S2 Ep. 4 Nutrition Expedition: Eating Healthy as a College Student

When was the last time you ate a vegetable?? Yeah MaryGrace can't remember either... tune in to learn some pro-tips when it comes to eating healthy while in college! Join our guests Rebecca Lebedun (M.S. in Nutrition), Interim Coordinator for Sexual and Relationship Health and Payton Mahoney, Wellness Instructor and President of the JMU Dietetic Association as they break down the complexity of nutrition!

The Pantry  - click here!

Health Center: Nutrition Services - click here!

Cooking Classes & Demonstration Kitchen - click here!

Dietetics Association  - click here!

JMU Dining Services - Health & Wellness - click here!

Follow us on Social Media! 
@jmuurec & @jmuwelldukes

Be Well, Dukes!

Transcript

MaryGrace (MG): Welcome to the well Dukes podcast. My name is Mary Grace and I'll be your host today. We're going to chat a little bit about what it's like to eat on a college budget, and how to do that healthfully. So today we have a couple of guests on with us, and I'll let them go ahead and introduce themselves.

Rebecca Lebedun (RL): Hi. So my name is Rebecca. I'm the interim coordinator for sexual relationship health at UREC Why I'm qualified to talk about nutrition, so I actually got my bachelor's degree in health science with a concentration in public health education at JMU I graduated in 2019 with that. And then I went on to get my master's degree in nutrition from George Mason, and I graduated in spring of 2021 so all of the information is still very fresh in my mind.

Payton Mahoney (PM): Hi everyone I'm Payton Mahoney and I'm a wellness instructor here at James Madison University's UREC. I'm also the president of JMU Dietetic Association, and I am a senior pursuing an undergraduate degree in dietetics.

MG: So we clearly have some very knowledgeable women here with us today and we're super excited that they get to share a little bit about their passion areas being in nutrition, and honestly just trying to make that a little bit more understandable and relatable. Because I know that when I was an undergrad I was making food for the first time for myself. And honestly, there are some days when I'm like, I don't know when I had a vegetable last and I know that's an issue… So I feel like I'm going to be learning a lot from this conversation today as well. And we are going to start this conversation just with the basics of why it is important to eat healthy to keep your body functioning while in college. So Peyton Rebecca, I'll let you all take that away and get us started here.

PM: We can just start by saying that, as college students you're introduced to a number of new environmental factors such as getting less sleep due to school stress because of school, new foods and new places to eat such as new dining halls, and these tend to lead towards weight gain habits and just eating a balanced diet can help you maintain your weight and your normal body function.

RL: And I would just like to add to that, since we're talking about why it's important to eat healthy and college, a little caveat, always important to eat healthfully, and just have helpful habits in general, but to add to the weight maintenance side of why it's important to eat healthy. Studies have actually shown that students both, you know, from elementary to college any students when they're well nourished, they're better able to learn and pay more attention, and they tend to get higher grades have better memory and alertness, and they're just able to process information better as well. So staying nourished with healthy foods like you know having a good solid breakfast, it's going to help provide your better for your body with better energy to learn and stay awake during those 8ams.

PM: And changing your mindset to thinking of food as fuel will help you get through your days because we know college days can be long and stressful So eating foods that are nutrient dense can keep your body full for longer which ultimately equals more energy and more alertness for school and your studies.

MG:Yeah, those are some great tips to start out with and I know that I can always tell when I have been eating a little bit more junk food or eating out a little bit more often, that I just don't feel as good.And overall, I would also say I'm a fairly forgetful person so the idea of food as fuel and the fact that feeding my body well is going to help me improve that and, you know, get those better grades feel prepared for my extra long days on campus. I'm excited to start eating healthy so let's break that down and can you explain to me what does that even mean to eat healthy.

RL: Sure. So I'm going to start off with this question so everyone kind of has their own definition of what it means to both be and eat healthy. So I did a little bit of research to see what the overarching definition was like I went to the CDC website health.gov, and the World Health Organization website. So credible sources which are also important when you're doing your health research for your own lifestyle choices. And so, the kind of overarching theme was to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium rich foods, and a variety of protein foods. And then you also want to be able to limit your saturated fats trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, which is in salt, and then I know they're so good but you also want to limit those, those added sugars and you know this is just for the caveat, again, for the average person, ya know everybody has different dietary needs. But for the average person that's what you want to aim for more of a healthy diet.

