10 Healthy Foods To Keep In Your Dorm Room

For any student looking to adhere to a healthy lifestyle, these shifts can bring difficulty and stress. Although it's easy to be tempted by unhealthy snacks and dining hall meals, there are many dorm room-friendly foods that will help you maintain heathy habits.

"If you keep nut butter packets in your bag, you'll add a healthy punch of protein that will hold you over to the next meal," says Gaby Wilday, founder of No Fuss Lunch, a lunch delivery program that has become a catalyst for healthier school-served lunches across the Tri-state area. "Eat these with celery, bananas, multigrain toast, or even on their own." Allergic to nuts? Substitute seed butters for nut butters — they're just as delicious. 

Sometimes a little salty crunch is necessary, but instead of reaching for the bag that has been deep-fried, look for baked chips that contain whole grains. That way, you eliminate a lot of the unnecessary fat that comes from a normal bag of chips. The hearty whole grains will also keep you fuller longer. 

Although whole fruit is better, dried fruit is a great way to satisfy sugar cravings. Just be sure that check out the ingredients on the back of the package. If it is a pack of dried mangos, the ingredients should "mangos"; keep an eye out for sugar, oil, and other preservatives. 

"Fruit is a great healthy snack choice, especially since you can grab an apple or banana from the dining hall and save it for later, when you might be tempted to choose an unhealthier sweet snack," Wilday says. This could also be a very cheap option if it is included in your meal plan. 

"For refrigerated food, I recommend Greek yogurt, which is filled with protein, calcium, and probiotics, to name a few healthy ingredients," Wilday says. "If you buy a few containers and keep them in a fridge, you can enjoy them on the way to class, work, or in between meals." Typically, small packs of plain, non-fat Greek yogurt will contain just 100 calories and a whopping 18 grams of protein.

Hummus is a delicious, heart-healthy option for a snack or a meal. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that diabetics who ate at least a cup of legumes for three months improved their glucose tolerance and reduced their risk for coronary heart disease. Hummus can be paired with sliced vegetables or whole-grain chips.

"One-hundred-calorie packs of nuts allow for easy measurement and take the guess work out of how many calories are consumed," says Joy Dubost, registered dietitian and owner of Dubhost Food & Nutrition Solutions. Snacking is a great way to maintain a healthy weight, but snacks that are higher in calories, like nuts, should be portioned out. 

Similar to nuts, popcorn is a great way portion-control your snacks. Also, popcorn is high in antioxidants and has fewer calories than other snack options. "Make do-it-yourself popcorn," Wilday suggests. "Some kernels, a brown bag, and a piece of tape will become your movie-night sidekick from here on out."

The best part about salsa is that it can be used as more than a dip: Try it as a salad dressing. It is packed with fresh ingredients, such as tomatoes, peppers, and onions, that add a spicy flavor to your foods. 

Making your own snacks has never been easier. Dubost recommends combining nuts, dried fruit, and seeds to create a fruity and flavorful go-to snack. You can even top a dining-hall salad with this healthy mix.