Relying on ready meals, junk food & takeaways is an easy habit to fall into when you’re feeding yourself for the first time, but you’ll soon find yourself wasting pounds (as well as gaining them).
Despite the misconception that student life is synonymous with ‘beans on toast diet’, you don’t need to be wealthy to be healthy. According to Christopher Wanjek, author of Food at Work, a healthy diet can even help keep you on top of your studies as well as keeping you trim – so what are you waiting for?
Shopping
Eat up before you stock up: It may be as obvious as using a loyalty card, but shopping on an empty stomach is never a good idea; you’ll buy more than you need and it’s unlikely you’ll choose the healthiest options when you feel you could every cake in sight. Eating a healthy snack before you leave will you craving more healthy stuff too and make it easier to choose apples over apple pie.
Do it from home: Supermarkets put the sweets next to the beer because they know you can’t resist the temptation, even though you only popped in for a 4-pack. If you’re the type of person who can’t resist a 2-for-1 offer, stick to a shopping list or shop online to avoid being tricked by supermarket psychology. Shopping online is a great way to avoid overspending too as you can review the cost of your order before paying and get the cheapest deal by using comparison sites such as Mysupermarket.co.uk.
Swap midnight feasts for midnight shopping: Late night reductions are the perfect way to save even more – but don’t waste money buying everything on offer if you don’t actually need it! To make sure you’re saving, only buy stuff you can eat the next day or freeze.
At home
Experiment! Following recipes is great, but creating your own can be even better and is a great way to use up leftovers or still make your favourite dish when an ingredient is missing.
Cook from scratch: It doesn’t have to be time-consuming and is a lot healthier for your body as well as your bank. Locally produced ingredients usually are usually both cheaper and greener too as they haven’t traveled miles to reach your plate.
Look at what you have: We sometimes treat our fridges like our wardrobes – there’s lots there but nothing seems to fit – and too often disregard what we have. Using up leftovers before you buy anything else is a great way of cutting your next shopping bill. If you need some inspiration, check out these recipe ideas and only buy ‘top-up’ ingredients. There’s everything from tasty pasta dishes to more unusual ideas such as roast dinner soup!
Out and About
Skip the chips: When hungry, it can be easy to overestimate how much food you’ll actually need. If you’re guilty of cooking too much, store leftovers in the freezer for after a night out – both cheaper and healthier than those greasy chips you always regret the morning after.
Fill up on carbs: Eating wholegrain toast or porridge and fruit such as bananas for breakfast will keep you full for much longer than other sugary breakfast foods.
Watch out for traps: Avoid the temptation of unhealthy and expensive snacks wherever you go by carrying nuts, popcorn or a homemade smoothie. And watch out for traps such as the cinema – hotdogs, nachos and fizzy drinks are not only unhealthy but seriously overpriced so be prepared and take your own treats.
A healthy diet doesn’t have to mean living off vegetables or wasting loads of time cooking, and it certainly doesn’t require a bigger budget. With a little preparation, knowledge and commitment, maintaining a healthy diet is possible for any student – and can be cheaper than chips!
Let us know how you get on the box below.