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How to Eat Nutritionally for the College CF Patient

College is a very exciting, but busy time, where classes, friends, exercise, and other commitments can take up most of your day. This makes it hard to guarantee that you are getting the nutrition you need to stay healthy. However, with a proper mindset and this handout, you will be on your way to success!

Problem #1: The Dorm Room

Most college students spend their freshman year in a small dorm with limited space for appliances, food, and storage. With only a small refrigerator and microwave that is often shared by roommates, it can be challenging to find compact meals to make. Storage is often limited, but here are some tips to maximize your space:

Buy plastic storage bins with lids to keep dry foods in. This will prevent the food from going stale, and it can be easily stored under your bed or in your closet. You can find these at Walmart or a similar store.

Divide the refrigerator space amongst you and your roommates, so that you know how much refrigerated foods you have space for.

So how do you get these nutritionally-dense foods?

Find buses that go off campus to different stores, such as Walmart, Target, and local grocery stores.

Ask to join a student with a car on their next grocery store trip.

Make a stop at the store when parents, relatives, or friends with cars visit you.

Go to the school’s convenience store or “late night”. These are often tailored to meet dorm-style needs.

Now you are at the store. What should you look for? Below is a checklist of nutritionally-dense foods to buy that will fit into your small living space.

Problem #2: Awful Cafeteria Food

It is easy to make nutritionally-dense meals with foods stored in your dorm! Here are some ideas:

Breakfast

• Yogurt with granola and dried fruit

• Cereal with whole milk

• Bagel with peanut butter or cream cheese

• Oatmeal made with whole milk or half&half

Lunch/ Dinner

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

• Deli meat + cheese sandwich

• Easy Mac or ramen noodles

• Microwavable burritos

Then add some sides to make a complete meal

• Veggies + hummus

• Whole fruit

• Pudding

• Yogurt or string cheese

• Protein drink/ smoothie

• Crackers

• Nuts

Also, many colleges have convenience or “late night” stores that students can use their meal points at to grab and go. Some nutritious options may include:

• “Make your own wrap” bar – ask for extra cheese, high calorie condiments, such as ranch, etc.

• Smoothies – have a smoothie made with whole yogurt, peanut butter, and whole fruits

• Yogurt parfait

• Grilled cheese sandwich – ask for extra cheese if possible

• Grilled chicken sandwich – use full fat mayonnaise or ranch to flavor it

How about food from restaurants?

If there is room in your budget, most campuses have a variety of food options located near classes. However, it is important to plan ahead:

• Look online and learn where and what food places are available. Some places that provide a variety of nutritionally-dense choices may include:

o Panera Bread, Corner Bakery

o Subway, Jimmy John’s, Potbelly’s

o Noodles and Company

o Chipotle

• Check out your school’s student center or union web page. These usually list the food options available.

• Ask for gift cards to your favorite food places for your birthday.

Problem #3: Class Schedule

When registering for college courses, there are options throughout the day. Try to schedule your classes outside of meal times, so that you do not miss any meals. For example, if breakfast is served from 7 am to 9 am and lunch is served from 11:30 am to 1 pm, schedule classes from 9 am to 11:30 am.

Sometimes you have to take a class during a meal time. This is okay, but make sure that you are still getting your 3-4 meals and many snacks throughout the day to get enough calories. Remember to prioritize nutritionally-dense foods, especially foods high in fat since they give you the most calories. To add calories to food, add butter/ margarine/oil whenever possible!

Try to prepare or grab a meal on your way to class from your dorm, convenience store, or food venue. If you do not have enough time or forget, you should always have some snacks in your bag to hold you over until you can sit down for a meal.

What are some easy grab-n-go snacks to keep in my bag?

• Trail Mix or nuts

• Granola Bars (Kashi, Luna, Nature Valley)

• Individual bags of pretzels, gold fish, popcorn, etc

• Protein drink supplements (Boost, Glucerna, Ensure)

• Naked protein smoothie or Starbucks Frappuccino bottles

• Individual bags of apple slices (Crunch Pak, Motts)

• Individual peanut butter packets (Jif, Skippy, Smuckers) for dipping

• Banana, orange, or whole apple

Make up for a missed meal!

If you miss a meal, try to make it up by eating a late night meal. Go to your “late night” convenience store or order a pizza with some friends! Eating with friends is a fun way to sneak in extra calories. To save money, eat the food you have available in your dorm. You can make a peanut butter sandwich with some crackers and fruit on the side.

If you are trying to use snacks to make up for a meal, make sure you are eating enough. For example, a Starbucks Frappuccino bottle has 180 calories in it. You should drink about 3 of these to make up for a meal. However, a variety of foods is recommended!

Problem #4: Making Healthy Choices in the Cafeteria

Although those chicken tenders or pizza might look good, having them everyday for dinner is not good for your health. Although you can enjoy these types of foods sometimes, it is important to be aware of healthier options. Here are some tips:

• Look for baked or grilled foods, such as chicken, salmon, etc. and add olive oil to it for extra calories!

• Learn to love the salad bar! Here you can make different salads daily by switching the toppings. Add nuts, beans, meat, cheese, and high calorie dressings, such as Ranch or Caesar.

• Make half of your plate veggies. Cooked carrots or broccoli go great with your chicken!

• Choose water over pop or coffee. Water will keep your GI tract moving!

A lot of schools no longer have trays in an effort to control portions, which makes it hard to carry multiple dishes. Figure out what table you are sitting at with your friends, put down what you have, and go back up for more plates of food. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, go up for seconds with a couple friends!

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Whole grain bagels

Whole grain crackers; ex: Triscuit, Kashi

Whole milk

Yogurt (full-fat)

Naked Protein Zone smoothies

Apples, celery, carrots, avocado, etc. with Ranch or other dips

Hummus

Cheese (string cheese, cream cheese, etc)

Lunch meat

Full-fat Pudding

Instant oatmeal

Nuts / trail mix

Peanut butter or other nut butters – whole containers or the individual packs

Granola or Granola bars, ex: Nature Valley, Kashi, Clif

Cold cereals; ex: Raisin Bran, Frosted Mini Wheats, Post Banana Nut Crunch

Kraft Easy Mac, Ramen noodles

Microwavable burritos; ex: Don Miguel

Dried fruits

DID YOU KNOW?

1 gram of fat has 9 calories in it!

This means that if you just had a 1 ounce bag of peanuts, you would still get 130 calories!

Don’t Forget Those Enzymes!

Keep some enzymes in your backpack or purse, so you do not have to worry about remembering them when you grab food on-the-go!

Alcohol and CFRD

Although the law for drinking is 21 years old, alcohol is prevalent in the college setting. If you decide to try alcohol and have CFRD, it is important to be aware of the amount of carbohydrates in the drink and adjust your insulin accordingly. Consult your RD with any questions.

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