When entering college, we all hear about the dreaded “freshman fifteen” (the 15 pounds everyone supposedly gains during their first year).

Much of this can be attributed to the fact that junk food is everywhere in college, from all-you-can-eat dining halls to delivery services that bring meat lover’s pizza at all hours.

Indeed, it’s very easy to develop unhealthy eating habits in college. 

All that said, it is possible to eat well in college, and what’s even better is that it’s much easier than you think. With a little effort, you can eat healthily without making too many sacrifices. Here are my tips for maintaining an overall healthy diet in college: 

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1. Reduce the number of times you eat out per week.

I get it, college can be time-consuming and stressful, so a quick take-out order or drive through pick-up can seem like a lifesaver. The problem with this is that you almost always sacrifice health when you allow a restaurant to cook your meal. We all know fast food is bad for us, but takeout isn’t better: In fact, studies have suggested that restaurant takeout food may be LESS healthy than fast food!

Take a steak, for example: It’s not terrible for you, providing you don’t eat it for every meal, but when you order a steak in a restaurant, it is almost always coated in loads of butter – much more than you’d add if you were cooking it yourself. If you were to cook that same steak at home, you could easily get a healthier meal by simply using a small amount of butter or oil and seasoning it with salt and pepper. 

Basically, if you have access to a kitchen, either on your dorm floor or in your apartment, use it as much as possible. You will almost always get a healthier meal when you cook for yourself as opposed to ordering out.