How to buy healthy foods on a college student budget?

cbayati
cbayati Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi. I'm a college student. I've heard the "eat healthier, more fruits, etc" but something I've realized is, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to buy processed foods. Seeing as I work in a grocery store, I see the prices of the "healthier" foods rising so very much, and the sales are usually on the processed foods.

So my question is...does anyone know some "healthy" foods that are actually affordable? Not seeing many at my grocery store, but maybe I'm not looking enough...

Trying to do the apples and peanut butter thing...carrots are cheap, yes.
But produce goes bad so fast, especially when you're ONE person. (I'm kinda on my own for food)

Any ideas would be appreciated! I'm not a great cook, so something nice and simple would be fun :D
Just kinda need some meal ideas or snack ideas or something!

Oh, and friends to keep me motivated would be graciously accepted :)

-Christie

Replies

  • kbast13
    kbast13 Posts: 7 Member
    Processed foods can be easier and cheaper but knowing how bad they can be for you is enough to get you to stop eating them, especially when you're trying to lose weight! I'm a college student so I know exactly how you feel with this dilemma. I'll give you some of my tips:
    -I buy boneless skinless chicken breasts when they are on sale for less than $2.00/lb. I usually buy about 4 or 5 pounds and then freeze them in individual portions, so when I just need one, I can take it out and thaw just the one chicken breast.
    -I buy a LOT of fruits and vegetables, but I am careful about what I will eat before it goes bad. Buy fruits and veggies that keep for a long time. For instance, I always have a bag of oranges, yellow onions, and baby red potatoes on hand. Apples keep for a while as well.
    -Don't be afraid to buy frozen veggies either! You can get the steamfresh veggies sometimes for $1 or less, these are (almost) as nutritious and good for you as fresh veggies.
    -I also like eggs as a cheap protein. I eat them for breakfast and then also hardboil them to chop up and put on salads.
    -For grains and carbs, I usually just buy a big thing of basmati or jasmine rice. I'm not a huge brown rice fan, so this is just preference (I also can't have gluten, but thats a whole other story), but it does pack quite a bit of protein in, while not going overboard on carbs or fat content.
    Hope this helps!
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    I would buy a bunch of vegetables, especially when they're on sale, then wash them up really good and dry them off (salad spinner would work good for that), chop them up, mix them up how you like, and then freeze them in big freezer bags (you could re-use them). You could portion them out that way too, and it would probably be cheaper than buying pre-frozen stuff.

    I've never done that, because when I was in college and strapped for cash I just ordered a dozen pizzas from 4-for-1 Pizza on Dundas in Toronto ($2 medium 1-topping pizza... CRAZY). And I got fat.

    You could do the same with meats... Portion your chicken, then optionally chop it up or smash it flat and freeze it. If you buy fish, clean it and portion it in freezer bags (I recommend filling with water a bit - seems to keep the freshness better, but takes longer to thaw). If you are into it and can find time away from your studies, you could go and hunt or fish to get your own meats. I fish a lot, myself, and would take wild-caught fish over storebought stuff any day.

    Good luck.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Frozen vegetables, frozen meats, dried beans, and bananas. You can make an entire nutritious dinner with this stuff for a dollar or two.
  • NualaTW
    NualaTW Posts: 205 Member
    Not sure where you live, but are there any farmer's markets around? I find cheaper prices at the farmer's markets, and can buy less produce. Also, I find that the produce I buy at the farmer's market lasts longer in my fridge. I think it's because it's coming straight from the farm and hasn't been "man-handled" to death in shipping and refrigeration that occurs in mass-market produce handling.

    Also, like jonnythan said, bulk dried beans and frozen veggies are good options. They last longer and will have little to no added sodium.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    - Brown rice and frozen veggies. Add some spices from the dollar store (onion powder and garlic powder are good).
    - A block of cheese and crackers for snacking (goes a long way when you only have a serving).
    - Beans. Cheap and healthy.
    - Frozen berries, bananas and frozen (100% juice) for smoothies. You'll need a blender. :)
    - A bit of milk, ice and a flavored syrup (I love Nescafe Ice Java Cappuccino) blended up makes a cheap sweet treat when you need it (around 150 calories).
    - Oatmeal.
    - Pasta and sauce/canned tomatoes. These are always on sale.
  • squeakyfish
    squeakyfish Posts: 109 Member
    I think it's a myth that it's cheaper to eat processed foods. Yes soda is cheaper than milk, but for the most part, you'll actually get much more nutritionally out of non-processed foods so you don't need to eat so much.

    You can't get much cheaper than dried beans, brown rice, 5# bag of potatoes, frozen veggies, or veggies from a farmers market. The trick to buying produce is to only buy what's in season (and therefore cheaper) and to only buy what you can eat within a week. That way you will never have to throw anything away. Cans of diced tomatoes can be found pretty cheaply and are a good way to doctor up just about anything that needs a flavor/nutrition boost.
  • namelesshere
    namelesshere Posts: 334 Member
    Since you work in a grocery store, only buy what you need for a couple of days. That way your produce is always fresh. Also, buy the sales on Chicken breasts, fish (its Lent so there are some good buys). Dried beans and brown rice should be staples, as should oatmeal. Yes, these may be an investment in your food budget, but a little will go along way. My college soup recipe was, boil a piece of chicken (back then thighs were cheap so that is what I used) with an onion, and a little boullion. Remove chicken, and cut up in small pieces. Add a bag of frozen veggies to broth, and some whole wheat noodles. Add the diced chicken back in. You have enough nourishing soup for a couple of weeks so you will want to freeze half. Serve with a salad or a sandwich of your choice and you have a filling economical meal.
  • cbayati
    cbayati Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you for every idea!! IF any of you want to be friends, I'm game! I appreciate all the responses :)

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