Being a student means surviving on maggi and chai. Its filling, tasty, available and cheap. But the only downside is that consuming such food everyday deters your health. We often prefer junk than healthy food. Sometimes this happen out of our cravings for delicacies and sometimes because of our budget. Healthy food is tough on budget. Students who live in PGs and hostels have to maintain stricter budget than normal local students. They often face difficulties because of lack of home cooked end up eating a lot of junk!
Here are some simple measures which every student can adopt to stay healthy and eat healthy on a tight budget:
- Go for seasonal fruits: Fruits are the ultimate source for vitamins & protein. Having at least one fruit daily is a must. Plan different fruits each month so that the cost for one particular fruit doesn’t burden you and secondly, always go for seasonal fruits. They’re cheap and healthy.
- Shop on reduced prices: I know it’s difficult to get food at reduced prices but try to shop once in a week at evening for reduced prices. Even supermarkets offers discounts on various food products. Try to get those to reduce your cost for healthy food.
- Avoid some social junk food situations– Yes, its time for you to go out and chill with your friends but its only at the end of the month you realise the amount of money you spent in fancy coffee shops and deterring health because of lack of home cooked food.
- Plan your meals: Planning your meals is an important step for everyone. You must make sure that your meal must be a balanced diet. For a student, it’s tough to have a balanced meal twice a day. So, try to have at least one per day.
- Try to buy in bulk: Buying the products in bulk is often very cheaper than buying in small quantities. Try to shop those items on bulk which are less subjected to get expire and could last for weeks or months.
- Daily dairy intake: Dairy products are must for every student. Don’t forget to intake milk daily. Dairy products like- milk, curd, buttermilk etc. are found very easily in markets and are rich in nutrition.
- Avoid caffeine: Many students are big consumers of caffeine, which are actually bad for health. Try consuming milk and drink plenty of water daily to stay healthy and fit. Also, water is a great cure for many diseases. Don’t forget to drink 8-10 glass of water daily.
- Don’t skip breakfast ever: Skipping breakfast is a very bad alternative. I know being a student, we have to get up early and rush into our things but try to have breakfast before you leave from your home. You can also carry your breakfast with you & can consume the same in your travelling time.
- Include juices & raw veggies as snack: Snack doesn’t means chips, cold drinks or fries always. Swap these things with juices and raw veggies like cucumber, carrot, tomato, etc. They are cheaper and healthier at a same time.
I hope these simple measures are easy to adopt and are budget- friendly too. Don’t be a junkie and spoil your health. Be a foodie with healthier bite!