A Dining Hall Alternative: Dorm Cooking Ideas

By Helen Ruiz

Fall 2022

College students face lots of issues in terms of food and getting proper meals throughout the year. Not only do many college dining halls lack a variety of foods, they often don’t meet certain dietary needs of students. An article written by Phoebe Goebel features a college student who is frustrated by the dining options on her campus because of her dietary restrictions. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, and many other dietary restrictions exist within the college student population and, most of the time, they aren’t being seen or acknowledged by those in charge of dining on college campuses. 

Another group of individuals who are challenged by having to navigate the college dining areas is student-athletes. According to the NCAA, paying attention to food and nutrient intake affects the “athletic performance and recovery for college athletes”. Furthermore, the dietary needs of a college student-athlete change over the course of the year, depending upon the types of training the individual is a part of. Mathew Stark is a registered and licensed dietitian and current program coordinator of Nutrition and Dietetics in the School of Health Sciences at Northern Illinois University. He mentions how student-athletes need a diet with “more calories and protein” overall. However, he also agreed that every diet is “based on each student-athlete” in order to meet their needs (such as for training purposes). College dining halls should have a variety of foods to meet these needs, but it doesn’t mean they do. Many student-athletes have to resort to extra food or snacks in their dorm rooms when the dining halls don’t meet their needs. 

Most students are required to have a meal plan while living on campus. This doesn’t mean that the college, in return, is required to meet the student's dietary needs. Kacie Lynn Foster says dietary restrictions amongst college students appear to become burdensome for individuals with these needs at certain institutions. Like most people in today’s world, college students are very busy individuals with packed schedules, including homework, practice, and jobs among other responsibilities. They shouldn’t have to worry about getting a proper meal when they’re paying thousands of dollars for a meal plan. However, many do when their institution isn’t meeting their needs. Sometimes, according to Lily Borak, food is mislabelled, not apparent to the student that the “gluten-free” option gave them an allergic reaction or a “dairy-free” option made them sick. This lack of access to proper meals at many institutions is unacceptable, as there are groups of students everywhere who ask for simple accommodations. These accommodations should be done in order to make students feel energized enough to gear their focus and attention toward studying and other responsibilities. 

Most students are required to have a meal plan while living on campus. This doesn’t mean that the college, in return, is required to meet the student's dietary needs.

The Role of Food Supplementation and Replacement 

Many college students have turned to food supplementation and replacement as an alternative to fulfilling their dietary needs. Food supplementation refers to the addition of certain vitamins, nutrients, or minerals to foods. This is often done because the individual’s current diet isn’t providing sufficient or enough of them, as mentioned by an article published by The University of Hawai’i at Manoa. On the other hand, food replacements are those products that seek to fully replace an actual meal. 

According to Stark, food supplement and replacement products “serve their purpose” but “should only be used as needed”. For example, a food replacement shake could be used when a student is “in between classes & [they] can’t keep food at a safe temperature”. This is an example as to when a food replacement product could be used, but it shouldn’t become a part of a daily diet for an individual. When used and relied on in a long-term sense, food replacement products can lead to negative side effects, according to Carly Schuna. These negative side effects could be avoidable by eating actual meals instead of focusing on alternatives. 

Once again, food replacement products offer a temporary solution to the issue at hand but don’t necessarily combat the root causes of it. Overall, we lead back to the same point Matt Stark made, which was that although food replacements aren’t the best option and should be relied upon, they can serve their purpose in the busy lives of college students. Perhaps a protein shake can be a quick snack, but it shouldn’t be the sole source of “food” or energy in a daily diet. This is why it is important for college campuses to offer proper and fulfilling meals in order for students to depend less on food supplements and replacements. This would create healthier habits in the long run among students. 

What Kinds of Appliances are Allowed in Dorm Rooms?

