Only after those countless late night Domino’s binges and ritual keg stands do freshmen realize what they have gotten themselves into. The dreaded “Freshman 15,” the virtually required weight gain experienced in your first year at college, can sneak up when you’re busy recovering from that 9 am hangover.
While food can definitely enhance one's freshman (or upperclassman) experience, those ‘Where did his neck go?’ stares over winter break are not as pleasant. The following are some common pitfalls to avoid when diving into college cuisine for the first time.
1) Buffet SyndromeAlmost serving as a microcosm for the overwhelming nature of freshman year, most campus dining halls are overflowing with an abundance of options. Salad bars, pizzerias, General Tso's corner and make-your-own-sundae stations all sit in one small concentrated area, similar to gorging at a mall food court.
Instead of picking a specific course for dinner, you pile grub on the plate in acrobatic fashion: vegan cuisine; a nice “brinner” of eggs, bacon and pancakes; and a chicken Caesar wrap. This strategy can turn every night into a virtual Thanksgiving feast—and simultaneously turn you into a Thanksgiving Day float.
Pacing yourself can prevent this descent into unhealthy eating. Try the Kosher deli one night, the tacos the following evening and the breakfast theme at another dinner. After a few weeks, all of the food within the cafeteria will probably merge into one horrible taste anyway, so you might as well try to temper your buffet binges.
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