In the University Cafeteria

HULKAMANIA · 01-30-2006, 04:05 PM

Alright, folks, this is a very broad and open ended question. Unfortunately for you, I'm not well versed enough in the subject of diet to manage anything more. My question is this:

Do you think it's possible to eat healthily in a University cafeteria? Does the way they prepare the food pretty much screw up it's nutritional value? Is there some hope of a poor college kid ever eating really well?

Ted-P · 01-30-2006, 04:10 PM

Probably not....

Morgano · 01-30-2006, 04:32 PM

I have great difficulty...

Bizz · 01-30-2006, 04:44 PM

depends on what they have there.

My caff at work (very similar to a uni caff) has a lot of healthy options.

For example today I had a chicken salad and some skim milk for lunch, no worries there.

*shurgs* look and see if they have a salad bar, ask for healthy choices etc

**Michael Wanaka** · 01-30-2006, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HULKAMANIA

Alright, folks, this is a very broad and open ended question. Unfortunately for you, I'm not well versed enough in the subject of diet to manage anything more. My question is this:

Do you think it's possible to eat healthily in a University cafeteria? Does the way they prepare the food pretty much screw up it's nutritional value? Is there some hope of a poor college kid ever eating really well?

It's hard, but u gotta limit yourself to some basic things. Here (At the university of washington) i mostly eat sandwiches on whole wheat bread with turkey, lots of fruit and protein bars, and pasta with chicken breast.

bacon · 01-30-2006, 05:14 PM

Making your own lunch is the best way to go. That's what I did/do. It's cheaper and you know exactly what you're getting.

fat_wilhelm · 01-30-2006, 05:18 PM

Caf's at Michigan always had a huge bin of hard boiled eggs. I'd take 12-15 of 'em, eat four or so and stuff my pockets w/ the rest. There was always cottage cheese, too, though I'm sure it wasn't the low fat version. Skim milk (or any kind of milk) is a cafeteria staple, as well... three or so glasses w/ each meal.

Of course, that's not all I ate; I did become mildly voluptuous when I lived in the dorms.

bdweezil6998 · 01-30-2006, 05:43 PM

I found the same thing when I was in college. I ended up in a dorm with a kitchenette attached so I could prepare a lot of my own meals. I found when I ate at the cafeteria, all the grease made it blast out the backend at supersonic speeds.

Grady · 01-30-2006, 08:39 PM

Going on my experience (early 1990s, a State college in the Northeast USA), University food was actually passable.

My school made sandwiches to order at lunch, so it was real easy to ask for exactly the kind of bread and the type of contents you liked.

Breakfast was overloaded on fat (oils/butter/bacon/sausage) and carbs (waffles/panckaes/muffins/bagels). It wasn't bad, you just had to force yourself not to overdo it and get some oatmeal and eggs. Back then, though, I knew a lot less about diet, so I pretty much ate everything...but had the ****bolism to burn it all off.

They also had a couple of "pasta nights" each week that really sucked for refined carb intake, because if you love pasta, it was hard to resist eating quite a lot of it. My roommate was one of those waaay too thin types though, so I used to try to drag him down to the pasta meals and encourage him to eat several bowls.

You know...all this has me nostalgic for school. Hulk - enjoy it while you are there!!

P.S. If you are trying to cut weight, that might be difficult on school food. I don't think you are.

HULKAMANIA · 01-30-2006, 09:04 PM

So how bad are fried chicken and fried fish for me? I can get those in vast quantities at the Caf. What does frying do to a food nutritionally?

I can also get a lot of cooked vegetables. Are those sucky? Should I stick to fresh veggies and fruits only? What if they come from a can?

My cafeteria has cereal, bagels, and milk 24/7. There is also a sandwhich line. I can also get grilled chicken for lunch and dinner. I can get eggs (scrambled, boiled, or fried) for breakfast and sometimes I can get an omelet for lunch. Chili's also a perennial presence on the food line.

What kind of questions should I be asking myself as I choose the foods I need? What's a good system for constructing a meal.

Keep in mind that I am not trying to cut weight for a fight or anything. I am actually trying to gain weight so that I can move more weight in the gym. I just don't want to be filling my body with crap that will hinder my progress and fitness.