Eating Healthy on a Budget, Tips for College Students

By  //  May 12, 2020

Being a student can be challenging, even under the best of situations. As you embark on your college journey, you may have to leave home and be away from your family.

Being a student can be challenging, even under the best of situations. As you embark on your college journey, you may have to leave home and be away from your family.

Also, you have to be inventive and learn to manage your time to juggle your social, sport, and academic life. Most importantly, you have to, for the first time in your life, start to budget for accommodation, transport, and food, among other expenses. 

A recent survey shows that first-year college students are gaining approximately ten pounds during the initial year. Also, about 14% of college students are deemed obese or overweight, with serious mental and physical health implications.

The good news is that you can avoid such health challenges by maintaining a healthy diet, even under a budget. In this article, we outline useful strategies that students can use to maintain a healthy diet without hurting their pockets. 

Understand What Being Healthy Means 

If you are going to live a healthy lifestyle, then you will need to eat a variety of foods. However, it is also important to note that one cannot eat healthy without fully understanding what this means.

If you are going to live a healthy lifestyle, then you will need to eat a variety of foods. However, it is also important to note that one cannot eat healthy without fully understanding what this means.

Without good information, students can easily get confused by the employed by marketers who use such adjectives as ‘natural’ and ‘healthy’ in misleading ways.

Also, some of the products labeled as low fat are high in calories or may comprise large quantities of artificial constituents. 

Remember, some dishes considered healthy can become unhealthy if not cooked properly. For instance, while the chicken is healthy, the deep-fried chicken may not be. 

This leads us to the question — what exactly comprises healthy eating? Here are some useful tips:

• Food in Its Most Natural State Are Perfect 

The more processing happens to food, the fewer nutrients you are likely to get when you consume it. Also, the more ingredients listed on the product description, the more processed the food is. 

• Fruits and Veggies Rock 

Students can never go wrong when they eat vegetables and fruits. They are a healthy meal choice but are more effective when consumed in their natural state. If you have to, steam, sauté, or juice. 

• Sugars Are Bad

You may already know this, but we have to restate it. Sugars are bad for you. This includes all forms of artificial sweeteners, like saccharin and aspartame. If you insist on using a sweetener, try to stick to the most natural varieties. For instance, you could prefer honey or stevia. 

• Variety Is Ideal 

To remain fit and healthy, you need to eat a variety of foods regularly. This is because one type may not have all the necessary nutrients like carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, and proteins.

To make sure that your body is getting all the required nutrients, you should eat various foods as often as you can. Also, avoid skipping meals like breakfast and plan appropriately.

If you find yourself struggling with a hectic schedule, ask a professional paper writer to help with some of your assignments.

Understand How to Budget 

Other than knowing which foods are healthy, students also need to know how to budget. As you try to manage your limited finances, the most important thing is always to prioritize.

You may be tempted to impress your peers by having the latest fashion of technological gadgets, but this will harm you in the long run.

Also, remember that studies indicate that students who do not eat properly tend to struggle academically. If you fail to take good care of your body, you may not get the energy needed to study and have fun in college. 

Of course, every student has his or her financial circumstances. This means that it is not possible to create a perfect one-size-fits-all formula for coming up with a budget for food. That said, here are some tips to get you started:

• Know how much you have available to spend on food every month;

• Stick to only spending within your budget for and save the rest;

• Make smart choices when selecting food varieties;

• Try to have three meals each day. 

Making healthier choices doesn’t mean spending more money on food. In fact, by making healthier food choices, you end up saving money. By cooking your meals and combining nutritional supplements, you can save money and feel a lot better about yourself. The essential thing to remember is that eating healthy on a budget is about more than calories or portions. It’s about the nutrition and overall quality of your food.

Also, instead of taking sodas and sugary drinks, choose water. Water is not just cheaper but healthier. You don’t need those sugary energy drinks to stay awake when studying. Planning ahead of time and healthy snacks should be enough. If you can, cook and eat in groups. 

In summary, eating healthy while operating on a tight budget may seem challenging, but is actually simple. Follow the tips highlighted here and remember to drink water and exercise. 

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