1. The salad bar is your friend in the dining hall

 This is pretty obvious, but I can’t tell you the amount of people who see a funky looking mushroom in the salad bar and run the other way. But trust me, you won’t get food poisoning from the vegetables in the dining hall. The best part about the salad bar is that it’s so customizable. If you like cucumber and tomatoes, load up on those and skip the broccoli. Remember, we’re trying to make healthier choices, not be a walking vegetable. Just try and add vegetables to your plate to get some added nutrients. It helps balance the huge slice of cake as your main meal.

2. Dessert doesn’t have to be unhealthy

I know so many people who think that they can’t have dessert when they’re trying to be healthy. Well I’m here to say that that’s wrong. Yogurt with granola, fruit and/or honey is one of my favorite sweet yet healthy desserts. You can never go wrong with fruit and honestly, a small cookie or a piece of chocolate is a totally viable sweet treat to end your meal. Just don’t go overboard and eat the entire tray of cookies or a whole cup of chocolate chips and you’ll be able to satisfy your sweet tooth without enduring that dreaded sugar crash. Again, balance is key

3. Balance

Nobody wants to eat just lettuce for dinner, so just make healthy options when you can. If your dining hall makes the best mac and cheese in the world, then have it. Maybe pair it with a side salad or a piece of fruit to get some good nutrients in. I know I’m not the kind of person to turn down some warm apple pie, so just make balanced decisions to make not only your body happy, but also your soul.

4. Keep it sustainable

We’re young, we’re in college, and we’re human. If you’ve had a hard week and just want some comfort food, then have that pizza and fries or just a bowl of ice cream for dinner. Every day is different, and if you eat well even 4 days out of 7, your body will thank you. Make the best options for your body when you can, but enjoy yourself. You definitely won’t stick to something you don’t enjoy, and let’s be real, ice cream for dinner is amazing.

Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to eating real food for dinner in the dining hall.

See https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/making-breakfast-at-the-dining-hall-healthy-and-not-so-dull to learn how to make healthy but fun choices for breakfast in the dining hall.