For students at The University of Alabama, figuring out what to eat can be just as much a part of college life as figuring out what class to take next.
Between packed schedules, dining halls and limited budgets, students have to make food choices that fit into their everyday routines. For some students, maintaining a balanced diet means making healthier choices in the dining hall or while cooking. College can also be a time when students become more aware of how food affects their physical and mental well-being.
Drake Dunning, a sophomore majoring in psychology, said healthy options on a budget became a challenge for him as a student.
“I think there’s healthy options here if you have a meal plan,” Dunning said. “But for me specifically, I am on a budget for each week, so that usually affects what I eat.”
Dunning said saving money and maintaining health is a difficult balance. He said that as a student, he usually relies on his fraternity for healthy options or his roommates.
“I’ve definitely tried diets I have seen on social media,” Dunning said. “But it’s usually things like more protein, which I try my best to get on campus.”
For many students, the way they approach food changes once they move off campus. After spending their first year with dining halls and campus food options readily available, students living in apartments or houses often have to take more responsibility for what, when and how they eat.
Grocery shopping, meal preparation and budgeting become part of the routine as students balance nutrition with their schedules and finances. Maverick Shelby, a sophomore food and nutrition major, said moving off campus meant taking greater responsibility for planning meals around classes, work and social activities.
“I would describe my eating habits as more stationary … More like eating here and there and whenever I can,” Shelby said.
Shelby said he had similar eating habits in high school, but as a college student, he is attempting to utilize his campus resources to eat better.
“Now being a food and nutrition major, I really feel like I apply my knowledge when eating. I’m more aware of where I can get better things like fat consumption and fiber,” Shelby said.
As students navigate food choices on their own, nutrition experts emphasize the importance of maintaining a balanced approach. Leslie McDonald, a senior instructor in the Department of Human Nutrition, explains what dietary changes can most commonly look like for students.
“For college students in general, I see nutrition challenges related to this transition in life,” McDonald said. “Leaving home where parents and guardians were making most of the food decisions in the household to students being on their own making food choices and decisions.”
McDonald said she encourages students to look for nutrient-packed snacks and meals, and to not fixate on calorie counts. For students on a budget, she also suggests trying to eat reasonably even if budgets do not allow organic eating.
“I think college students typically miss out on fiber, fruits and vegetables and dairy,” McDonald said. “All of these nutrients and food groups help promote a healthy heart and a healthy gut, so finding ways to add in more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and dairy as snacks or ‘bulking’ up what you’re currently eating with these items will go a long way.”
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