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Lime tea in a clear glass
Lime tea in a clear glass
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Life

How to Make Healthier Choices in the Campus Cafeterias

Abby Ayala
Sa Maria Boyd
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SFA chapter.

This past couple of weeks I have decided to try and make an effort to eat better. The only hurdle that I was faced with is that I live on campus, meaning I am required to have a meal plan and so I eat most of my meals at the cafeteria. After a week of trying to figure out how to go about accomplishing this new goal, I thought I’d try and lay down just some basic guidelines to help myself and anyone else who wants to try.

Hydration 

For some people, I know that it can be tempting to immediately go straight for a Coke or Dr. Pepper, but these sodas have absolutely no nutritional value and contain a lot of sugar. I would suggest getting a tall glass of water and if you think water is too plain, try sticking a slice of lemon or cucumber in it for a little extra taste.     

Fruits and Veggies 

Now, this might seem minor but honestly, I would suggest before getting your main entree to get a salad and some other fruits or veggies. By doing this you are getting some good nutrients in your body before you are full and it will definitely thank you later.

Don’t Overeat

My school cafeteria is buffet style and it can be so easy to just eat whatever and however much you want, trust me I have been there too, but you really just need to listen to your body. Before going back for seconds or thirds I would say take a couple of minutes and just think if you are really still hungry or do you just want to eat more because it’s there. 

Dessert

I have the biggest sweet tooth and so just seeing the dessert table makes my mouth water. All the cake, cookies and ice cream can be so tempting, but often I personally regret eating it after, so I would suggest just skipping straight over the table and leave. Instead, try getting some more fruit like strawberries so that way you are getting something sweet and healthy.   

So far, I have been feeling the difference in my energy levels and my skin even looks a little better. I hope y’all are able to find this helpful and know that little daily changes can lead to big changes in the future. 

Abby Ayala

SFA '22

Hi I’m Abby I’m a Music major at SFA ?? I love makeup, movies, singing , reading , and writing Three things I can’t live without are my Friends, Family, and having Fun “ Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened “ -Dr. Seuss
Hello, my name is Sa Maria Boyd. I am a Louisiana native raised in the beautiful city of Fort Worth, Texas. I am a really fun person ( at least I'd like to think). I graduated high school in 2015 from the wonderful Western Hills High School. In my four years there, I was apart of the Color Guard, Key Club, Senior Board, My goal is to travel the world and learn about different cultures so that I can help the world become more unified. I am currently attending Stephen F. Austin State University where I will be receiving my Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communications with a minor in Psychology in May of 2019. While I have been in school, I have held the positions of Social Media Director/Vice President for Her Campus SFA, and Vice President for the 6812 Chapter of the NAACP. I have also worked on the Crew, the television production organization for the Mass Communications department, KSAU 90.1--The Axe, and all three shows for SFA TV2.