Parent to parent: What’s for dinner?

By John Corrigan

I love a good steak. Or even one that’s not so good. So, after moving from the dorms into a place off-campus my sophomore year, that’s exactly what I cooked myself for dinner night after night -- with a few cheeseburgers, all-beef burritos and Philly cheese steaks thrown in for variety.

So, what’s your college student eating for dinner? And, as a parent, how can you your son or daughter make good choices?

First, realize that you’ve got limited powers here. The ability to eat what you want, when you want, is one of those newfound freedoms that comes with college life, like the freedom to skip class or hang out with friends all night.

Because our kids are UC Davis students, we expect that they'll keep up with their school work -- and if not, it will certainly show up in their grades. But it might be harder to tell if they're not eating right.

Healthy choices in dining halls

If you've got a freshman on the campus meal plan, you can at least rest assured your student will be able to eat all he or she wants and have plenty of healthy choices. Perhaps the biggest risk is that your student will eat too much; some experts attribute the weight gain known as the "Freshman 15" (in reality, it's typically more like five or six pounds) to the limitless bounty of food in college cafeterias.

Sodexho, the company that operates the University Dining Services, makes a point of offering healthy foods and aims to encourage good nutrition through announcements on bulletin boards, fliers and other promotions. In addition, Dining Services has a registered dietician, Linda Adams, who is available to field questions and offer advice. Both students and parents are welcome to contact her at linda.adams@sodexhousa.com or (530) 752-9604.

Off-campus adjustments

Living off campus, as most Davis students do after their freshman year, presents other challenges. It's one thing to eat right when fresh vegetables, salads and other good stuff are prepared for you and readily available. But for a young adult with limited cooking experience, it might seem a lot easier to live on packaged food -- or just throw in the towel and hit a different fast-food joint every night.

I was pleased to learn that my son, Kevin, who moved into an off-campus house with four other young men this year, had teamed up with two of his roommates to take turns cooking their own food a few nights a week. It's a lot cheaper than eating out, and probably healthier too.

It's also a big advantage that they take turns as chef. It sounds like each of them has just a few "specialties" right now, but by rotating the cooking chores they ensure a variety of meals, and they get to learn new dishes from each other.

Of course, not everyone likes to cook. If your off-campus student shuns the kitchen, then getting him or her a meal plan to eat in a campus dining hall may be a smart decision.

Budgets and produce

Otherwise, be sure your student has an adequate food budget. As anyone who goes to the grocery store knows, healthy foods like fish, lean meats and fresh vegetables can seem a bit pricey. Make sure your son or daughter doesn't scrimp on these because he or she is trying to stretch the food budget.

And just to be on the safe side, next time you visit it wouldn't hurt to take your son or daughter to the grocery store and throw some carrots in the cart. Or, after a visit home, send your student back to school with a sack of fruit.

You can be sure students already know where to get a good hamburger, but they might need your help in locating the salad bar.