Whether you are just starting your collegiate journey at UT or returning as an upperclassman, I want to be the first to welcome you to Rocky Top! I am so excited that UT will be your “home away from home.” Part of that experience, to a large extent, involves eating as necessity and to socialize.
As the dietitian for Vol Dining, my job is to ensure you have access to high-quality food to fuel your success. One of my goals is to help you start your semester off to a good start by teaching what foods best power your body. This might be the first time you have total responsibility of feeding yourself, or you may not know where to start with nutrition and healthy eating. Allow me to support you in understanding how to make the most of your meal plan while making healthy choices.
With a wide variety of food options on campus to meet your individualized needs, it can seem overwhelming on where to start. I recommend starting with the residential dining halls, Stokely and Rocky Top, to incorporate variety into your routine.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicate that young adults should think about how to make at least half your grains whole grains (ex. brown rice, whole grain bread and corn), prioritize lean meat (ex. fish, chicken and turkey) and plant-based proteins (beans, legumes, nuts and seeds), choose a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, and go for low-fat or fat-free dairy products (ex. yogurt, cottage cheese and milk) while you are building your meals and snacks each day. No days or meals need to be the same, so I encourage you to mix and match different foods to get a variety of nutrients.
How can you put this information into practice? While recalling the dietary guidelines, you can apply these recommendations to the MyPlate Guide. I suggest utilizing the MyPlate tool because it helps you visualize your plate. Now, picture your plate as a “pie.” Put a serving of lean protein on one quarter of your plate. Put whole grains on another quarter. On the remaining half, incorporate colorful fruits and vegetables. If you think about how you build your plate using this process, I am confident planning and eating a well-balanced meal will be easy.
Practice makes perfect! College is an exciting time in your life and will be a time that will shape your future in many ways. It’s never too late to start thinking about your health and what foods you eat. Try a food you haven’t tried before, challenge a friend to make these changes with you or experiment with how foods are cooked. The possibilities and health benefits are endless.
If this interests you, or you would like to schedule a counseling session with me to learn more about how you can implement these recommendations into your life, email me at [email protected].
