College Clean Eats

I just received my diploma in the mail a few weeks ago and with school starting up, I figured it’s the perfect time to touch on this subject. Plus, I have received LOTS of questions on the topic and I figured it might be easier to have something to refer people to so I don’t have to rush and shorten the answer that I would like to give.

So, I never gained the “freshman 15” but I’m sure I probably came home for break a couple pounds heavier than when I left. But now that I think back, I didn’t even really notice or care at the time. And to be honest, if gaining a few pounds is the worst thing to come from going out, staying up late, eating pizza with your new friends, and just enjoying yourself, then I think that it’s 100% worth it. Those are some of the best memories I have from college and I wouldn’t trade them for anything!

So yes, I think that eating chicken tenders and fries at the dining hall sometimes is great. I think that having drinks (responsibly y’all 😉) other than white claw and clear liquor is totally fine. I think that staying up late and missing your morning workout is a-okay. Health is not something to stress yourself out about… it should be an enjoyable part of your life. You’re going to go through different seasons of life and if college isn’t the absolute “healthiest” of them, it will be OKAY.

By now, you’re probably thinking… okaaay, this is horrible advice. What is Calla telling me to do!!!!! But it would truly make me sad if any of you missed out on your college experience for the sake of “perfect health”.

But with all of that said, you CAN have balance. Sometimes I ate pizza at 2am but I also ate salads for lunch a lot of the time! I went out and stayed up late some nights but other nights I chose to stay in and get a good night’s sleep. I’m not saying I had a perfect balance all four years… I was probably a little too far on both ends of the spectrum at some point. But I’m just sharing what I learned and what I would tell freshman Calla if I could go back.

*PS. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m saying that you are missing out on any of your college experience by choosing not to drink if that’s not what you WANT to do because that is definitely not true! I know people who had a great time at college without drinking, so never feel pressured. Just want to be clear on that disclaimer 😉

So with all that being said, here are some tips and ideas that I learned over the last few years.

On nights you don’t want to go out: get some friends together, or heck even by yourself, bake a healthy treat (wassup Paleo Banana Bread Muffins if you have a community oven in your dorm or these No-Bake Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls if you don’t), and watch a movie or just sit and talk! Or pull (friendly) pranks on your neighbors or prank call. I know it sounds childish but my roomies and I would sit for hours laughing soooo hard. It was the best.

Join campus recreation: most colleges have great campus rec programs! At Grand Valley, you can buy a group fitness class for something like $30 and you get unlimited classes for the semester. I loved HIIT classes, spin, and TRX! Literally, even if you go to 4 classes the whole semester, you get your money’s worth. It’s also another fun way to meet people! Here’s a link for all my GV people!

Focus on real food: on a regular basis! A LOT of campus dining hall’s are focusing on health now more than even because it’s so ~trendy~. Oftentimes for lunch I would get soup, salad, and a piece of fruit. But again, I also ate my fair share of pizza and ice cream at the dining halls too and it was great.

Keep healthy snacks around

• baby carrots and other veggies
• fruit
• healthy bars (my fav’s are Ancient Nutrition collagen bars, GoMacro, and Square Organics)
• organic yogurt
• organic sliced turkey
• granola
• nut butter
• grass-fed beef jerky
• dry roasted nuts/seeds

Make some meals at home when you’re in a pinch or don’t want dining hall food… you’d be surprised at the amount of healthy food you can make/ keep without an oven (helpful if you at least have a mini fridge). Have these as real-food snacks or pair a few together for a meal!

• microwave sweet potato (wash, poke with a fork a few times, microwave until soft- usually about 5 mins)
• steamed veggies in the microwave (HACK steal some from the dining hall salad bar, add to microwave-safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water, cover bowl with microwave-safe plate, microwave for 3-4 min or until tender, and be careful when removing- bowl, plate, and steam will be hot!)
• organic turkey roll ups (tomato, mashed avocado etc. rolled up in a slice of turkey)
• overnight oats (1/2 cup oats, protein powder, 1/2 mashed banana, cinnamon, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1/2-1 cup almond milk in a jar. Shake it up and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight)
• toast with almond butter + banana
• scrambled eggs (made in the microwave) on avocado toast
• pre hard-boiled eggs (Costco has an organic brand that has been a lifesaver for me!)
• granola + almond milk + berries
• smoothies if you have a blender

Hope that was helpful! If you guys have any other tips, please share them in the comments below for other people to see too! LOVE YOU GUYS!

♡ Calla