As a young student who does not have tons of money, the prices for healthy food in general, and especially on campus, can be quite frustrating. For the past few years, I have been unsuccessfully trying to effect a lifestyle change that would lead to long-term health benefits, including weight loss. This lifestyle change has been affected by moving to Iowa, a new environment for me, in several ways.

Going from living at home to living at Fredriksen Court was a substantial change for me last year, especially to my diet. I’ll admit, for me, the freshman 15 was unexpected and wouldn’t have been nearly as bad had it not been due to the fact I had begun to rely too much on convenient junk food. Once I realized that I could cook from home, in bulk, not only did I save money, but I started feeling better and slowly began losing weight.

Whenever I was on campus, away from my room and with no access to a kitchen, I would have to find alternate means of finding food, and this made the task of losing weight a bit more difficult. For example, there have been many occasions where I would find myself without any lunch, food on my mind, and by some miracle, money in my wallet. Generally this is where I just buy some coffee to hold off hunger and allow me to function at a more optimal rate of output, even if only for a few hours.

The reasons for getting coffee are twofold: It is cheap, and it is a healthier option when compared to the much of the food on campus.

The dining centers on campus provide food options that I don’t believe are as healthy as they could be. Granted, I am not a nutritionist, but I don’t think I need to be one to know that eating hamburgers, pizza and other fare saturated with high levels of sodium and fat are bad for my body. So what is the solution to the current situation? By visiting several cafes on campus, I see that there are usually sandwiches, wraps and salads available in refrigerated units, usually next to the cashier.

So far, so good.

Most of those are pretty tasty, albeit a tiny bit more expensive than I would like, but that’s fine. I understand you’re also paying for the convenience of a quick meal you didn’t have to cook. What I find a bit off-putting is that many of the side items also found in the refrigerated units are surprisingly high in calorie content. I am glad, however, that on the stickers that name the item there is not only a list of ingredients but basic nutritional information. This way, if I don’t want to eat it due to my dietary choices, I won’t, because I’m informed of the content.

I’m also very pleased with the program found on the ISU Dining website, NetNutrition, where people interested in finding out information may look for and examine the items that they buy the most. I do wish, however, the program would be expanded to show all of the on-campus locales where food is sold.

I spend quite a bit of time at Parks Library, either reading for research or just using a quiet space to organize my thoughts while I write. Sometimes I decide a cup of coffee and a pastry sounds like a good snack (more often than not, it’s just the coffee, as I am still trying that lifestyle change). Having checked on NetNutrition for information regarding the pastry, I was surprised there was none. This might be due to the fact most of the pastry and cafe items are standard across all university cafes, and so on NetNutrition, they are not listed at every location. This, however, is somewhat confusing if I only go to Bookends, and not the MU Market and Cafe.

From a consumer standpoint, NetNutrition is a mixed bag, as it is informative but can be confusing at the same time. ISU Dining also provides tips on how to plan healthy meals on their website, which are quite useful, and would have saved me a lot of effort in finding a healthier way of eating in my first year here.

This year, I’m taking a different approach than the last. Cooking, baking and simplified meals are my new best friends, and I have been able to lose all the weight I gained last year by replacing unhealthy choices with more sensible, nutritious meals. It’s a bit of a cliche, but if I can do it, anyone else can. It’s all about finding time to make the right choices.