In college, I expected the tantalizing calls of midnight ramen, milkshakes and fries. I anticipated the allure of processed carbs when transitioning to a new and potentially stressful environment. I was ready to be tempted by the junk food.

And, to be honest, that’s what I got — late night every week, TAP, donuts and McDonald’s at house meeting, In-N-Out and boba. It was all so new, so overwhelming, and so, so delicious.

However, the more time I spend on campus, the more I realize that while there is an  overwhelming amount of opportunities to eat junk food on campus, there is also an equal number of chances to eat healthy food.  

And while I always saw the salad bar in the cafeteria, I never imagined that I would begin to gravitate towards it, not due to an obligation to balance my plate, but because I actually wanted to. With amazing ingredients like grapefruits, avocados, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, pomegranates and a wide array of salad dressings, the salad bar became a part of my daily diet that I looked forward to.

It’s not only the salad bar. Some nights I go to sleep excited to wake up and drink the smoothies FloMo Dining makes for breakfast — even the green ones!

When I talk to some of my friends at other colleges, I’ve realized that I’ve taken the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables offered at Stanford for granted. While there is something to be said about the high cost of a meal plan on campus, the food offered by the dining halls is excellent, especially compared to other dining halls in the country. My new awareness of the healthy foods available on campus has made me extremely grateful to have access food that is both healthy and delicious.

And, though I am no means the epitome of health (I’m drinking a chocolate milkshake as I write this), I have become not only more conscious of what I choose to eat, but also more appreciative of the dining halls for offering a wide array of fresh ingredients everyday.

Contact Phoebe Quinton at pquinton ‘at’ stanford.edu.