One of the most difficult things to adjust to at college is the dining hall. I know personally I am used to my mom’s cooking at home, and I am thankful that she was always health-conscious when making meals. Throughout the weeks I have been here at Penn State, I have slowly found ways to keep my meals on the healthier side.
As we have all heard before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is vital for keeping better energy and attention throughout they day. At East Halls one of my favorite places to get breakfast is at Edge, the cafe that can be found in Findlay Commons. While they do sell things like donuts and cookies here, usually I like to go for the avocado toast or the banana and peanut butter toast. Both are great options to start the day on a healthier note. I also enjoy the açaí bowls that can be found upstairs at the commons. These bowls are customizable with different fruit, nuts, and granola so you can constantly switch up your order.
For lunch, I really enjoy going to Jamba Juice in the HUB. Buying fresh fruit can get expensive sometimes, so the smoothies at Jamba Juice are a really convenient way I have made sure to get enough fruit into my diet. If I am being honest, having restaurants like Panda Express and Chick-Fil-A also in the HUB makes it easier to make these unhealthier decisions, but out of all the different smoothies I have tried at Jamba Juice, I have yet to find one I dislike, so I try to remember that when walking into the HUB.
Lastly, one of the tools I have really utilized in the past few weeks is the Penn State Food Services Website . Each day the website provides the menu for the dining hall, so it is helpful in determining whether I will want to go to the buffet side of the commons or not. There is also a tab that offers the nutrition value of the different foods they are providing for that day. This has helped me to stay aware of the health content of the foods I am eating. Overall, while finding healthy meals at college might be a little more difficult than it would be if I were at home, it is not impossible, especially with all of the options and resources Penn State offers.