College 101
How to eat like a poor college student
Eating: It's Not Just for Bears Anymore
If you're like us, you need to eat to survive. What matters almost as much as eating is precisely what you eat. Different foods can have positive effects on different organs in the body. There are even foods that boost brainpower and literally help you think (source). Since college is all about thinking, you're probably going to want to stock up on that kind of stuff. There's more to eating than just that, though.
If you've ever talked to anyone over the age of forty, we're sorry. We're also fairly certain you've heard the phrase "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." While this slogan was probably created by a secret cabal of the Trix Rabbit, Cap'n Crunch, and General Mills, it also happens to be true (source). This might mean getting up before the crack of noon to get it from the dining hall, or it means keeping a few things on hand.
A lot of college students end up leaning on the ramen a little hard. After all, ramen is cheap, and most college students would have to get a little more money in the bank to qualify as broke. The problem is, ramen is really, really bad for you (source).
See, the quickest way to make cheap, bad food taste good is to soak it in fat, salt, and sugar. You might recognize this as the business model of fast food companies. Fast food is another way a lot of college students end up eating because it's fast and relatively within the budget, but it's just as much of a bad idea (source).
One of the easiest ways to get around that is to cook for yourself. We know, we know. You're not a cook. But you could be, especially with the combined recipes of the Internet at your disposal. Cooking is one of those vital skills they really should teach in school. The stuff you cook is almost guaranteed to be better for you than fast food—and likely cheaper, too. This is the kind of thing that will serve you well down the line (source).
No time? Make some time. It's worth it.
Our advice? Invest in a crockpot and learn to make chili. Seriously. A giant pot of chili can be frozen in meal-sized bowls that will feed you for a week (source). If you want to stretch a budget and still get your nutrients, there you go, and there's plenty of room for brain-boosting ingredients.
Another trick for stretching that budget is to get things that won't spoil. That means canned goods, crackers, dried fruit, or nuts (source). If it's the kind of thing you can imagine eating after the apocalypse, chances are it is non-perishable.
The other trick is to make certain you're actually using what you buy. If you're making chili, for example, you'll be getting some lean meat, some veggies, and so on, and they should be fresh. Don't buy them whenever. Buy them when you know you'll have time to cook that night or the next day. Food is like a ticking time bomb, but when it goes off, you just make yourself sick. Planning your meals, making a specific list, and then (this is the hardest part) sticking to that list is vital.
You might be thinking that the cheapest possible way would be a campus meal plan. You would be incorrect (source). Colleges know you won't eat every meal you paid for. It's nearly impossible, but you're still paying for them. So downgrade that plan as far as it will go, and make the difference up cooking. Remember, you're building life skills and saving cash.
"Eat right" might be the single most common piece of advice you will ever get, other than "Stay away from sharks." What you usually don't get is a concrete plan on how to do that…until now. So go forth, cook, and be nutrition-ized. Your brain will thank you.