With the choices given by the schools, students often find it quite difficult to eat right. A huge brownie costs less than a cup of fruit and all the bananas are either green or covered in bruises. This is why fears such as the freshman 15 exist. Good food is hard to come by so the easy alternative is the junk food that is plentiful. I myself continue to struggle to eat right for an entire week because the choices on some days are just so bad. However, I do have a couple pieces of advice for eating healthy(er) at college.

1. Buy cases of water

NEVER pay for drinks in college! They cost, like, $2-$4 and, if you’re like me, your meal plan only allows you to buy a certain amount for each meal. For me, dinner has a limit of about $7. As you can see, if I got even a bottled water, I’m down to $5 for food. Bring your own bottle of water so you can afford that cup of fruit or even buy two apples or something to take back to your dorm. Aside from saving money, bringing your own water will discourage you from getting fountain soda, which is definitely good for you.

2. Keep healthy snacks in your room

The worst thing when you’re hungry on your way to class is knowing there’s a vending machine in that building. Bringing a snack to class with you ends the temptation. Although some classes don’t allow eating during class, it’s super important to make sure you eat in the morning. It gets your body going and snacking throughout the day keeps your metabolism up. It can also keep you focused during schoolwork. Some good snacks may be granola or protein bars, nuts, fruit, baby carrots, or anything else you enjoy that isn’t classified as junk food (such as pop tarts, potato chips, etc.). Remember, if you’re feeling hungry, you should be snacking.

3. Don’t go to the same place all the time

If your campus has a cafeteria and fast food places, mix it up and try to go to both evenly (maybe one for lunch, one for dinner). You definitely don’t want eating to feel boring and if you’re eating the same thing, like Chick fil A, every day, your diet won’t be balanced.

4. Focus of fruits and veggies

Typically, college students struggle with fruits and vegetables the most. This is why I’m saying to focus on them. If you grab three different things to eat, go for the fruit first. Make sure you won’t pass on it later by eating it first. If there’s a salad bar, focus on darker greens and stuff like carrots and chickpeas that you can top it off with. If there’s a stir fry bar, load it with veges because you don’t taste them as much all mixed together. I personally try to eat at least 2 fruits a day and include veges somehow in every meal.

5. Let your parents know

One of the biggest things for me was constantly reminding my mom “hey, I’m trying to eat better, please don’t send me any candy or sweets”. Yes, it’s nice for her to send things to me, but otherwise I’d give the junk food away or worse, eat all of it. It’s important for your parents to know about and respect your personal choices.

6. Don’t give in to peer pressure

Okay, so your friends aren’t actually going to try and make you eat something you don’t want to, but if everyone is, say, at the movies and getting popcorn and offering to share with you, you might end up wanting some. It’s perfectly fine to let loose every once in a while, but you should be reminding yourself of your goal so that you don’t give up altogether. Only you know what you really want so it’s up to you to control it.

Despite these tips, eating right is still a challenge and always will be, college or not. But, if you are in college, these few things can probably make your life a little easier if you’re trying to gain control of your diet.