It’s hard enough to eat a balanced diet as a busy college student, but it’s even harder on a budget. Local dietitian Amy Stacy was the guest speaker of a four-part series on nutrition and food prep on a budget hosted virtually at SUNY Brockport.
With delivery services such as Grubhub and Doordash, it’s easy to get in a routine of ordering out. According to Stacy, cooking at home more often is a great way to improve your diet. This isn’t always easy though, and that’s why people often resort to ordering their meals.
However, restaurants can add sodium and unnecessary fats to their foods leading people to consume well over the daily recommended amount. When you cook for yourself, you control what ingredients go into your meals. Cooking can be much healthier in comparison to ordering out and can even become a source of joy in your life.
The first step to start cooking is research. Before you head to the grocery store, it’s best to figure out what kinds of meals you want to eat during the week.
If meal prepping, Stacy recommends students take it on a week-by-week basis. She said to set a specific day of the week, such as a Sunday or a Saturday, to write a list of groceries you’ll need to have satisfying meals throughout the week. If you struggle to come up with ideas, there are many free food prep apps to download with hundreds of recipes such as Pepperplate, Mealime and Prepear.
Once you get an idea of what recipes to try out, you’re ready to shop. Grocery shopping can be a time to explore the store and find some new ingredients that inspire a fun dinner.
Other options include subscriptions to meal prep delivery services. These services come with all the ingredients you need for meals during the week, and it’s all based on a set price. Some examples of these services include Emeals, Hellofresh and Homechef. There are many options that cater to different budgets.
The next step is preparing the food. If you don’t have a lot of time during the week to cook, meal prepping is the best way to go. A great way to do this is to make a meal with four to six servings that you can store in the fridge until it’s time to enjoy it. A lot of food can be frozen too. Frozen meals are great to have on hand, they’re convenient and help save time and money.
“Always have a backup plan,” Stacy said. “Something may go wrong, maybe you can’t get the ingredient you need. For example, right now I have two different soups in my freezer ready for those moments where I’m like ‘oh crumb, my plan didn’t work. I don’t have anything for dinner, let’s just order out.’ Then I say ‘nope, I want to eat healthily. I want to save money.’ Then I know I have a couple of options in the freezer ready to go.”
Stacy said the easiest choice is not always the better one, and added another tip on how to stop yourself from ordering out.
“Put a list on your refrigerator of the reasons why it would be good to not order out or have a list of meal options instead of ordering out.”
There are many ways you can condition yourself to build better food habits. Another way to combat the urge to order out is to delete all the food delivery apps from your phone.
If you don’t like chronic leftovers, try having easy meals on hand. The best formula to stick with is having one protein, grain and vegetable available for every meal. This method doesn’t cost much at all. A bag of frozen vegetables at the grocery store is usually less than $1. A pack of chicken breasts is usually around $10 and can be broken down into chicken strips or small bite-sized pieces for individual meals and easier cooking.
On days when you don’t feel like cooking, try a slow cooked meal. Buying a Crock-Pot is a great investment for those who don’t have much time to cook. Earlier in the day, put all the ingredients in the pot and cook on low for about four to six hours. By the time you come home, the house is filled with the smell of warm food, and you get to enjoy it right away.
Cooking can be a time to relax from your daily schedule if you have the right mindset. Some people view cooking as another chore that takes up time, but it can actually help someone decompress after a long day of classes if acknowledged as an act of nourishment and self-care.
As a dietician, Tracy gets questions all the time on how to practice better food habits. Her office is in Brockport and on Ridgeway Avenue. If you need individual help, call 585-368-4560 to set up an appointment. Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore. It is a great way to spend time with yourself and learn new skills. There are many great resources to help start your journey to building better food habits.
