The idea of living a healthy lifestyle in college can seem daunting. Students are always under a lot of stress and have complete freedom to eat whatever they want, whenever they want. No one is forcing them to eat certain foods at certain times. No one is forcing them to exercise either. This means that many students gain weight in college and may not be getting the vitamins that they need. Since college is such an important chapter of a person's life, this is not the ideal time to not feel your best because you are eating poorly and gaining weight. In addition to the typical healthy living tips like getting enough sleep, washing your hands regularly, and actually cleaning your dorm room, these are some other important tips that all college students should follow:

1. Use the salad bar intelligently.

Just about every college campus has a salad bar in the dining hall. Not only should you use it regularly, but also you should use it intelligently. This means that you can easily ruin your seemingly "healthy" salad by overloading it with dressings, croutons, cheeses, and unhealthy meats. Avoid these salad killers and stick to the good stuff: vegetables and fruits. Meats like grilled chicken and turkey are also acceptable healthy things to put in your salad to make it more substantial. Since most people cannot eat salad without dressing, only use a little bit of dressing and put in on your salad while you are still at the salad bar so that you will not be tempted to dump more on as you are eating it. Remember that this is probably going to be the only time in your life when you can eat a salad without having to wash and cut up the ingredients yourself so take advantage of this convenience.

2. Do not drink your calories.

This is one of my favorite and most important tips. Drinking beverages all day that contain a significant amount of calories is detrimental to healthy living. You should always try to get almost all of your calories from food, not drinks. Drinking too many calories will leave you feeling hungry and will cause you to consume extra unnecessary calories. Also, you are not getting any nutritional benefits from beverages that contain a significant amount of calories. Most likely, you are just getting extra sugars, fats, artificial ingredients, calories, and sodium from most beverages without any benefit. Try to limit yourself to one or two extra drinks per day at most aside from water. Beverages like coffee (without tons of sugar and cream) and orange juice are drinks that are acceptable to drink because they offer nutritional benefits and are low in calories. Also, avoid seemingly "healthy" beverages like "Vitamin Water" and read the nutrition label to ensure that these drinks are actually somewhat healthy. Beverages that are high in calories, fats, carbohydrates, sodium, sugars, and unrecognizable ingredients should be avoided at all costs. Just remember, water is your best friend!

3. Eat grilled, not fried foods.

Fried foods have unfortunately become an American staple. Many of us enjoy them but our bodies certainly do not. The excess oil and fat that come from frying should be avoided as much as possible. Fried chicken, onion rings, fried fish, and mozzarella sticks are all examples of fried foods that you should eat as little of as possible. Instead, you should make healthy substitutions. Substitute grilled chicken for fried chicken and broiled fish for fried fish. Grilled chicken and broiled fish are both excellent healthy options that should be staples of your diet.

4. Avoid easy temptations.

Have you ever gone out to eat and failed to order a healthy option simply because your friends all ordered delicious, high-calorie dinners? We have all been there but making this choice can ruin your food choices for the entire day or even week. In college, you probably eat almost every meal with at least one friend so it is important to not let their unhealthy food choices impact you. Be proud of the fact that you are eating a salad for lunch when all of your friends are eating burgers with fries. You should never be embarrassed about eating well and taking care of yourself. Also, remember that picking up those fries from the dining hall may be an easy and convenient choice to make but going over to the salad bar and getting a bowl of fruit for yourself will benefit you a lot more than those fries will.

5. Make smart everyday physical decisions.

People underestimate the power of simple everyday decisions that we all have to make. Sure, you could drive or take the shuttle to class but should you? The answer is no. Walking to class may not seem to benefit you all that much but when you combine that with taking the stairs up to your dorm room instead of the elevator, parking in a spot further away from the store instead of being right out front, and volunteering to climb a few flights of stairs to take out a few bags of trash for your friends, then you are making a substantial healthy improvement to your day. Not everyone can go to the gym everyday and eat perfectly all the time, so doing little actions like the ones listed above can keep your health on track.

6. Choose healthy side dishes.

You should not think that fries and chips are your only option as a side dish. Healthy alternatives can include side salads, bowls of fresh fruit, steamed vegetables, and bowls of fresh vegetables. Remember, you can always get creative with the salad bar and use it for side dishes even if you do not want a whole salad.

7. Have healthy snacks in your dorm room.

Normally, you will find snacks like chips, pretzels, cookies, crackers, and jars of Nutella in an average dorm room. However, if you have a fridge, use it for healthy snacks! Baby carrots and apple slices are great healthy snacks that every college student should have on hand. Yogurt is another great option to have as long as it is not not filled will sugar.

8. Have everything in moderation.

Do not think that just because you are trying to eat healthy means that you cannot order a pizza with your friends once and a while. If you ever want to eat some unhealthy food, just do so in moderation. For example, limit yourself to one or two slices of pizza next time you order one with your roommates and pass on dessert. Also, if you know you have been eating well all week and you have been craving sweets, have a brownie. Do not make yourself miserable just because you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle.

9. Use the campus gym.

This is obvious. You are paying for this campus amenity and should take advantage of it. Just remember that even if you go to the gym often, you have to eat well in order to actually see any kind of results.

10. Do not ruin your "healthy" meal with unhealthy condiments.

If you think that you are eating a healthy meal or snack like a salad or baby carrots but you overload them with ranch dressing, then you are just doing yourself a disservice. Condiments like mayonnaise, sour cream, barebeque sauce, ranch dressing, ketchup, and cream cheese can ruin you seemingly "healthy" meal. These items are full of fats, calories, and sugars. Avoid them at all costs because they are empty calories that will not fill you up.