Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Dana Bekurs: This podcast is produced by members of the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council and reflects the personal views, experiences, and opinions of the hosts and guests. These views are independent and do not represent, reflect, or speak on behalf of the University of Alabama, its administration, faculty, staff, or affiliated organizations. The content shared is for general informational and conversational purposes only. It is not intended to provide academic, medical, legal, financial, or institutional advice. While we aim to share thoughtful and helpful perspectives, we make no guarantees regarding accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Listeners are encouraged to verify information independently and rely on official University of Alabama communications for policies, decisions, and guidance. Listening to this podcast is voluntary and any actions taken based on the content are done at your own discretion and risk.
Welcome to Parent Perspectives. Navigating the University of Alabama experience as a parent can be exciting, overwhelming, and full of questions. And you don't have to do it alone. Parent Perspectives is a podcast by parents, for parents and with parents created to share real conversations, trusted insights, and firsthand experiences from those who've been there. Whether your student is Bama bound, settling into freshman year, or finding their stride on campus, this is your go to source for all things Bama student related. From academics in campus life to traditions and the moments that matter most, we cover what parents want to know honestly and thoughtfully. Tune in and feel confident knowing you're part of a supportive Bama parent community.
[00:01:51] Jennifer Solomon: Welcome to the UA Parent Perspective Podcast. One of the biggest adjustments students make when they leave home isn't just managing classes. It's learning how to take care of themselves. And one of the most important life skills they'll develop is learning how to fuel their bodies well.
While dining halls provide plenty of options, many students quickly find themselves grocery shopping, preparing simple meals, navigating late night study sessions, and balancing nutrition with very busy schedules. Today we're talking about practical, realistic ways students can build healthy eating habits that fit college life and how parents can support them without taking over.
So before we dive in in today's conversation, let's meet our guest. Sheena, can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role at the University of Alabama and how you work with students around nutrition and wellness?
[00:02:46] Sheena Gregg: Absolutely. First, I want to say I'm so excited to be on today's podcast.
I am a registered dietitian by trade and I have the honor of serving as Director of Health Promot, Emotion and Wellness here at the University of Alabama and have been here at UA professionally for over 15 years now. Actually closer to 17.
[00:03:10] Jennifer Solomon: Fantastic. Well, let's start with what you actually see on campus. You're there with these kids. So give us some insight. What are some of the biggest nutrition challenges college students face today?
[00:03:21] Sheena Gregg: Absolutely.
I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that we live in a world of social media, and so it definitely tends to be information overload. And. And I feel like with today's college student, you see both ends of the spectrum with students that are so immersed in that information, and they get really overwhelmed with it, and they feel like their nutrition has to look a very specific way. But then you also have those. Those college students that really just see eating as a means to not be hungry and get to their next activity. So, you know, it's very easy for them to skip meals because they're trying to do those long hours in the.
Or whatever they're needing to do.
And so it's interesting getting to observe kind of both sides of the coin with that.
[00:04:11] Jennifer Solomon: So when they first arrive on campus, what eating habits tend to change the most? Moms not cooking their meals anymore.
What surprises you and what surprises to students about how they're managing their own nutrition?
[00:04:26] Sheena Gregg: So I think that timing and quality of nutrition are the biggest things that change as students are transitioning to campus. Like, you just acknowledge, you know, mom is not cooking those meals anymore. They're not necessarily on that structured schedule of breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the traditional sense that they might have experienced in high school. They also may not be involved in an organized sport they were in. In high school. So movement is a little bit different too. So instead of just choosing, oh, what do I need to eat? We're also having to choose what time we eat. Where do we get that? Me. For a lot of students, going into an all you can eat dining hall situation can be really overwhelming too. And also, they have that autonomy to choose whatever they want. And so it is really fun kind of educating students in what I would call a little nutrition 101 in terms of helping them understand what is actually helpful for their body. You know, we see a lot of information on social media that may emphasize one specific nutrient like protein. My goodness. You know, there's a lot of emphasis on protein, which, yes, protein is really beneficial. But I also need students to understand the importance of carbohydrates and fat, especially with carbohydrates. I don't think that students realize that carbohydrates are our body or actually our brain's preferred fuel source. Our brain is one of our body's hungriest organs. And so we don't necessarily realize that carbohydrates are that main fuel source. Or we may not realize where all we can get beneficial carbohydrates, because students tend to just think of those starchy things like breads, potato, rice, and pasta, which is true. But I also like to let students know that you can get great carbohydrate energy from fruit or dairy products, like a Greek yogurt or a banana or a glass of orange juice. So if I have a student that is needing to abstain or limit starchy carbohydrates because of medical reasons like a food allergy, or maybe they are in eating, just eating, eating disorder recovery, they may also have some hesitations about starchy carbohydrates. I can still make sure they're getting that fuel, and I can, you know, educate them about how that's beneficial. Educate them about how protein also is going to be really helpful with helping them be full and then also educating them that they need dietary fat, because that's going to help us at the cellular level as well. So I think really the tough thing for students is understand why we need to eat what we eat and that we can actually have a lot of flexibility. There's just so much information that's out there.
