Food is what keeps us going! Though it is incredibly hard to get a bite to eat when running from point A to point B, it’s important that your diet is balanced and nutritional. It’s a well-known fact that if you eat a balanced diet, you will reap the benefits. These benefits include a slimmer waist, more energy, and a longer lifespan. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to find the time or the energy to muster up the strength to cook or even consume this food – and more often than not, we will find ourselves lying in bed with a slice of Papa John’s pizza. However, eating a healthy meal is not an impossible task (even in college)! Here are some ways that YOU can create a better (and cheaper) diet:
- Cook your food! Though Chinese carry-out can be more than tempting, you will find that any type of fast food will be far more expensive than making it at home. Plus, if you make your own food, you know EXACTLY what’s going into it. No artificial chemicals or ingredients here!
- Make food in large quantities. Yes, your roommates will hate you for taking up the fridge, but you will save yourself a great deal of time creating one meal that will last you for seven days rather than cooking a meal every day!
- Tupperware, tupperware, tupperware! The OCD person’s fantasy, tupperware comes in all shapes and sizes. Buy LOTS of tupperware so that you can store the big meals you’ve created, then small tupperware for smaller ingredients that need not be stored with the cooked stuff.
- Use a combination of step 2 and 3 to create fast meals! Take the large quantities of food and separate them into meal-sized portions. Then all you have to do is grab the meal and go!
- To save extra bucks (and be healthier) try eating predominately vegetarian meals. Vegetables are going to be way cheaper than any meat that you buy. You can still get the iron that is found in meats by eating dark green veggies, such as collard greens and spinach. Meat also contains a high amount of fat, so eating more vegetables and less meat will also help you shed some pounds!
- Go raw! If using vegetables and fruits in your diet, try to find recipes that use non-cooked fruits and vegetables. When food is cooked (especially boiled) the nutrients will seep out into the water- so although you’re eating healthy food, you aren’t getting the full nutrients. Try raw vegetables and a low-fat veggie dip. Going raw will also save you cooking time! If you just can’t stand raw foods, try steaming the vegetables rather than boiling them. This will save lots of nutrients from seeping away.
Rachel Cronin is an NSCS member from Decatur, Georgia. She currently attends Kennesaw State University. Outside of community involvement, she is a full-time student with two student assistant positions and one resident assistant position. She spends her free time reading, cooking and exploring media.