A look at the resources available to help students eat healthfully in first year
Laura Schep
The University of Guelph has a beautiful campus with a close-knit community feeling, a very impressive faculty and- equally as important- incredible food. Our campus offers a ton of different coffee shops, sandwich/deli bars, and places where you can buy home-cooked style meals, pizza, waffles, crepes, salads, fruit, pasta, smoothies, burgers, fries, and the list just keeps going.
Now, almost certainly some of you are realizing where the dreaded “freshman 15” comes from. But relax because The Ontarion is here to guide you in a nutritious and delicious direction for your first year of undergraduate studies, beginning with O-week!
First off, it’s important to realize that the freshman 15 is certainly not a given. Not everyone gains 15 pounds when they go away to university. In fact, research shows the amount of weight gained during first year at university usually averages only about 7 lbs, not 15. But “Freshman Seven” doesn’t have much of a ring to it.
Naturally, you want to enjoy your favourite foods from across campus while also maintaining a healthy body weight. What is an undergrad to do?
Well, lucky for Guelph students, our university offers many resources to help you learn more about nutrition on campus. The Student Nutrition Awareness Program (SNAP) is coordinated by upper year Applied Human Nutrition students along with a helpful team of volunteers. Its goal is to help students, particularly first years, make healthier eating choices.
“We create and post SNAP displays in the dining halls biweekly,” said Maarika Hiis, the Coordinator of the program. “These displays provide reliable information on nutrition topics of concern to students, like exercise nutrition, eating breakfast, healthier snacking and common myths. We also post ‘SNAPPY Tips’ in the dining halls to help students make healthier choices at the salad bar, sandwich counter and other areas. SNAP runs various events across campus during the year to promote awareness of different nutrition topics, such as breakfast, portion sizes and general healthy eating. We also hold presentations in residence to help first year students adjust to living away from home.”
SNAP also offers two customer loyalty rewards cards: the SNAP Fruit Card and the SNAP Breakfast Energy Card. Both cards are designed to reward students for making healthy choices on campus, and both are accepted at Hospitality Services’ locations across campus.
Another resource available to students is the Hospitality Services weekly “Dining On Campus” menu, which lists the entrees being served in the residence dining halls that week. It is posted by RAs in residence and is also available online at the Hospitality website (www.hospitality.uoguelph.ca). Vegetarian, vegan, halal and healthier choice items are denoted with symbols on the menu to make it easy for students with special diets to find options. Hospitality Services is also able to accommodate a large number of other special diets, including lactose-free, Kosher and gluten-free.
Some extra tips for beating the Freshman Seven:
- Practice moderation. Fried, starchy, fatty foods are fine sometimes, but would you eat them every night at home?
- It is common for students’ activity level to drop when they come to university. Check out intramurals, fitness classes and other activities at the gym. Walk to the mall instead of taking the bus. Take the stairs. Explore our beautiful Arboretum.
- Keep healthy snacks in your room to avoid hitting the vending machine when you get hungry late at night.
- Watch out for grazing while studying. It’s easy for a bag of chips to disappear if you aren’t paying attention to what you’re eating.
- The calories from alcohol can really add up, so again, moderation is key.
Students are encouraged to contact SNAP (snap@uoguelph.ca) with any nutrition questions or concerns. There is also a Registered Dietitian on campus, whose services are covered under our Student Health Benefits.
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