[00:07:17] Jennifer Solomon: There really is. And you talked a lot about balance, and that could be very challenging. I feel like college life as a whole is all about balance. So many students quickly discover they're responsible for now buying and preparing at least a little bit of their own food, especially if they live off campus. So for students who are now grocery shopping for themselves, perhaps for the first time, what advice would you give to them?
[00:07:40] Sheena Gregg: So I think for someone who is a novice at grocery shopping for themselves and even making meals for themselves, the first thing you want to make sure you do is actually have a game plan. I think that one of the worst case scenarios we can have is blindly going into the grocery store and not having a plan.
Jennifer, I feel like you probably have been in the same boat with me where we've also aimlessly gone to the grocery store and we've spent all this money, and then we didn't even get stuff that we could actually make a quote unquote meal with. It's all of these snack things or we go to the grocery store hungry.
So I like to tell students, for one, you don't want to go to the grocery store hungry. But as you're making your grocery store list, mentally walk yourself through a typical day, and that's going to include both a weekday and the weekend. So when you're thinking okay, what do I generally like to eat at breakfast or pretty soon after waking up? Because for a lot of students, sometimes I don't like to use the term breakfast for them because you'll have students that automatically say, well, I don't eat breakfast. You know, I wake up closer to 10am or 10:30 because my classes don't start until 11am so as a registered dietitian, I like to phrase it as your first meal of the day and talk to them about the benefits of trying to eat something within an hour of waking up. So if you think about waking up, you know, are you more of a savory person? You know, are you going to want something hearty? Are you going to be more of that person that's leaning towards something cold and creamy and refreshing, like some yogurt. Yogurt. You know, do you want to keep it simple with a banana and some peanut butter?
So, you know, walking themselves through the day in terms of going to class where they anticipate meals taking place for them, what seems practical, because then they can think in terms of building their grocery list by actual meals or substantial things that they would eat versus kind of just, you know, kind of cherry picking some different snacks that they really like, but it doesn't really make a complete meal. And then that that schedule is going to completely shift over the weekend. And my goodness, if it's a game day weekend, that's a whole new, wild,
[00:09:56] Jennifer Solomon: totally different ball game.
[00:09:57] Sheena Gregg: So, yes, and I can, I have, I have lots of tips and thoughts about game day Saturdays that hopefully we can talk about soon. But yes, just again, walk yourself through what a typical class day would look like for you in terms of what you could foresee yourself eating or wanting to eat, or what seems practical in terms of portability and time, and then transfer that over to the weekend. Because I think for a lot of students, they may also be balancing, oh, is the dining hall that I typically like to eat open? If not, I got to think of what I'd make on my own. Same thing if a student is eating at a sorority or fraternity house, and that's what they typically rely on during the week. And then now all of a sudden they're fending for themselves over the weekend. You know, think, you know, what types of substantial things seem most realistic for me.
[00:10:49] Jennifer Solomon: Well, when you talked a lot about planning, and I know for my student, he starts out on Sunday and he kind of plans his week. So relating that to how to prepare meals, what are some realistic meal prep strategies that actually work that may only take 15 to 20 minutes for them.
[00:11:04] Sheena Gregg: So I think first and foremost it can be really helpful for students to start off by making a little bit of a list of the foods that they actually like to eat.
So in my previous role here at the institution, serving as a dietitian in our student health center and working with our students one on one in nutrition counseling appointments, I always liked students to take an inventory of what their preferred foods were in all of the different food groups. And so as we start like noticing some trends in like particular types of protein that they like and really delving into what they have time for, we can kind of talk about like what are some convenience based things that they can get. So if I have a student that, that really likes, you know, chicken, for example, but maybe they don't have the time to cook it on their own, but they do have a budget that allows them to buy some shortcut items like a pre cooked refrigerated rotisserie chicken that they can break down and use for meal prep. Something like that really works also too, I never want students to downplay the convenience of a simple sandwich. You know, if you like sandwiches, there's not a medical reason you can't eat the components of a sandwich.
