Can students eat healthy on a budget?
For many students, moving away from home brings many changes. Living independently means being in charge of your own needs. In this case: food.
The Canadian Food Guide outlines the amount of nutrients your body needs to function. The quality and quantity of food you eat can be greatly affected by your living situation.
It can be hard for students to plan good, healthy meals between busy class and work schedules. Often you might be looking for the quickest solution to get rid of that grumbling hunger. In many cases however, the quickest meal might not give your body the energy you need to get you through the day. If students don’t have time to make a lunch ahead of time, they’ll likely end up buying food from a cafeteria. While this saves time, it can get to be very pricey and unhealthy over time.
There are several ways students can reduce their grocery bills and eat healthier, more nutritious meals.
One way is to shop for house brands instead of national brands. No Name, for example, sells 1.8kg containers of margarine at $3.99. Right next to that was a national brand, which had half the margarine and cost the same amount. Also No Name was 2L of orange juice for $1.97, right beside the Tropicana for $4.67. The savings here are obvious, but the nutritional values have to be considered. Tropicana juice is very high in vitamins and minerals and has fewer calories than the No Name brand. While these are important for your body’s health, the small percentage difference can be overlooked to stick to budget.
Another factor in grocery shopping is the quantity. Many students are faced with a common dilemma: spend less and get less, or buy big and risk the expiry.
Second-year electrical engineering student Kyle Vesh is an example of a good meal planner, but is feeling the financial pinch.
“I’m on a strict diet, so I eat every meal at home in an effort to stay away from temptations of the caf’,” he said.
“Unfortunately, when following a diet plan, good food doesn’t come cheap.”
Vesh said he spends about $70 a week on personal groceries. On the top on his list are vegetables, lean meats, almonds and easily digested carbohydrates. He avoids seasonings, salad dressings and salt and pepper, as they add flavor but extra sodium.
When asked what motivates him to eat so healthy, he had a focused, stern look on his face.
“My strategy for health eating directly ties into my gym routine. Setting personal goals is key to staying on track and gives you the mental boost needed to get through it,” he replied.
Vesh is on the OSAP payroll and receives funds once a semester to cover cost of living. He said it has a large effect on his diet.
“OSAP varies from person to person, so asking if it’s enough to eat healthy is also going to vary. Even with my extremely high OSAP funding, I think I’d run out of funds very quickly eating like this.”
Sometimes all it takes it a bit if extra help.
“Lucking for me I put all my groceries on my family credit card. Thanks mom!”
The Toronto Star did an investigative story on “the OSAP diet,” and learned the average OSAP student lives off $7.50 a day. In this article, it explains a Brock University student’s struggle to eat healthily on that budget.
Rachel Crane said she would miss her Starbucks Fog tea and submarine sandwiches, which she couldn’t afford. While many students may want to keep their eating habits, it can be as simple as cutting out the luxury items.
Matt Maxwell understands this concept completely. He is a second-year community and justice service worker student and has lived on residence both years.
He says he learned that simple, bulk foods keep you going and can still taste great.
“I like to stock up on spaghetti and meat,” he explains. “I can buy a pack of noodles that’ll last me a few weeks, and there’s usually some chicken or pork chops on sale.”
Maxwell commonly shops at the local No Frills grocery store.
“It’s got decent selection, and if you grab a flyer on the way in you’re guaranteed to find some deals. For the most part I’ll pick up the same kinds of foods, and grab some luxuries when they’re cheap.”
Maxwell is also very active and spends a lot of his time at the gym. His meal plan may be basic, but he says he fills the gaps with workout supplements, gummy frogs and hot lips.
While meals may be easy or time-efficient for students on res, it’s a whole different story for off-campus students.
Simona Telford is in her second-year of the developmental service-working program. She has lived off campus for both her years here, and feels it has a large effect on her eating habits.
“I usually eat at home, but a lot of the time I’m hungry throughout the day and don’t have time to bus home,” she said. “If I don’t pack something earlier I’m usually stuck wasting money at school.”
Telford has spent this semester working a placement at a bakery, working with the mentally challenged. This has caused her to be away from home more, and eats the food she bakes.
“Normally, I cook my stuff from scratch. I take a can of homemade pasta sauce from a real Italian family (the benefits of dating an Italian), and add my own spices. I grew up in a Dutch home so we always made stuff from scratch.”
According to the EatRight Ontario dietitian service, home-cooked meals work out to be cheaper and healthier than packaged or store-bought foods. Pasta, for example, is much higher in sodium when it comes in a can. You also have no control over the type or origin of the meat that goes into it.
“My mom used to make biryani, it’s spice packs mixed with rice and you add in veggies,” she said. “I like these kind of meals because you can make them exactly what you like and put quality ingredients in.”
While everyone has his or her own tastes and preferences, it can be easy to eat healthy on a budget. The key is to buy larger quantities of the good foods you like, and add in your own customization. The last thing a student needs is to run their bank to the ground with unhealthy, unsatisfying cafeteria food.
Next time you’re in a grocery store, take the time to look at what you’re actually buying.