Quiz: Are you eating healthy in college?

13 Nov 2019

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College is a great time to cultivate good eating habits. This is your first time away from home and you need to start taking care of what you eat.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to maintain a healthy diet in college with erratic schedules and late nights of studying and meeting assignment deadlines. It’s often tempting to grab a quick snack from the vending machine or pop in a microwave meal when you’re pressed for time.

However, it really is important to eat healthy in college so you don’t put on too much weight and jeopardize your health.

International students often fall prey to tempting delights that they can’t get much of back home. This is fine once in a while, but don’t make it your everyday diet.

Not sure if you’re eating healthy enough in college? You might think you are but additives, sugar and fat can be hidden in foods that seem healthy.

When you maintain a good diet, your body feels better, as well as your mind. You will have more energy, sleep better and have less health issues.

Take this quiz to find out whether you need to change your eating habits so you can be more healthy.

How many servings of fruit and vegetables do you have per day?

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About five or less.

Maybe one piece of fruit and a few vegetables daily.

I try to eat fruit and vegetables for every meal, so about eight to ten servings a day.

How often do you read nutritional labels when you shop?

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Hardly ever or never.

Occasionally, if it's something I've never bought before.

Always!

Which of the following sounds like your go-to meal when you're hungry and pressed for time?

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A burger or slice of pizza.

A poke bowl or smoothie.

A sandwich or noodles.

What is your idea of a snack?

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Ramen or potato chips

Yogurt or fruit

Granola bar or pretzels

Which of the following is closest to what's in your fridge/pantry?

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Fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, bread, nuts

Frozen food, potato chips, cookies

An equal mix of junk food and fresh food

What do you often start the day with for breakfast?

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Egg-white omelette and avocado toast, oats, or a smoothie.

I usually grab something from the vending machine or skip breakfast.

Eggs with toast and bacon, sometimes cereal.

What do you typically have for a beverage?

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Milk, water or green tea.

Soda, energy drinks or frappucinos.

Fruit juice, tea or coffee.

When do you normally stop eating for the day?

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An early dinner is normally my last meal of the day.

Before bed - I love snacking at night or going out for supper.

Normally dinner, but I have the occasional snack or drink late at night.

Quiz: Are you eating healthy in college?

You are relatively healthy.

You have a decent diet as you make conscious efforts to eat healthy whenever you can. However, your habits could still improve. Try cutting down on junk food and eat more fruits and vegetables so you can be even healthier. Also, read more labels and ingredients as there are many foods (like granola bars, juice and cereal) which seem to be healthy but are actually packed with sugar and additives.

You have great eating habits!

You eat healthy at almost every meal, you cook often and you read labels - these are all great things! It's not easy to eat healthy in college but you seem to have mastered it. Keep it up and hopefully you can inspire others with your healthy eating habits. You can afford the odd cookie or slice of cake, so treat yourself once in a while.

Your diet is in need of a health kick!

Based on your answers, it's clear that you don't have a healthy diet. It's difficult to eat well in college which is why several people put on weight during the first couple of years of college. However, you can change your habits with a little more consciousness of what you are eating. Try to incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet, cook more and eat less junk food. Soon, you'll feel much better and have a tonne more energy!