Nutrition

This nutrition blogs features thoughts, tips, and videos from our student Nutrition Outreach Workers (NOW) and UHS Registered Dietitians.

Ask our nutrition team a question!

Tips for eating healthy with a busy schedule

March 14, 2018
Many students have a hectic schedule and often lack time to sit down to have a proper meal. As a student, I often rush through meals, eat processed food to save time or even forget about eating. These poor eating habits lead to feeling tired, increase stress and weaken the immune system. Through my own experiences, I learned how to incorporate healthy eating habits with a restless agenda. Here are some tips that you can do to start eating well with a busy life.

Ask The Dietitian: Health at Every Size

December 8, 2017
You can be healthy and fit without being thin. As part of a social movement called Health at Every Size (HAES), dietitians and doctors are moving away from assessing people’s health according to their weight. The HAES philosophy is based on the idea that people of all sizes deserve respect and good health, and that size does not determine health.

Ask the Dietitian: What is the best way for college students to prevent the Freshman 15?

September 15, 2016
Q: What is the best way for college students to prevent the “Freshman 15?” A: Ain’t no such thing. The “Freshman 15” is a catchy phrase that was probably created to sell magazines. A meta-analysis of 22 studies including more than 5500 participants showed that college students gained an average of only 3 pounds. That’s a normal and expected weight gain for a student in his or her late teens. We measure growth in kids and teens on growth curves.

Ask the Dietitian: Home Cooking

April 13, 2017
Q: I know home cooking is cheaper and healthier than restaurant food, but cooking for myself is intimidating. What should I make?

NOW Blog - Mindful Eating

October 24, 2018
Have you ever found yourself eating unconsciously while you’re mentally writing a to-do list? I know I have! As a student, it often seems like there’s not enough time in the day to eat. Between midterms, work-study commitments and essay deadlines, eating can become an overlooked and rushed afterthought. However mindful eating can transform mealtime into a refreshing and stress-relieving act. To eat mindfully is to bring non-judgemental awareness to the act of eating, to notice both the food and our body’s sensations while eating. It’s an invitation to slow down in order to relax and appreciate our food.

NOW Blog - 5 Cooking Basics to Get You through Midterm Season

March 21, 2019
During midterm season, the question of what to eat becomes more desperate. It becomes more of a question of what to eat when I’m running low on groceries, don’t know what to cook, and don’t have time to think about food right now. And sure, during these hectic weeks, Uber Eats and local spots have always been there for me, providing a quick solution to my dilemma. It works for the first few meals, and then slowly I realize my checking account won’t be able to sustain my current eating habits for very long. I had to find another way, and after lots of practice and experimentation, I did! I figured out some basic principles that can be used to make meals that are not only fast and cheap, but also delicious, and I’d love to share them with you so that you can use your time and brainpower for exams, not for agonizing over what to make for dinner. Here are 5 basic cooking skills you can use to make fast and delicious meals to fuel you through exam season.

Body Image Blues

February 9, 2018
UHS Registered Dietitian Toby Morris talks about fat talk in the workplace and everyday life and resources to combat it.

Handling Weight-Focused Conversations this Holiday Season

October 22, 2019

two pairs of feet in wool socks by the fireplaceEveryone has heard a comment or two, while home for the holidays or back at school after the holidays, of how our appearance has changed so much. Well-intentioned at best, or triggering at worst, a “simple” comment can send some of us running to the other room wondering if we have really changed that much, and if...

Ask the Dietitian: Fat Talk

February 9, 2017
I ate so much junk food this week, I feel like I gained ten pounds! How can I get more willpower?

Finals Week Healthy Eating and Self-Care Tips from the NOWs

April 26, 2018
During RRR week make sure to REPLENISH your energy to study effectively! Throughout RRR week and Finals Week, it’s easy to fall into the cycle of studying and preparing for finals while not making enough time to take care of yourself. But did you know that you can combat stress simply by taking care of your health and well-being? Check out some of these tips from the Nutrition Outreach Workers (NOWs): to keep your mind and body energized and ready to take on finals!