Eating healthy foods may seem like a real challenge, especially when you’re in college! If everyone around you is munching on a pepperoni pizza at 2am, it can be challenging to resist the temptation! 

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for having a treat, BUT you don’t want it to become a daily habit! Otherwise, the pounds will soon pile on and weight gain is inevitable!

There’s also the expense of eating healthy foods – they’re often not cheap! 

If you’d like to learn more about how to improve your health while at college, and while living on a tight budget, then this article has been written to help you. 

1. Drink More Water

It’s tempting to drink fizzy drinks, after all, they taste good and are pretty cheap! Diet drinks are great because they are low in calories – ideal for weight loss. That said, the artificial sweeteners might sometimes do more harm than good, and some studies suggest that too much aspartame can lead to problems such as dementia in later life. 

Instead, ditch the fizzy pop and diet drinks and opt for water! Water is the best option to choose when trying to be healthy. There’s simply no other drink out there that will hydrate your body, and take care of your overall health like water. 

Other added benefits of drinking more water and staying fully hydrated include glowing skin complexion, improving memory, more restful sleep, and better performance at the gym. 

2. Make Smarter Eating Choices

To improve your health, you don’t need to follow a super restrictive diet plan, consuming bland foods, and spending a fortune on organic meat and fish! Certain healthy foods, such as organic products are often too expensive for college students. 

Instead, make smarter food choices, foods that are lower in calories, but still rich in nutrients. For example, bananas are cheap, so too is Greek Yoghurt. 

Look at the calories and quality of nutrients with the foods you buy and make slightly better choices across the board. Lots of small changes make a big difference. 

Also, be sure to eat your vegetables, eating more veg will help to improve your digestion. Vegetables are packed full of essential micronutrients that can help to boost your brainpower – potentially leading to higher quality studying and improved exam results. 

3. Avoid Late-Night Snacks

When in college, you probably have to pull an all-nighter from time to time, which may make you want to order delivery in the middle of the night and top it with some sweetened coffee!

One of the best ways to avoid snacking (or eating full meals) late at night is to have a proper plan in place. Get your food prepped before going to the library and have an efficient time-management system. 

Get organized with your study planning and look for ways to optimize your health and performance. You may want to use the help of a coursework writing service. This can also save you lots of time. Combine an excellent writing service with high-quality foods, and you’ll not only look better, feel more energized, and save yourself time, BUT you’ll also improve your studies too! Win-Win! 

4. Cook With Your Friends

Being in college and living in student digs does not necessarily call for cooking dinner from scratch every night! It’s often an expensive way to live and isn’t sustainable for most students!

Instead, gather a group of friends and cook healthy meals together. For example, you could prepare a large chicken Ceasar salad, or make a low carb bolognese – with lots of vegetables, lean mincemeat, and courgette instead of spaghetti. 

5. Shop Efficiently

Why not shop at low budget supermarkets? Especially if you are trying to spend less each week. Places like Aldi and Lidl are great supermarkets to shop in when you’re a student. The quality of the food is excellent, AND you’ll likely spend 20-40% less each week – which is perfect.  

6. Buy Low-Budget Superfoods

Some of the tastiest and cheapest products are also some of the healthiest ones. Eggs, porridge, and peanut butter will give you enough energy to get through the day and complete a workout session! These foods also taste amazing! Rice and beans are other good food choices. And who doesn’t like apples? Whether you want to have a filling breakfast or a quick snack in the middle of your study session, be sure to keep these products in mind!

Jennifer Broflowski is an expert nutritionist, who finds her passion in promoting healthy lifestyle options among the youth. She is keen on developing healthy and delicious recipes to suit every budget and taste.