Listen up Class of 2019 (and all of you who need some tips on how to eat healthier), the Freshman 15 is a very real thing, and it will hit you before you even knew it was coming if you aren't careful. College is rough without the added stress of gaining weight. Use these tips to make sure that you dodge the freshman 15.
1. Eat breakfast
Commons has a great breakfast selection, and by eating breakfast you won’t be as hungry for your next meal.
2. Exercise
Salisbury has two great gyms, Maggs and UFC. Use your resources, and try to exercise at least three days a week.
3. Balance your meals
Believe it or not, French fries and cucumbers do not constitute dinner. I learned this the hard way. Try to have some sort of protein along with fruits and veggies for all three meals.
4. Think about your drink of choice
Believe it or not, alcohol is a huge contributing factor to the Freshman 15. If you choose Fireball as your drink of choice, you’re drinking 11 grams of sugar per shot. If you drink three shots, that’s 33 grams of sugar. On average, a woman should have no more than 25 grams of sugar per day and men should have no more than 37.5. Women have had more than their intake per day and men have already had 88 percent of their daily sugar intake after just three shots.
5. Don’t think that the Freshman 15 doesn’t apply to you
Being away from home changes the way you eat more than you think. Your parent is no longer there to tell you to eat your veggies or drink your milk. You now have to be your body’s own advocate.
6. Eat This, Not That
For dinner, try not to go to Gold & Crispy (The fast food section of Commons) every day. All of those fried foods will make you gain weight fast. Try eating at The Roastery (more home-cooked meal style) or Plato’s Plate (more healthy alternatives) a couple times a week.
7. All you can eat isn’t always great
On the Salisbury website, the description for Commons is, “Use your meal plan to take advantage of all-you-care-to-eat Marketplace dining.” Just because there is unlimited food, doesn’t mean you should eat unlimited food. Healthy portions and moderation are key to avoiding the Freshman 15.
8. Fast Food
We all love Cook Out on a drunken Saturday night, but be careful about how often you eat fast food. If you eat five hush puppies from Cook Out, you’re eating 257 calories and 12 grams of fat. If you’re going to eat greasy foods all weekend, try to eat in (or at Commons) the rest of the week.
9. Your dorm fridge
Stock it. And not with junk like soda and ice cream. Keep things like carrots and ranch dressing, cheese sticks, and water bottles in there. That way, when you have the late-night munchies, you have healthy alternatives to Ramen (a pack has 90 percent of your daily sodium value!). It's also good to keep microwaveable oatmeal in your room for a quick breakfast.
10. Healthy Cooking
For those of you who live in an apartment, try to cook meals instead of going out to eat. There are so many simple recipes that anyone can make that are healthy and won’t empty your wallet.
Just remember, moderation, healthy food choices, and exercise! Keep those things in mind, and you can dodge the Freshman 15!
