Yes, pasta really is her superfood!

Mikaela Shiffrin loves pasta. In fact, the 22-year-old alpine ski racer is so fond of the stuff she eats it for lunch and dinner.

"Pasta is my superfood!" Shiffrin, who is headed to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, tells GoodHousekeeping.com. "Balance and moderation are the basis for my diet, though, so I also make sure to incorporate plenty of protein, fruits, and veggies throughout the day."

The downhill prodigy takes in roughly 3,000 calories a day (!) and makes sure carbs are a part of her every meal.

"They're essential in providing the energy I need, especially on race days that can last 12 hours," she says. "I wouldn't eat a 1,000-calorie bowl of spaghetti for dinner, but I've always loved pasta and think it's a good addition to any meal and a great base for pretty much any vegetable. It's also great when I have a nervous stomach before race day."

Snow-queen Shiffrin, who is expected to dominate at the Olympics in February, likes to mix up her meals, she says, but a "typical day" could look something like the below.

Breakfast

"I'll do two eggs and two pieces of whole-wheat toast and sometimes, cereal or oatmeal and fruit, says Shiffrin. "I rely on breakfast to give me a kickstart of energy in the morning, so I choose my foods accordingly."

Lunch

The Olympian sticks to lean protein, like chicken or fish, for her midday meal - but she always makes sure to get in salad and a serving of carbohydrates.

"I really rely on carbs because I expend a lot energy during the day," she explains. "I especially love Barilla pasta because it has a lot of options that complement my activity level. They have a great veggie line that provides one full serving of vegetables per portion, but my favorite is probably their multigrain ProteinPLUS because it gets in fiber, ALA omega 3, and protein from simple ingredients like flaxseeds, chickpeas, and egg whites."

Snack

Functionality is key for Shiffrin, who likes to munch on a mix of nuts and seeds while she's on the mountain.

"They not only fill me up, but are convenient to carry around all day," she says. "Dried mangos are always a good bet, too."

Dinner

Pasta, pasta and, you guessed it, more pasta!

"I do chicken or steak, pasta, and salad or steamed/roasted vegetables," says Shiffrin.

Shiffrin - who actually collaborated on a cookbook with Barilla - says her favorite recipe is a Farfalle pasta with edamame, lemon, black pepper, and pecorino. The exact recipe can be found here.

"My whole thing is simple, well-balanced meals," she says. "I have to say, though, that I really like dessert. I try not to eat dessert every day, but I'll have dessert every now and then."

Her favorite sweet after a big bowl of pasta?

"Chocolate!"

The average college student tends to struggle with his or her diet. Students can overeat due to the amount of food that’s available or undereat due to stress from work or class, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this fact can make it hard for students to maintain a balanced diet.

With these tendencies in mind, USF Dining has been working over the years to offer students accessible and healthy options. When The Hub dining hall opened the beginning of fall semester, dining officials spoke on the number of healthier options available.

Similar sentiments have been expressed about the new Olilo location in the Juniper-Poplar POD Market, which opened the beginning of the semester. Olilo, made by Iron Chef winner Cat Cora, features Mediterranean-inspired rice and vegetable bowls. The bowls are created with a base such as rice or lettuce and are built up with different toppings such as meats, avocado, chickpeas and salsa.

“Olilo is really a play on olio,” Cora said in the announcement of her partnership with Aramark. “It’s olive oil, its the Mediterranean diet. It’s health and wellness. It’s actually something you can eat every day.”

USF is one of two universities with Olilo on campus. One of the draws of the option for dining was the idea of it being a health-focused option for students.

“We’re able to train our staff on how we can make our menus healthier and our fruits and vegetables we provide to students,” said Jessica Cicalese, marketing director with USF Dining. “We make recommendations to our team to make our menus more healthy and provide that to students.”

Along with opening Olilo on campus, dining has partnered with the University Lecture Series to bring Cora in for a lecture during the semester, according to Cicalese. Her speech will focus on being an entrepreneur and her focus on healthy dining.

While some changes in dining come from the new locations, dietitian Mary Waddill is also working to ensure healthier options are available at the older dining facilities as well.

She helped organize a fruit or vegetable of the month program where each dining hall will be offering a different special each month that’s locally grown and in season. For February, the dining halls are offering strawberries as the speciality fruit. Last month, it was kale.

Additional labeling at the different stations in each hall is geared toward letting students know quickly whether that option is considered by Waddill to be nutritionally balanced or low calorie. Those stations are marked with a leaf-inspired graphic that says what the food is designed to be, such as low calorie.

“I think that health and wellness is something that’s a big focus for students everywhere, but particularly at the University of South Florida,” Waddill said. “I think that health and wellness is impactful for college students as they’re working hard studying, hanging out with their friends, exercising, everything. Having healthy options available is something we want to provide them.”