From nachos to chicken wings, creating a balanced tailgate meal is a potential challenge for students. However, that’s the main goal of the cooking class “A Healthy Take on Your Tailgate,” taking place in the ARC Instructional Kitchen on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

The class aims to educate students on staying healthy while eating food at tailgates since the calories and fats can add up quickly.

“Long-term, poor nutritional habits can predispose students to disease and poor lifelong health,” Alana Harris, assistant director of student wellness, said.

Samantha Gerry is the instructor of the cooking class. She said she aims to incorporate wholesome, tasty foods into the course.

“One of the dishes we have is a five-layer dip, and there’s a lot of healthy food in it: there’s vegetables and also cheese,” Gerry said. “We also have these honey ginger chicken bites, and they’re not fried, but they’re tasty if you have the right seasoning and right flavor. You don’t have to have an unhealthy food to make it tasty.”

Along with making classic favorites like dips and chicken, the class is also taking a new spin on a tailgate staple, french fries.

“We have parmesan-crusted zucchini fries in the class, so I’m really excited about that,” Gerry said. “It’s got that crispy bite that people like in fried food, but it’s healthy and it’s got the cheese. I feel like you can’t go wrong with that.”

At the University, Harris said we need to redefine what tailgate food is. Through this, she said we can create a place where students feel part of something larger than themselves.

“(Students) want to indulge in everything that’s part of that event,” Harris said. “I think giving them options to be a part of a big event like that and enjoy it in a healthy way is important. It’s about bringing in some healthier options to the tailgate so that it isn’t just the classic things that are there.”

While finding a balance may seem difficult initially, according to Gerry, it is important to remember that eating traditional tailgate food in moderation is not completely unhealthy.

“I always advise a balance in your diet so you don’t necessarily have to cut things out, but everything’s in moderation,” Gerry said. “Of course, it’s OK to indulge once in a while. That’s a part of maintaining a healthy diet and giving yourself some slack, too.”

After a tailgate, there might be pressure to go to the gym immediately to burn off all those calories at once; however, Harris advises against this practice because it is not the correct approach to exercise.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, adults should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.

“So the relationship is not to try and burn off the calories you consumed but to create life-long habits of good dietary choices and regular exercise,” Harris said. 

For first-year students, eating balanced meals while also exercising regularly and indulging occasionally can be a major challenge. The freshman fifteen is a widely accepted concept across college campuses.

Students like Kelsey Woodbury, freshman in LAS, work to stay healthy in college.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to find a balance when you have so many options in front of you,” Woodbury said. “It’s something that I’m working on each and every day.”

Although nutrition and exercise may seem overwhelming, there are plenty of resources at the University that offer students support.

“McKinley Health has nutrition peer educators, so if you like receiving information from people you can identify with, that’s a great resource,” Harris said. “You can also see a dietician on campus. We also offer instructional cooking classes, so if you’re just looking for some kitchen skills and to meet new people and get some new ideas around food, I think that’s a good resource, too.”

Gerry advised first-year students to regularly visit the gym. She said once students start skipping out on exercise, it is hard to get back into a routine. 

The instructor also said she understands that eating healthy in the dining halls is a challenge, but if students stick to a routine, they can continue to make the better food choices.

“They (the dining halls) have a lot of unhealthy options that are appealing but just try to find the diamond in the rough,” Gerry said. “I know they have a lot of fresh fruit too, so try to focus on the MyPlate pyramid. It’s a really interactive and easy way to have a healthy meal, so I think just really try to follow that. Start out early with a healthy routine to avoid those extra pounds.”

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