Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
It’s hard to eat healthy while in college. Eating out is expensive, and healthy options are limited. Really, the only option is to eat in, which is hard to do without a full kitchen. Living in the dorms or student housing might have a communal kitchen somewhere on the premises, but students need to bring their own utensils and cooking supplies which is no small feat. Here are some tips on where to start.
The key to success when eating healthy in college is cooking. By buying in bulk and investing in Tupperware containers, students can have cheap and delicious meals ready for the next few days. Utilizing spare time to cook and learning quick meal recipes for a warm meal when you get home will get rid of the habit of picking up to-go food on your way home.
Photo via The EveryGirl
Start with simple meals using your favorite ingredients. Eating healthy can be filling and inexpensive with a few key items in your cupboard: pasta, rice, beans, pasta sauce and potatoes. For meats and vegetables, some inexpensive options are chicken, broccoli, carrots or tomatoes.
When buying supplies, don’t splurge! Dollar tree has a wide arrange of Betty Crocker kitchenware for only a dollar each. With more expensive kitchen supplies, they might not get used or get worn out by the time you move. These are supplies that probably aren’t going to find their way to your first real home.
Without access to a kitchen, a hot plate, mini-fridge and microwave oven are enough to reach cooking and boiling temperatures for most foods. Dry foods can be stored anywhere, and most breakfast foods such as oatmeal, yogurt, berries and even pancakes can be stirred up in a few minutes!