College students are notorious for their unhealthy eating habits. With all the pizza, beer, fast food and lack of exercise, it’s no wonder that 50% of 18 to 25 year old males are considered obese.
I know how hard it can be to eat healthy in college: Nutritious food is often priced higher than the unhealthy stuff. Fast food is cheap and easy. It takes time to prepare at-home meals. Alcohol is always readily available. The list could go on. The thing is though, all of these things are excuses. Keeping a well balanced and nutritious diet is a lot simpler than you may think. It should also be one of your top priorities, because after all, you are what you eat, and what you eat now affects you in both the short and long run.
Image Credit: karimian
If you’re ready to ditch the unhealthy eating patterns, follow these simple tips to kick start a new habit and eat well on a budget.
Drink Tap Water
Instead of drinking sodas and bottled water throughout the day, why not switch to tap water? It’s a whole lot cheaper and is available right at your fingertips. Invest in a $25 dollar water filtration pitcher and a stainless steal water bottle and you will have clean, cheap drinking water for months.
Stop Eating Out
It is ok to go out to eat every once in a while, but if you make it too much of a habit it can cause a strain on your diet and on your wallet. Instead of going to a restaurant and spending $12 dollars on a meal, it would be a smarter option to go to the store and spend that money on fresh ingredients. By doing this, you most likely be able to purchase the resources for 2 to 6 meals instead of just one.
Buy in Bulk
When you buy food in bulk you may be spending more upfront, but the savings will pay off. Be sure to buy things that won’t spoil like frozen foods. The ultimate place to buy food in bulk? Costco or Sam’s Club.
Cut the Junk
Lets face it, junk food is overpriced, provides little to no nutritional value, and it makes us fat. So, if you really think about, why should you spend so much money on it? Instead of spending this money on useless, empty “food-like products”, use the extra cash for fruits and vegetables – they make great snacks.
Cook With Friends
Instead if going out with a group of friends to grab dinner, why not invite them over for a meal? This is the perfect way to cut cost and get a more nutritious meal. Have each person pitch in a little cash for ingredients and you all will spend very little cash.
Eat Foods that are in Season
When buying things like fruits and vegetables, be sure to buy the ones that are in season in your area. They will often be cheaper since they didn’t have to be imported or anything.
Use Coupons
Even if you don’t get the Sunday paper, you can still find great coupons in the store. You will be surprised with the savings you can amount just by using coupons.
Watch for Promotions
Many grocery stores will have specials and promotions going on where you can find huge savings. For example, Publix has a penny item every week. This can be anything from box of crackers to a loaf of bread.
These are just a few simple tips to help you spend less and eat better. Eating a balanced and nutritious diet is one of the best things you can do for yourself. If you would like to learn more about healthy eating, check out sites like EatingWell.com and SparkPeople.com. Also, be sure to check out some of these books about healthy eating.
Have some tips for eating healthy on a budget? If so, leave them in the comment section below. I love finding new was to eat better while saving money!
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cornerstone universi
What will all the activities of college life, we can't really possible survive without a properly norished body. I can't believe lots of my male friends drink huge amount of beers and junk foods with little healthy stuff on the side. Thanks for the tips. It's all worth remembering and applying for a healthier diet.
Dan Northern
I use to survive on junk food and ate very little nourishing food. Looking back, I felt so much worse – sluggish, tired, crabby – than I do now.
You’re welcome btw.
shorter university
Nice tips. I really found the article very interesting and very informative. It will really help a lot of students to change their perspective when it comes to their eating habits. I understand that it’s really hard to change the bad eating habits but it’s possible if we follow the “21 days rule”. The reason why it takes that long is because it’s really hard to break the neurological connection of our eating habit in our brains as it becomes part of our stomach memory. But I believe that it’s all worth it. I like the part eating foods that are in season because the food is really cheaper but the best part for me is cooking with your friends because it’s really fun.
Dan Northern
Thanks, it can be difficult to start good eating habits in college, but like you said it can be done as long as you can stick with it for “21 days” and make it a habit.
The Freshman 15
Avoid late night food! When you get back from a night out, you are literally minutes away from falling asleep (passing out). Why consume an extra 1,000+ calories?!
Dan Northern
This is so true. I regret eating late night munchies every time I wake up.
Josh
In order to eat healthy in college, ramen must be avoided. Period. Sadly, Chef Boyardee must also bite the dust.
Dan N
Quick meals like ramen are so tempting because of how easy and fast they are. But yes, they do need to be avoided.
I seldom resort to eating ramen noodles, but when I do, I try to balance out the bad with some good and add veggies on top of the noodles.
admissions360
Or just become a vegetarian!
Now, this may be a bit extreme, but I found cutting out meat to be very nice on my budget. Focus on eating protein-rich foods like beans and frozen veggies that you can use to make big pot dishes like chili/stir fry.
David
The "coupon" suggestion is key! If you simply pay for a Sunday newspaper the coupons will pay for the paper easily. This doesn't include the savings you will get by taking advantage of the specials listed by grocery stores.
Oh yeah- and, no matter what your major, you will always benefit from actually reading the paper too.
@Moneysanity
For me avoiding sugar is key. I also try to eat raw vegetables, fruits and nuts as they are better for you and are less expensive than meats and most processed foods.
Bette Kehl
Hello there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.
Leonard Smits
Vielen Dank fuer deinen Beitrag. Wirklich toll verfasst.
Asien
Hübschen Blog hast du da. Bin eben über die Suchmaschine hier her gelangt. Werde mich mal umschauen bei dir. Bis dann!