BU NUTRITION EXPERT RECOMMENDS HEALTHY WAYS TO AVOID THE "FRESHMAN 15"

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

(Boston) – With easy access to fattening take-out food, convenience stores with quick fixes for munchies readily accessible and daily late night pizza runs, the freedom of college life can also mean gaining the dreaded “freshman 15.”

“For many students, freshman year is the first time that they are on their own and exercising their newfound eating freedom,” said Joan Salge Blake, clinical assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University (BU) Sargent College. “They are making their own decisions as to when, what, and how much to eat.”

Salge Blake, who also maintains a private weight management and nutrition practice explains that it doesn’t take long for them to discover that an unstructured campus and social life can wreak havoc with the bathroom scale. However, she also explains that there are healthy ways for students to avoid gaining these extra pounds.

Here are a few tips that she offers her student clients to avoid the freshman 15 while still enjoying college life:

  • Avoid skipping meals. Skipping a meal isn’t an efficient way to cut calories as it often leads to over-snacking. If you can’t get yourself out of bed for breakfast, make a peanut butter sandwich at dinner and store it in your dorm refrigerator for an on-the-go breakfast as you dash off to class.
  • Eat a combination of food including whole grains, fruits and vegetables along with low-fat protein such as poultry, fish, lean meats and low-fat dairy at most meals. Add a modest amount of healthy sources of fat such as olive oil and nuts for a combination that provides the ammunition to fend off between meal hunger.
  • Don't skimp on veggies. Plain vegetables or tossed salads with low-fat dressing contain modest amounts of calories and are high in bulk and fiber. They fill you up before the fill you out!
  • Snack on fruit between meals. Snacking on fruit will keep you from eating higher calorie, less nutritious chips, cookies and candy in between meals.
  • Keep snack size microwave light popcorn on hand for late night munchies. While your dorm-mates are ordering late night pizza to curb their munchies, pop up a small bag of light popcorn to satisfy your craving.

For more tips, visit Salge Blake’s interactive nutrition tools at http://people.bu.edu/salge/.

Boston University (BU) Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences is an institution of higher education, research and clinical centers whose premier academic programs prepare dynamic health professionals and whose research and leadership in the health and rehabilitation sciences is actively shaping health care. BU Sargent College is the only private institution in the country offering five nationally ranked graduate programs in health and rehabilitation sciences. For more information and to learn about degree programs in physical therapy, occupational therapy, communication disorders, health sciences, athletic training, nutrition, and rehabilitation counseling, visit http://www.bu.edu/sargent.