That is a perfect combination. I think that social media makes us feel like meal prep or intentionally eating has to look like this very beautiful curated experience of salmon, sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli, where meal prep could simply be making a sandwich ahead of time and throwing a banana with it or an apple. And to me, nutritionally, that's meeting those macronutrients and those micronutrients just as well. So again, I think just try not to over complicate things because I think that again, social media kind of influences our society to feel like top tier nutrition has to look a certain way or cost a certain amount.
[00:13:01] Jennifer Solomon: Well, that's a great point about costing a certain amount. A lot of these students are on a college budget and those range from student to student. So what are your favorite tips for helping them eat healthy? And how do they keep a pantry full of just staple foods so they can help manage their budget better?
[00:13:19] Sheena Gregg: Yeah, that's a great question. I want to first address that question from the first year student perspective, especially for those who may be utilizing the dining hall that first year. And the reason that I mentioned this is that many students don't realize that our on campus dining services really great about having to go containers. And I don't feel bad saying this because I know that my colleagues in with our university dining services would agree that we want students to feel like they can take some things from the dining hall to bring back to their room to use for later meals. So if they're building a salad at the salad bar and there is some prepared grilled chicken there that's chilled and ready to go, or boiled eggs or whatever else, if it's a Friday, stock up on some of that so that you have some of that protein ready to go to use as a base for other meals. And that's, you know, that's something that you can utilize as part of a meal plan that you, that you already pay for. I think that for the student that is living off campus and does have the convenience of a, of a being able to cook, there's the opportunity to use more cost effective things like actually getting raw vegetables that they chop up themselves versus versus having to do the pre cut items or learning a few kitchen skills so that they can buy some different proteins and being able to prepare those on their own instead of again, always having to get the convenience option. So I think sometimes in order for it to be a little bit more cost effective, we might want to sharpen some of those kitchen skills too.
[00:15:06] Jennifer Solomon: So we've already talked about the weekends and how they're different and game day weekends, so they often look very different than weekdays. So what nutrition challenges do students commonly face during football weekends, Social events, or just busy schedules like fight finals week?
[00:15:21] Sheena Gregg: Yes. So I think for weekends in general, you know, you may want to go ahead and just mentally prepare for the fact that this is probably a time that you might be going out to eat. I think that sometimes students feel like whenever they're gonna go onto this bandwagon wagon of cooking for themselves, we tend to have this all or nothing mentality where it's like, oh, I'm never gonna go out to eat with my friends ever again. And that's just not realistic. You know, we go out to eat, it's a social situation. So I think intentionally planning for those meals to happen, for one, you want to account for that just so that you don't feel like you're missing out on anything. But two, think if you're thinking about the meals that you are eating out, that's also going to get you to think about the meals that are likely going to take place for you at home during the weekend. A scenario that I often walk students through and parents, especially during game day weekends, is that we have a big home football game, you know, everything is great and then, you know, the game is over and then you're making your way, say, back to your residence hall and campus is gridlocked. So, you know, it's hard to get off campus unless you want to spend the $75,000 for an Uber Eats driver or whoever else to bring you that grilled chicken sandwich from off campus. You know, it can be really tough because maybe certain dining halls aren't open. So I think anticipating that after a game, you're going to be going back to your room and you're probably going to be hungry.
Make sure you have some substantial things there that can tide you over so that you're not hungry. Like once that, once that is happening. Because your, your food options are just going to be a lot more limited when there's a lot of campus activity like that. So you want to think about what are some staple things that you want to have? Like, what is a good staple protein source that you want to have? Like, you know, what's a good convenience starch that you want to have? You know, are there certain convenience items in terms of, you know, quick cook things for the microwave? And I think a lot of students don't realize a lot of things that can be cooked in the microwave too. And I think, you know, when we're thinking about different meal prep ideas, the beauty of technology now, and especially with AI and everything else, is that there are so many tools out there where students can list off all of the different foods that they like and, and they can ask some type AI generator, hey, will you help me think of some quick and easy things that, you know, that would be helpful for me to prepare as a college student? And they can put in the parameters of I only have a dorm microwave and fridge, or oh, I have a full kitchen. I have a full kitchen, but I have very limited cooking skills. You know, those are some things. So I think students being really smart with those prompts too and putting some specific parameters about their own abilities with cooking or maybe even their butt.
So I'm certainly not opposed to students utilizing that technology for that purpose.
[00:18:27] Jennifer Solomon: Well, parents love for our students to use technology and help them along the way, but we often wonder how much influence we can still have once our student leaves home. So what can parents do before move in to help our student build those healthy eating habits?