PM: Yeah and choosing foods that both nourish your body and your mind so if you're really craving something sweet after a long day go ahead and eat that just know that maybe it's something you can't eat every day but picking foods that satisfy you, your mind and your body or is also really important to have a well balanced diet.

RL: I'm really glad that you mentioned that Payton because you know when and I know we're going to talk about you know diets a little bit more later but when you restrict yourself or you say oh no I can't have this food because it's not healthy. You're actually more likely to binge or eat a lot more of the food later, when you know if you did just have a little bit of chocolate then you would both satisfy your cravings and keep yourself from feeling restricted. Because everything in moderation is what I like to say, 

MG: I'm glad you said that because I honestly don't know if I could cut chocolate out of my diet. I, you know, after eating a large meal I always feel like I need a little something sweet. And so I have gotten to that good place where you know a little bit of chocolate or a little bit of ice cream is okay, but I don't need that every night as well. 

MG: So my next question for you all. How can college students practically eat healthy like what are those shopping tips that you all might have for them, especially because eating healthy can be rather expensive, and there is $1 menu at McDonald's in case you haven't heard, and that can look really appetizing after a long day when you know you don't feel like going to the store or making your food. 

PM: So just to get an idea of how to practically eat healthy. Always check the store website for the coupons and deals they do. I know it can add an extra few minutes but it can take like two to three minutes. Just checking what things are on sale like I know shrimp, or produce can be on sale and just going for those can help center your diet and what you plan for that week.

RL:Yeah. And so I feel like something that, you know, people maybe don't think about too much, is there's so many other things going on. You know traditional college students so you know kind of that 18 through 22 ages, they're going through a huge life change. So a lot of these students are you know they could be shopping completely for themselves, for the first time they could be preparing their foods for the first time, you know maybe their parents or guardians used to plan their meals and now this all becomes their responsibility. So, it can be very intimidating to do this. And that's why, you know meal plans can be really helpful and that's actually kind of the first of two categories that I wanted to touch on for types of students.

So students with meal plans, I think, not so much that they have it easier but they may have a little bit more resources that they don't have to pay extra for to eat healthy, they have access to, you know, JM use dining halls and, you know, they don't have to spend extra money at the grocery store to get these foods. Not all food offered on campus fits into this this traditionally like healthy food mindset, but, you know, they do have those options. So a good place to start.

I think for students who want to start incorporating these healthy foods into their lifestyle, say they go to D or E Hall, you know, getting a side salad and putting I know I am a big fan of the salad bar at those places, and then getting some side fruit you know maybe taking a banana, or Apple home with you for a snack later. Then once you know students are comfortable with that if they want to expand a little bit. Starting to look at the different types of proteins offered. And then the different types of grains offered as well. So, you know, if you're eating red meat every day, maybe starting to expand that, you know, getting some of those lean protein sources like chicken or red meat with a little bit lower fat or some plant protein so really you know expanding those dietary choices to get as many different nutrients, as you can.

MG: So Rebecca, can you explain a little bit more like what are your lean proteins going to be and what is that plant protein? 

RL: Yeah , so lean proteins are just proteins with less fat on them. It's really very simple but yeah it could be a very intimidating term if you haven't heard it before, or not quite sure what it is. And then plant protein is also kind of what it sounds like protein that comes from plants. So good sources that would be like beans, lentils, even tofu.That's what I can think off the top of my head Payton, I'm not sure if you can think of any more plant protein sources? 

PM: Yeah, they also have Tempe to which is really good.

RL: Yeah, so there's, I'm not sure if the dining halls have Tempe, but I know they have a lot of be in this and you know you do get, not a lot of protein, but a little bit of protein and vegetables like I know broccoli, for example, has some protein in it so you don't have to be eating animal products in order to get protein just if you do want to start to expand into eating different protein foods. 

MG: Yeah, that's a great thing to have a better understanding of and to look out for in those dining halls. And so I know that you also mentioned, like looking into the greens and looking into the other pieces of that meal... Can you explain a little bit more what the rest of that meal might look like to be like a healthier option.

