Eating healthy in college can be a struggle, especially when you are expected to eat at the dining hall for most of your meals. Before I came to school it was very easy for me to eat healthy. Everyday before work I would pack my own lunch and make sure to keep it somewhat healthy because I was going to be working in the sun all day. I am a Lifeguard at my local beach for reference. I would make sure to pack some sort of protein whether it be chicken or chick pea salad, etc. Also fruit, veggies, and some sort of bar that I can eat after I workout. Eating healthy is something that I am very conscious of and it was very hard to adjust especially coming to college and not having enough room to store a ton of groceries. The first few weeks of school were tough, trying to find different healthy places to eat other than the dining hall. What is really nice about living in a dorm though is how there is a market at your local commons. Some people don’t know about this but this is where I can get different fruits and vegetables like strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, apples, avocado, etc. There are a few restaurants that I have tried downtown that are a great alternative for when you don’t want to go to the dining hall for your meals. Here are a few of my favorites and a quick description:
Roots Natural Kitchen-Located at 270 E Beaver Ave, State College, PA 16801
- Roots Kitchen is a restaurant located underneath the Edge Apartments. My second week being here at State College my friends and I went to try it out. Here you can create your own grain bowl and salad or choose from pre made recipes that they have on their website. First you choose your choice or rice and a lettuce whether it be Kale or spinach. Then you can add toppings and dressing like tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, sweet potatoes, beans, balsamic, etc. Lastly, you have a choice of protein which is chicken, tofu, or mushrooms. I highly recommend this restaurant for a good, healthy, filling meal.
Fiddlehead – 134 W College Ave, State College, PA 16801
- Fiddlehead is a restaurant that I just recently discovered while walking downtown with a few of my friends. I normally am downtown a lot just because my friends and I like being familiar with the area that we are living in next year. It is basically a salad and soup bar, very much like roots. The salads can be created to your liking and some of the dressings that you can choose from are actually made there directly! I definitely recommend this restaurant as well as a healthy alternative.
These are just two of the new restaurants I have tried around State College and I cannot wait to try some more in the future. I try to space out when I eat out because it tends to get very expensive after a while. If you have any restaurants that you think I should try feel free to comment them below!!!
Madeline, this was a very informative blog. I also have been struggling with eating healthy and have been feeling frustrated that I am unable to maintain the diet that I want. I will definitely be checking out the restaurants that you recommended!
I rally liked this post as your struggle to eat healthy in a dorm is very relatable and it is refreshing to see someone else having similar struggles. I also really liked that you out in good places to healthily off campus and I will definitelybe checking a few of them out.
Great blog! Your blogs are very informative with great information which makes them enjoyable to read. Eating healthy at school has been a struggle of mine. I will definitely take some of your tips!