[00:18:44] Sheena Gregg: So I think that, you know, certainly as, as, you know, the semester starts, maybe a parents are helping their student move into their off campus housing, on campus housing, because as parents we have that forethought and knowledge of being like man once you're in the thick of it with academics, you're going to be so stressed out, I think, just intentionally having those conversations with your student now about like, hey, let's not ignore the fact that it's going to be a busy semester. Let's go ahead and make a game plan of what types of things that you want have as your basic grocery list and just be the one to kind of drive them to prioritize that. And I think that having that structure in the beginning, it helps them become a little bit more independent with their grocery shopping as the semester goes along. But like anything else, they probably are going to benefit from a little bit of structure and guidance from mom and dad at the beginning. So, you know, I see so many students that are walking the aisles of the grocery stores with their parents those first few weeks of the semester as parents are helping them get stocked up.
So again, kind of having those conversations, making a list together, maybe even making a list of like, what are some go to convenience meals that they.
They know that their student would enjoy making or has the ability to make. So again, I think that if you can bring those conversations up, make the game plan with them, that can be really helpful, and then just reminding them of the different resources that we have on campus that can help help reinforce knowledge.
[00:20:25] Jennifer Solomon: So when, before we wrap up, let's clear up a few mis.
Sorry, we're going to redo that before we wrap up. Let's clear up a few common misconceptions. What's one nutrition myth you wish every college parent and student would stop believing?
[00:20:45] Sheena Gregg: So I would say that that probably one of the biggest misconceptions that students have, and I'm just going to say this just in the general front of eating, is that sometimes students think that their body doesn't need.
Need a lot of food.
You know, and especially if they, you know, if they're on, they have certain health goals, like, you know, maybe they're trying to lose weight or they're working out or they feel like because they are being physically active, hand in hand, they need to start eating less. And I think that people just don't realize that, again, our brain is one of our body's hungriest organs. And I think a misconception that I get from a lot of students, they'll say, like, oh, well, you know, I didn't work out today. I've only been in the library, like, studying all day. So that's why I didn't really eat, because I wasn't really physically active. And so I like to reinforce to students, hey, you are studying your neurons, those brain cells, they're doing all of activity. Your body needs some normal nutrition, regulated nutrition. You know, all of that just as much as it would on a day that you are being very physically active. So again, I think there is that misconception that because I haven't moved a lot that day, I don't need to eat a lot. But if you are burning the midnight oil studying, your body's going to need some nutrition.
[00:22:10] Jennifer Solomon: Okay, so this has been so many great points, great tips, but let's finish with one final takeaway. When I it comes to grocery shopping, meal prep, and making healthy choices beyond the dining hall, what's the one message you hope every parent and student remembers?
[00:22:27] Sheena Gregg: Be flexible. And also, that comparison is the thief of joy when it comes to your nutrition. Because just like anything else, everyone's health needs and health journey is different.
And so I think that sometimes we can fall in that trap of feeling like we have to completely mimic what someone else is doing and that may not match what our own personal food preferences are, what our own personal budget is, you know, what our own health needs are. So again, I think being really flexible and individualized with our own nutrition and also just not giving into the pressure of social media making us think that in order for our meals to be healthy, they have to look like this beautifully curated experience, like a, you know, a beautiful salad and a mason drink jar or this, you know, vibrantly colored smoothie. I think that that can often cause a lot of stress and pressure for students.
[00:23:25] Jennifer Solomon: Yes, a sandwich is not insta worthy for sure.
[00:23:28] Sheena Gregg: Yeah.
[00:23:29] Jennifer Solomon: Well, thank you, Sheena, for sharing such practical advice for helping students build healthy habits that can last well beyond their college years. Learning how to nourish themselves is an important part of becoming independent. And it doesn't require perfection. It requires preparation, balance and consistency to our listeners. Remember that college is often the first time students are making daily decisions about food on their own. Encourage them to focus on progress rather than perfection, to ask for help when they need it, and to take advantage of the incredible wellness resources available at the University of Alabama. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the UA Parent Perspective Podcast.
[00:24:08] Sheena Gregg: Podcast and Roll Todd, thanks for tuning
[00:24:10] Dana Bekurs: in today for the latest episode of Parent Perspectives, brought to you by the University of Alabama Parent Advisory Council. Check out all our podcasts on Voices UA Edu. You can learn more about the Parent Advisory Council, Parent Perspectives and UA Parent and Family Programs on the UA Parent and Family Programs website at Parenthood Parents Sl ua Edu.
