10 Useful Tips For Eating Healthy At USC

If you’re sick of the dining hall food at the University of Southern California, here are some tips for eating healthy at USC!

1. Do Dining Halls The Right Way

If you’re a freshman with unlimited swipes or an upperclassman with a meal plan, the dining halls around campus may be a frequent option for you. Don’t succumb to stuffing yourself with all you can eat at the buffet or choosing to eat more sweets and fatty food than anything else. Most dining halls on campus have vegan options – the dining hall in the Village, for example, has a section specifically with a few vegan options. Try limiting yourself to one dessert, and don’t drink your calories! Water, coffee, or tea are good alternatives if you drink them plain without any add on’s.

2. Finding Healthy Meal Places On Campus

If you would rather not eat at a dining hall on campus, there are also plenty of other options. You could use dining dollars at most places on campus; buy yourself a salad or pizza from California Pizza Kitchen or a bulgogi bowl from Fertitta Hall. Try out Cava in the Village – the Village doesn’t take dining dollars, but the food is worth trying.

3. Healthy Snack Places On Campus

There are healthy pick-up snacks all around campus. Stop by Nekter on campus or Sunlife Organics for an acai bowl.  These are some of the yummiest places for eating healthy at USC!

4. Healthy Meal Places Around Campus

We’re blessed with living in LA and close to downtown. We have streets packed with food (Figueroa!), Koreatown right next door, and all the restaurants downtown for about a $3 Uber Pool away. You’re bound to find a place for you when it comes to eating healthy at USC!

5. Avoid Certain Foods

If you are unsure of whether something is healthy for you, it probably isn’t. Definitely try to avoid food that seems unclean or bad for you. Specifically, refrain from eating too much fast food, junk food, processed food, or foods high in oil, sugar, carbs, or fat. A cheat meal every now and then is fine and may even help destress you and help your body release some calories.

6. Cooking At Home

By cooking your meals in your apartment, you have much more control of what you eat and how you eat it. By choosing to cook at home instead of going out to eat, you’ll likely eat less, eat healthier, and save money. You will know exactly what goes into your meals. Also, you could try buying smaller dishware, which is shown to reduce your food intake by 10% according to a study by Cambridge University.

7. Grocery Shopping The Right Way

Now that we have Trader Joe’s and Target in the Village, grocery shopping the healthy way is easier than ever. Some tips include to make a list when you go grocery shopping, and never go grocery shopping while hungry. Following these tips will help you buy less and stick to a healthy list. Opt for healthy fruits and vegetables for snacks instead of processed foods, and buy frozen and fresh foods over canned foods. Remember, the foods to buy contain healthy fats and vitamins. 

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8. Eat At The Right Times

A 2013 study called “Obesity” showed that people who eat a big breakfast, medium lunch, and light dinner lose more weight than those who eat a light breakfast, medium lunch, and big dinner. The two groups are the same amount of calories, but eating earlier in the day allowed the body to burn more calories. Also, studies have shown food consumed at night, right before you sleep, is more likely to be stored as fat. Moral of the story – eat earlier in the day.

9. Drink Water

Water helps to reduce the amount of food you eat by filling up your stomach. Sometimes, you may think you feel hungry, but in reality, you are thirsty. Water acts to naturally suppress your appetite, raises your metabolism, and removes by-products of fat.

10. Eat Superfoods

Certain foods are packed with important vitamins and minerals and you should try to fit more of these into your diet, whether as a snack or in a meal. Some of the most popular superfoods include blueberries, eggs, quinoa, dark chocolate, salmon, and kale.

Do you have any more tips for eating healthy at USC? Let us know in the comments!

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