Should you buy groceries or books? Should you eat some fresh fruit or have a fried chicken sandwich for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Incoming freshman at The University of Memphis are faced with food dilemmas such as these every day.
Hopefully, mom and dad taught you some healthy eating habits. Maybe you picked them up in high school health class or by watching a Subway commercial. Whatever the case may be, making wise food choices is the key to eating well and inexpensively at The University of Memphis.
"Freshmen are new at this. It's an entirely new living situation," said Jacqueline De Fouw, a registered nurse and a health educator on campus. "You have the freedom to make all your own choices and no one's around to tell you to eat your vegetables."
De Fouw advised students interested in nutrition to check www.mypyramid.gov, the USDA's Web site on healthy eating.
"The food guide pyramid has been revised and students can plug in their own personal data and learn what and how much they need to eat," De Fouw said.
At mypyramid.gov, students may enter their age, sex, height, weight and physical activity to receive personalized information about how many calories they should consume to maintain their weight level. They can also learn how the food pyramid has changed to include daily exercise.
De Fouw said students may not have much free time to learn about nutrition, but not eating properly can affect performance at school. She said the Health Center keeps pamphlets on hand for students and also a nutritionist will be available to counsel students in the fall.
As far as eating on campus, De Fouw said healthy choices are offered, but students must actively look for them.
"Fresh fruit is available in the refrigerated cases, but it's not always in the same one. If a student can't find something, they should ask one of the employees," De Fouw said.
She said students should look at all the available foods, read labels and be aware of serving sizes before making a selection. Keeping healthy snacks on hand is something De Fouw also recommends.
"A lot of students don't eat and become hypoglycemic and that is a problem," De Fouw said. "Have things like granola bars, cheese and crackers or energy bars to snack on."
Proteins and whole grains make the best snacks for keeping blood sugar levels stable, and candy is probably the worst choice, De Fouw said.
Chuck Wigington, director of food services on campus, said dining services has been trying to highlight the healthier choices available to students. He said a meal plan was one way to save money.
"A meal plan gives you the most food and gives you the most savings," Wigington said. Meal plans are available for all students, not just those living on campus. The Blue Zone in Richardson Towers is the residential restaurant on campus where students may eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the semester.
Students may also choose to use their meal plans at other dining facilities on campus like the Tiger Den or the soon to be built Einstein Bros. Bagels in the McWherter Library.
Meal plans for resident students offer either five or 10 meals a week and $200 in declining balance dollars. Declining balance dollars provide students with some flexibility in eating.
"If they aren't hungry and just want a cup of coffee while they're waiting for a class, they can do that with declining dollars and not use up one of their meals," Wigington said.
Commuter students have the option of purchasing a five-meal-a-week meal plan for $630 including a $200 declining balance fund.
"It's convenient and we offer a variety of dining options," Wigington said. "But you've got to use your meals each week or you lose them. That encourages students to get the most value for their money."
More information on the full range of dining options on campus is available at www.tigerdining.com.