College students at different institutions don’t have the same access to the same resources or rules when it comes to making food in their dorm rooms. According to Griselda Feliciano, the Assistant Director of Residential Life at Carthage College, students are restricted to the types of tools they are allowed to have while living in a residence hall. Students at Carthage College are allowed to store small appliances like air fryers, toasters, and crock pots in their dorm rooms, but these may only be used in the communal area kitchen. The only small appliances students are allowed to use in their dorm rooms at Carthage College are mini-fridges and microwaves. 

The main reason for these restrictions is because of the fire hazard some of those other small appliances pose, especially in a dorm room setting, according to Shelley Frost. Griselda Feliciano herself has lived on a college campus for over a decade, pointing out the different access to cooking materials at different institutions. A graduate from Dominican University, she describes how the institution “provided cooking supplies, like pots and pans, that you could check out, which was very nice”. This is a program offered by this particular institution, which recognized and addressed the need amongst its students. 

This isn’t a universal opportunity for all college students, which adds more limitations onto the types of foods students are able to make in their restricted dorm rooms. These restrictions on what is allowed and what isn’t in college dorm rooms will be taken into consideration for any recipes suggested, but they evidently vary from institution to institution. 

Planning Ahead for the Day, Week, and Semester

Matt Stark emphasized the importance of planning ahead as a college student. This is especially important in regards to food. Students often spend hours outside of their dorm rooms, whether that be doing classes, studying, or going to practice. They must plan their day ahead of time in order to determine when they will be having meals and snacks. Resident students plan ahead by knowing and keeping track of how many meal swipes they have access to or are able to use in a day, week, or semester. If their meal plan isn’t fulfilling their dietary needs, they must plan ahead in order to be able to identify when, and if, they’re able to make their own foods in their dorm rooms. 

Matt Stark gives insight to his students by telling them that “instead of trying to eat as healthy as you think you should, try to eat as healthy as you actually can at that point in time”. All students need to plan ahead and take into consideration when they will be having their meals or snacks, making sure to eat as best as possible. For example, students may not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, but canned food items are still good options, according to Kris Swartzendruber. Matt Stark emphasized this by encouraging students to “make the best choices with what you have access to” instead of thinking nothing is possible with the lack of a certain food. 

Easy Dorm Room Recipes

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs in a Mug

Griselda Feliciano inspired this meal by saying, “You can make eggs in a microwave but you don’t know that if you’ve never had to make eggs in a microwave.” So, here is a quick and simple recipe for making eggs in a microwave. 

  • Ingredients and tools needed: 

    • Microwave

    • Mug

    • Eggs

    • Milk (or water)

    • Salt & Pepper

    • Possible add-ins: cheese, pre-sauteed vegetables, pre-cooked meat

Lunch: Tuna Salad

This meal can be easily stored to be consumed over 1-3 days and can be easily prepared in a dorm room!

  • Ingredients and tools needed: 

    • Cutting board & knife

    • Can opener

    • Canned Tuna

    • Mayonnaise 

    • Celery 

    • Red Onion

    • Parsley 

    • Dijon Mustard

    • Salt & Pepper

Dinner: Chicken Salad

  • Ingredients and tools needed: 

    • Air Fryer

    • Frozen grilled chicken breast

    • Salad Mix

    • Desired Salad dressing & toppings

Snack: Banana & Oats Protein Shake

I personally have this in the mornings when I’m running late & pair it with a croissant!

  • Ingredients and tools needed: 

  • Instructions: 

1.     Add in ¼ of a cup of oats, 1 tbsp of chia seeds, 2 scoops of protein powder, a banana, and a cup of almond milk into the blender

2.     Blend and enjoy on the go!

Helen Ruiz is a third-year student studying Human Resource Management, Business Economics, and Marketing at North Central College. When deciding on a college, one of the top deciding factors for her was food and the dining situation. This turned out to be a very difficult aspect of the decision, so she ended up choosing the closest school to home. Now that she sees the ongoing dining challenges students face across many institutions, she is very thankful for her decision but is bothered by the lack of dependability students face with dining services. Her goal is to encourage students to seek healthy meals, even when challenged by many circumstances.