Most college students are on budget. Understandably, they look for cheap foods. Once in a blue moon, they enjoy a heavy LUNCH or DINNER at a good restaurant. But when it comes to daily food habit, they restrict their choice only to cheap dietary intake.
There are so many cheap healthy foods for college students that they will pass out from college before they could finish trying out all of these. The point is, you don’t need to stick to the same sandwiches and banana shake day in and day out.
You won’t have to spend a large chunk of time for food preparation; it will take little time to make a journey from Oven to Dinner Table.
College-Goers’ Food Habits
College students come from different economic groups. They have different food habits, which are very much influenced by their financial status. Whereas some students live on campus, others live off it.
My write-up is only for those college students who live in dorms or apartments. The only LUXURY thing they need to have for making many budget-friendly, taste-teasing recipes is a MICROWAVE. The dorm dwellers need another appliance – MINI FRIDGE.
It should not come as a shocker. I’m pretty sure the only cooking method these students are comfortable with is ‘Nuking It’.
Dear College-Goers, you can prepare a tempting variety of nutritious dishes with a good old microwave. Do ditch Lean Cuisine type meals (at least, don’t make them your staple selection) and switch to healthier options.
How to Eat and Stay Healthy in College
Healthy foods won’t cost you a bomb. Unfortunately, a large section of the society believes that healthy food is expensive. That is nothing but a nicely decorated MYTH.
I won’t deny that organic foods often carry a high price tag. But why should you limit your picks only to organic, fair-trade certified, non-GMO food for your healthy diet?
Healthy Foodstuff on a Budget
‘Heat and Eat’ meals, chips, candy, crackers and other quick-to-make snacks that come on the higher side of price for the kind of convenience they offer. These foods save you effort and time and offer quick satiating satisfaction for your cravings.
Believe me, they are not pricier if a price per item is considered. But little drops of water make an ocean. So, if you live off packaged foods, it will add up quickly and you will soon find yourself at the fag-end of your college food budget.
Choose a Different Route
Living healthy on a budget is an art. Simply trim your grocery list to include whole foods such as, grains, vegetables, fruits and protein-rich items.
Produce is relatively cheaper. You can further cut the cost down by purchasing only what will not perish quickly. Frozen vegetables and fruits last longer and make a great choice for all of us. Your food choice is very important to stay healthy without burning through your budget. A little more innovation really helps.
How to Eat Right?
Eating right is a simple and straightforward concept. If you are already used to the right foods at your home, it will be easier to stick to the pattern. But for the rests, starting with a new food habit can be the most difficult part.
Meal Prepping for College Students
Cooking meals could be a great hobby once you fall in love with it. It could be a great stress-buster for you.
Meal prep is a good idea if you have little time to cook food during weekdays (it’s the case with most college students). It has several benefits.
Having readily available healthy foods makes it easier to resist yourself from subscribing to junk food. Whenever you are super busy, eat whatever is easier for you to go and grab.
Meal prepping is an excellent way to stay within your budget limit while enjoying healthy foods. Meal planning means you have a fair hang of what items should be on your grocery list. And when you are no fan of ‘winging it’ style, you can easily resist impulsive purchases.
Adopting a college meal lifestyle means a great deal of changes and challenges. In fact, it could be a rocky start for most students.
Meal prepping encourages the concept of cooking whole meals before schedule. It is very popular, especially amongst college students, professionals and other busy people. It saves time. Moreover, as you get enough time to decide what to eat, meal prepping helps you with more nutritious meal choices over time.
But once you get started, you feel a reduced burden of stress as there is one less thing to bother.
Final Words
College-goers can easily find out tons of recipes on internet. No matter what their stomach is making the rumblies for, they will always find some cheap, healthy and yummy meal prep ideas to try their hands at.
