combined with coconut or almond milk is rich in antioxidants and may help prevent sickness. She said to stay away from chemicals and look for things with high protein.

Feddersen says the type of protein to eat should be leaner meats like chicken and fish.

In regards to portion size, she says the meat should be the smallest portion on the plate, “like the size of a deck of cards,” while the rest should be mostly vegetables with little carbohydrates.

If you need something quick, Feddersen says to, “carry an orange or an apple, there are ways to transport things with you.”

Some Texas State Students apply to this same lifestyle as well. Will and Savannah Sutton are vegan students who say grabbing tasty fruit is a great quick and healthy snack on the go.

“Whenever it’s not summer, it’s a lot more difficult to grab on the go things,” Mr. Sutton said.

Ms. Sutton says she will eat plenty granola bars as a snack instead. While cooking or using a kitchen is not an option for some students, Feddersen says granola bars are a good choice. But she says to watch for nutrition content including high sugar and to avoid chemicals.

According to Cornell University, studies show that, “Dorm rooms are littered with all sorts of candy, chips and other highly sugared foods, not to mention an abundance of soda and unhealthy drinks. According to a study of college students, the average number of calories found in the food contents of students’ dorm rooms was a whopping 22,888.”

Feddersen says when you don’t have a choice and have to eat out, just to stay careful and educated on what you are eating.

“Restaurants and places have come so far,” said Feddersen. “If you know and are careful you can be OK and find healthy options.”

Featured image by Joyana Richer.