RL: Yeah. So, with grains I know the typical rule is to make half of your grains, whole grains. So, what a whole green is it you know I feel like we hear this term all the time we may not be sure what it is, but it is also a very self explanatory term. It really just is a grain having all of its parts. So, to not get into much detail, there's kind of three main parts of a piece of grain. And when all of these parts are in it, it contains more nutrients, you know, it contains more carbs proteins and fats as opposed to just refined grains which are on the other side, which are just more carbohydrate dense, so you're getting more a better balance, as well as vitamins and minerals, and whole grains, what they can do is they can help study your blood sugar levels, and these whole grains can also they have more fiber than refined grains so they can help with your digestion as well.

MG: Oh, that's awesome. Especially because whenever you are eating campus food, understanding what a whole grain actually is and what the difference in nutrition is when you can make an easy swap there is really important and helpful.

So tell me a little bit more about what those whole grains might be to look out for.

RL: Yes, a very good question. So examples of whole grains, just the very classic ones are going to be like your brown rice, wild rice and say you would like having oatmeal in the morning, you're in luck, that's a whole grain as well. So there's a lot more websites, if you, you know, a quick Google search also people can get a good grasp on that, but there's so many and there's so many options in the dining halls actually do have a fair amount of these options. 

MG: Awesome. So like if I'm going to eat oatmeal and it's like a nice little brown sugar number is that still okay or does that make it not nutritious anymore. 

RL: So now this could just be my mindset, Peyton, you may have a different one. That's cool. When making dietary changes, I'm more of an advocate of instead of taking out the unhealthy things right away, adding more of the healthy things. So like healthy foods like those oats, and then maybe, you know, one day when you get used to that you won't need to add the sugar to it or want to. Because, adding food as opposed to taking away can also feel less restrictive. So you can still have your brown sugar with your oatmeal, especially during that transition period. 

MG: Yeah, that's some really good advice because I, I know that your taste buds will get used to the foods that you eat more often and so I'm working on that, you know, adding some vegetables in there. Peyton, Is there anything else that you wanted to add on this point or do we want to go ahead and move forward to students without meal plans and kind of that area.

PM: Yeah, I just completely agree with what Rebecca said with just adding more Whole Foods, and pull fruits and vegetables into your diet and then also maybe starting to transition to reduce sugar and stuff like that after you get used to adding all the rest in 

MG: Perfect! So let's talk a little bit more about those students who don't have a meal plan, they're probably cooking for themselves for the first time, and might feel intimidated by shopping for themselves and trying to pick out what foods to integrate into their lifestyles 

PM: I can say that I definitely when I transitioned off campus is definitely a big shock for me and I know my roommates also being able to just come home after a long day of classes and not have like the D Hall meal you were looking for stuff like that. So I understand how difficult of a transition, it can be, and also can be pretty difficult maintaining a budget. If you go grocery shopping while you're hungry you can pick up so many things and add them to your cart. So some of my tips would just be maybe instead of going out to eat, Transitioning to buying prepackaged food as like a little transition state. And then hopefully when you get ideas of what kind of foods you would like after that may be doing that prepackaged food into making your own food. And then this is one of my biggest tips that I learned is that buying frozen fruits and vegetables, is just as great as buying fresh which can save you a lot of money. I know a staple every day in my diet is frozen blueberries, I add them to my oatmeal to my Greek yogurt and buying a huge pack of those is a lot cheaper than buying fresh blueberries that may be out of season.So just using that especially like during frozen broccoli and stuff like that can help lower your grocery shopping budget.

MG: That's a great tip for me personally because I feel like I always buy produce and I'm like, Oh, I'm gonna eat it this week. And then I ended up going bad and I have just wasted the money on it so I might be investing in some frozen vegetables and frozen fruits fairly soon. 

RL: Yeah, no, I'm really glad that you brought that up Payton because Mary Grace that happens to me as well to like you know all by this big bag of spinach or kale and I'm like yeah I'll definitely use this, and then you know a week week and a half is gone by and I've completely forgotten about it, but when you buy that frozen food, it lasts you know months instead of a week- week and a half, so you can also have more time to use that too.

