How to start/find motivation when eating in a dining hall?

[Mare22]

Hi guys! I have been having gut issues for months and decided that Whole 30 may help alleviate them, as well as helping me keep focused on taking care of myself amid a busy schedule.  The problem is, I rely on a selection of meals from my dining hall. The only reliably available approved items are a salad bar and (most of the time) chicken. I can cook minimally (shared kitchen) and I plan to buy some eggs to cook. However meal prep isn't an option with my tiny fridge and my schedule tends to be hectic around meal times. Is it worth giving it the old "college" try when I have so little control over my meals?

[ShannonM816]

You can certainly do a Whole30 with just eggs and chicken as protein options, and you may be able to find canned tuna, salmon, or other fish. You can probably find some canned vegetables too, and some fresh ones do ok without refrigeration for several days. You could probably make this work, if that's what you decide to do.

However, it's probably not going to be easy, so consider how much stress you might be adding to your life, and whether that makes sense for you right now. It might be easier to look at the options available to you and decide that each day, you're going to choose the best options you can, but that you're not going to sweat it if you have a meat with some non-Whole30 ingredients because they don't have chicken available one day and it's either that or not have protein at that meal and end up hungry between meals with no good options available.  Depending on what your diet is currently like, these changes could be enough to help you feel better, and then you could try a Whole30 in the future, when you have more time or better access to a kitchen/full-size fridge.

Whatever you decide, I hope you find something that helps you feel better. 

[Healthgrab]

This is a really important topic. Thank you for starting this.