Eat Breakfast
It’s important to eat three meals a day, especially since people who skip breakfast are at increased risk for being overweight, says Joan Salge Blake, R.D., spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and clinical associate professor at Boston University. If you don’t like eating breakfast in the dining hall, stock a small refrigerator in your dorm room with skim milk or low-fat yogurt to put over a quick bowl of whole grain cereal (bonus: add in some blueberries or bananas) before class in the morning.
Avoid Sugary Drinks
Energy drinks might keep you awake in your morning classes, but soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks account for more than a third of the added sugars many of us consume each day—and they cause you to crash. So opt for water instead. Too boring? Add a slice of lemon or cucumber from the salad bar, Blake says.
Don’t Overdue It at the Buffet
Resist the urge to pile on everything as you go down the buffet line. Instead, fill at least half your plate with vegetables and fruit and use the My Plate icon from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a guide, Blake says. Can’t resist the pizza? Top it with vegetables and eat a salad with it. Better yet, Blake recommends starting with a salad and vegetable soup when you get into the dining hall and then getting up a second time for your next course—if you’re still hungry.