MG: One of the things that we talked about previously a little bit was just like coupons and comparing maybe store prices. And so I also wanted to bring up the resource that is our on campus pantry. So if you are looking to grab a little bit of fresh produce, just stop by the pantry which is located in Taylor down under as of right now and we are recording. You can also always do a quick Google search to tell you what their hours are and where they're located, as we know that not everyone is listening when we're putting the podcast out At this time, but it is a great resource to see what all is available, and it doesn't mean that you have to be you know absolutely starving where you can't pay for your groceries, you can still go there and there's a judgment free zone and they really just like want to be able to provide for our student population. Rebecca, Payton, Have either of you been able been able to head over to TDU and check that out?

RL: Yeah I know I have, I have seen the produce you know one time I went there, they had, like, freshly baked bread. So that was pretty cool. A lot of canned vegetables and fruits dry goods, which, you know, in addition to frozen fruit fruits and vegetables like that, having those canned items can be just as good as well. They may have a little bit more sodium so you do want to watch out for that if that's something that you need to be watching. when you do get those cans fruits and vegetables seeing if they're either stored in water or their own juice. But yeah, those are definitely available at the pantry for you.

MG:So lets chat a bit about maybe some of the ways that alcohol or cannabis can affect the way that we eat, or process our food. 

PM: So, those that consume alcohol on a regular basis I know this can be different for college students but it can damage your microbiome and your gut, and then also it can decrease the amount of nutrients that are absorbed, also in the process of digestion which can affect your well being, a lot. It can lead to making you sick too.

MG: Yeah. And so I've heard rumors I hope this isn't really true but I've heard people say you know I'm going out to drink tonight and I don't want to pay as much so I'm not going to eat all day so that the alcohol like hits me quicker and takes a bigger effect. So do you have any recommendations as to why that maybe wouldn't be the best option.

RL:That unfortunately is very prevalent both on college campuses. And in general, that actually can be a form of disordered eating as well which I won't touch too much on because that's not really my wheelhouse. Yes, it's not recommended. Although, you know, if you don't have food in your system the alcohol does tend to get absorbed quicker. But you know if you do go into a night out with where you choose to drink alcohol. I'm going in with, you know, a full stomach or a solid meal beforehand, you'll still be able to have a fun time, but it'll just be better for you in the long run. If you do have even just a quick meal or snack beforehand anything's better than nothing going into a situation like that.

PM: And I agree with everything Rebecca said, choosing not to eat before going out is definitely not the best idea.

MG: So Rebecca I know that food does change the way that your body processes alcohol as well. Can you tell me about maybe some resources or if you have education on this subject, what that kind of looks like.

RL: Yeah. So, again, you know, I'm not a registered dietitian, registered dietitian Peyton's almost there, but we do have one on campus. So you know if people want more information about that right now I believe it is Michelle Cavoto. And then we also have substance misuse prevention, people here at you rec where people can get more information about, you know, not only how food affects it, but how alcohol and other drugs as well can affect their lives. So if people want to learn more about that I can totally pop over that to the dietitian, make an appointment here. And, and get more insight on that.

MG: And of course we love plugging our other areas on campus when we're not the expert in one of these areas. So definitely check out some of those resources, because they are mostly free to you as a student, and if not, then they're going to be lesser charge than you're going to find anywhere else. But we're going to talk a little bit on eating healthy to lose weight versus dieting. 

RL: So dieting can be very restrictive, and it's my personal opinion as well as something research has shown that it's really not sustainable. So a lot of people you know after the diet and say they're going on something like a juice cleanse, they can you know gain all the way back afterwards or even more. So, eating healthy, having that kind of small sustainable change over a long period of time can actually make a bigger difference in the long run and be healthier for you, and better for your body than dieting, because dieting. There's different there's a lot of different types of diets that people go on. I feel like we could have like 10 episodes on different types of fad diets alone, but they can in general, women your nutritional intake maybe too much in your caloric intake too much as well. There, they can in general be unhealthy with limiting nutritional intake because if you're going for, you know, quantity of calories instead of quality, as well as making sure you know you're getting your macro and micronutrients, and then they do normally, maybe not so much fail... but they're set up for failure. But they're they're just not sustainable in the long run, as opposed to just eating healthy for weight loss making those small changes so, like, starting with getting a side salad from the dining hall having that take up, you know, volume space in your stomach so you're not as hungry to eat, potentially other unhealthy things. And then I know it's not exactly nutrition but making sure to involve exercise as well. Because you know you can eat healthily but you know you're to function optimally you also want to be exercising too. So, eating healthy is more about, you know, making sure you're getting your nutrients and your happiness, and it's not all about the calories.

