Making Healthy Choices at College

Tiffany Teal a junior at Towson University, choosing to eat a healthy salad at the Newell Dining Hall located on Towson Universities campus. (photo taken by Asia Hinton/Towson University student)

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Many college students are trying to find better ways of eating healthier. Tiffany Teal, a 20-year-old junior at Towson University, is growing tired of the limited and unhealthy food choices at her school.

“The food here at Towson is really limited. There aren’t that many great healthy choices. I am tired of the whole pizza, greasy fries and hamburgers thing. It’s just getting really old.”

Teal is beginning to find other ways to try to eat healthier that does not involve foods that are high in fat and calories.

“To eat healthier, my mom brings me groceries, and my girlfriends and I decide to go out to eat instead of eating on campus and sometimes I’ll fix myself something to eat instead of having to eat on campus.”

Even though Teal opts to go to the grocery store and cook her own foods, there are new and improved ways she‘ll be able to eat healthier on campus.

Kerry Ballek, a registered dietician at Towson University, speaks on new ways of healthier dieting that students can choose on campus.

“We have a new T-Veggie program and a new Fit Foods bar that offers whole grain and roasted vegetables here at the Patuxent or over at the Center for Fine Arts.”

Ballek also encourages students to pay close attention to the amount of foods that they are eating per day.

“You (students) can follow the plate method. Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables, a quarter should be protein and a quarter should be starch, like whole grains, rice and pasta. You can go to the website mypyramid.gov to determine the amount of servings for each food group that you need per day.”

Teal is hoping that Towson’s new addition to healthier foods will gain her a healthier body and a healthier lifestyle.