College life: a dietician’s nightmare
- posted: 18 Mar. 2008
- scrollcampus@byui.edu
Pizza, Chinese food, tacos, candy bars — these items make up the basic food staples of Geoff Nielson, a freshman studying construction management. BYU-Idaho students fill their dietary wants with a variety of menus like this one.
“I eat fairly healthily,” said Nielson, who, at the time of his interview, finished up some orange chicken and noodles from The China Bowl. “Yeah, what am I doing? I’m kidding myself. I eat very irrationally.”
The BYU-I Food Services include the dining venues Nordic Landing, The Galley, Tomassito’s and Jolynn’s Bakery. Food Services also offers meal plans to help students eat on campus.
Some students choose a home-cooked, or home-microwaved, approach.
“I like to make food,” said Matt Rascon, a freshman studying general education. He said he enjoys quesadillas, spaghetti and other meals that can be made fairly quickly.
Other students report eating lots of frozen foods, such as Red Baron pizza, corn dogs and toaster-cooked waffles as lunchtime snacks between classes.
Marital status can be a determining factor in what students eat, said Thomas Elzinga, a junior studying accounting.
“Being single, I used to go out every day. But now that I’m married, I eat at home,” Elzinga said.
Taking time for the midday meal can be difficult for some.
“The meal I skip the most is lunch because of my classes,” said Sydney Baylon, a sophomore studying communication.
The first meal of the day can also be problematic when students have early morning classes, but many students still manage to eat breakfast. Many students said they made smoothies and quick snacks, such as peanut-butter-and-banana concoctions.
More information on Food Services meal plans can be found at www.byui.edu/foodservices.htm. 
