Healthy eating at university

One of the long-standing jokes of student life is the anticipation of living off a diet of beans and Pot Noodles - but this is one of the most avoidable stereotypes at uni, with just some careful thought and planning it’s achievable, and on a budget!

Eating well at uni is essential to keeping healthy - it supports your mental and physical health and helps you avoid getting sick and run down. I am one of the most disorganised people on the planet, but planning all my meals and make shopping lists beforehand keeps me on budget and eating healthy - and out of the biscuit aisle.

I use my slow cooker a lot, especially in the winter, as a way to cook in bulk and have a hot meal waiting for me at the end of a long uni day – which means I’m less likely to order a takeaway! Some of my favourite recipes include sweet potato chilli, sausage casserole and shepherd’s pie - I put them in the cooker before I leave for uni and can eat immediately it when I get back, it’s so easy!

A big tip: never shop hungry!

I am such an impulsive shopper anyway, I don’t need any other distractions but if I’m shopping while hungry (or more accurately, hangry) I will end up with three ready meals in my basket and a packet of biscuits which I definitely will eat all at once… Shopping in the evening, after your tea, means that the shops are quiet, the food is usually being reduced (always helpful to find a cheeky bargain) and that packet of biscuits is more likely to stay on the shelf and out of your basket.

Online shopping can be really helpful if you struggle to keep to a list and are an impulsive shopper (like myself). You can write a list and not get distracted by the gondola end offers which always seem irresistibly good but mean you end up with 12 packets of Uncle Ben’s rice in your cupboard - one cannot live off rice alone (I mean, you probably could but let’s try not too?!). But if you love your bargains (and keeping it cheap), doing your shopping at Aldi and Lidl can be a godsend - especially with the weekly offers. A trip to Home Bargains or B&M is a great way to fill your cupboards on a budget with a surprisingly wide variety; always handy when moving back in September. 

My Grandad had a saying: ‘everything in moderation, including moderation itself’ - and that means there’s always some leeway for sharing a takeaway or having a McDonald’s on a weekend, just don’t let that become the soul basis of your diet. Looking after yourself at uni is all about balance and diet plays into that quite heavily - you don’t need to eat kale everyday but you do need to try and make sure you’re getting a varied diet. Uni is stressful enough without getting a vitamin deficiency because you’ve not eaten your fruit and veg!