PM: And if you are trying to lose weight, understand that this is a long term process, trying to drop five pounds in a week is just not sustainable and the likelihood of gaining it back is very high. So understanding that losing weight should be over the course of a couple months and getting to where you want to be just so your body feels better and you're happier, some helpful tips would be maybe try to start by completing a 24 hour journal just for one day, and look over it the next day just to see what kind of foods you took in, where they process for the whole foods, and then how many fruits and vegetables. Did you take in that day? If you're low on fruits and vegetables, maybe making one goal to incorporate one new fruit or vegetable each day can help increase your nutrient density and also your fiber which is increases society, and then try incorporating more protein and healthy fats, to keep you fuller for longer. 

RL: And just to kind of add to that, because you know some of these are not too much industry specific terms but society basically just is helpful you feel so if you're eating fiber and protein you're going to feel fuller for longer so you're going to be likely to snack in between meals. 

MG: Yeah, I definitely enjoy a good snack but I know that you know those are good in moderation and choosing grapes over cheeses is probably a good option. And we do also have a full episode over diet culture so you are more than welcome to check back into some of our further episodes because we do have a lot of great content there but specifically we do have one on diet culture. If you want to learn a little bit more about that.

So we've kind of touched on a variety of bases we've talked about how transitioning to college and utilizing the dining hall, can be done and done well, we've talked about how to transition from the dining hall to making your own food, or utilizing those freezer meals and pre made meals to get there. And so I feel like we've set those small goals which for me is super helpful because I always know that I feel better when I eat healthy, but it always seems daunting, and I am much more prepared after having this chat with you all. 

So, what would be the main thing that you want our listeners to take away from our episode today?

PM: I would want everyone to take away that eating a balanced diet and eating healthy should be what satisfies you and your mind. It should also be in transition steps and it shouldn't be making major changes to your everyday lifestyle.

RL: That's a good one. I don't think I can beat that. But for me what I really want people to take away is that, You know, it can be difficult. Like Payton was saying you have to meet yourself where you're at will actually both of you have been saying that. So meet yourself where you're at, and then also know that there are a lot of on campus resources and off campus to help you accomplish your goals like another little shameless plug at UREC, we do have cooking classes. So if a big barrier for you is you just don't know how to cook, you know, sign up for one of those or watch some YouTube videos you know, if you want to make these changes, you know, there's a lot of things that, and resources that you may not know about right now and that's okay but you know if you do a little bit of digging you'll find them and they'll be here for you.

MG: Rebecca I'm so glad that you talked about the cooking classes. Peyton, Is that something that you get to take part in? 

PM: I do so I'm a wellness structure so I do teach cooking classes. We have all sorts of fun cooking classes like that range from vegan baking to grilling one on one, and everything in between. and. Now you can actually get a little snack with whatever your instructor chooses to make you will be able to help prepare it, watch them prepare and then enjoy it after.

MG: my final question for you all would be what is your favorite healthy meal.

RL: Alright, so I think giving this some thought. Because I know I had a few questions beforehand to prep for. So I was thinking about it. I decided on rice bowls, because there's not. I haven't found a place here but there's a place in Richmond that has the best rice bowls. So more so talking about them, but you can really add anything you want to them whatever you have in the house, you know, so the base is rice, of course, but whatever vegetables you have whatever protein you have you can really make it your own.So that's what I like about them.

PM: My favorite healthy meal you might not be expecting is a big pasta dinner. I love pasta and I love adding all different vegetables like Rebecca said you can change your dinners or meals any way you want so adding new vegetables and different sauces too.

MG: If I wasn't hungry before. I definitely am. So, we are so glad that you all came to join us, that you gave us some of your expertise in this area, and I look forward to joining some of those cooking classes because I'm not the best chef, I can make something, sustainable and keeping me going but I definitely need some help in that area,

RL:  You want it to taste good too.

MG: Exactly. I definitely wanted to taste good. 

But of course for more updates and to check out some of our resources. You can follow us on social media at @JMUurec and at JMUwellDukes on Instagram.

We are so glad you joined us today. Look out for some more fun episodes coming soon and as always be well dukes!