College - Eating & Sleeping

Time seems to be the item in shortest supply for our children when they go off to college. Often the first things to be left at home are good nutritional and sleeping habits. After all, no one is there to remind them to eat right and to go to bed!

Encourage your student:

• To choose, purchase, and prepare a variety of healthy foods;
• To eat three nutritious meals per day and avoid high-fat snacking;
• Not to "eat on the run" but, if they must do so, to choose complex carbohydrates and to limit the high-fat or low nutrient foods and beverages such as candy, chips, or soft drinks;
• To continue with regular physical activity that will promote good sleep.

You can help your student by encouraging him or her to continue healthy habits by sending fruit baskets at exam time, inquiring about the general dorm life, and encouraging class schedules in which you know your teen will function best.

Our children, in general, do not want us to nag, preach, or otherwise be persistent with our counseling. They do, however, want our advice and for us to be interested in all aspects of their lives.

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