Ladies, let’s talk food. I can pretty much get a feel for whether or not I am going to get along with a person depending on their eating habits. Food is the universal unifier of college life. Our lives are planned around our meals more so than our classes. A night out is never complete without a circumambulating the aisles of Wawa or mourning over Gilbert’s late night (RIP those nachos.) We plan our workouts around our meals, how much alcohol we consume around our meals, and our social gatherings around our meals.

I think the worst thing is a girl who does not eat. I’m not talking about eating disorders, those are serious illnesses that are no laughing matter. I’m taking about girls who skip meals to be thinner. In other words, they are “too full” from the Greek yogurt they had for breakfast or just “don’t have time to eat.” Like, what benefit does this bring you? Not eating is basically deciding to have a crappy day and an itty bitty plate of salad without dressing has zero nutritional value and brings zero happiness. Come to think of it, maybe it does bring the runs.

What is also a new trend are girls trying to cancel out their daily-consumed calories by going at it on the elliptical. Canceling out your calories through excessive exercising can even be deemed as an eating disorder. What is really going to show fitness, is a girl who eats a higher protein diet and lifts, conditions, or uses resistance machines, in addition to doing cardio to keep a healthy heart.

The binge diet is a novelty for college girls. Skipping dinner before a party and not eating until your date are things even I’ve been guilty of. These habits are “shoulds” that infect our culture and our vocabulary. But it’s truly a form of body dysmorphia.“I had a burger for dinner, I should have just had a salad.” “I ate some fries, I should go to the gym later.” “What should I eat on my date later?”

Growing up under the roof of a nutritionist, I consider myself a healthy and happy eater. My goal is usually to eat things I consider to have some benefit to my body. Yes, greens are important, but pizza can be too. Cheese is high in protein and believe it or not, your body needs fat to sustain itself. Whether or not you’re working out for two hours a day or spending hours studying for an exam, your body quickly burns through calories, which is why college students are always hungry.

I think the biggest party poopers aren’t those who don’t wanna get hammered at a party, but those who don’t wanna eat cheese fries after the party. Those are the bonding moments people! It’s a very European concept to have day-to-day revolve around meals, but meals are sacred. They’re a time to take a breath from the rest of an otherwise packed day.

Honestly, just be as healthy as you can. And eat what you like. Everything needs moderation anyway. So have that donut you’ve been dreaming about, and maybe just have one or two this week. Remember that you’ll never be able to eat this much and get away with it at any other point in your adult life. There’s gonna be a point when the health problems are going to mount, and the calories will take about a year to lose. So do me a favor, enjoy your youth. Be a foodie. Everyone loves a foodie.