A student is often under a lot of stress and a quick bite to eat. You may find it hard to avoid bad habits, such as skipping meals or going to cheap fast food restaurants. But eating healthy can help you feel better, cope with stress and concentrate better in class and on the sports field. Student food is more than just food for your body, so take the time to appreciate and enjoy it!
Get the most out of what you eat
You should eat as many calorie-dense foods as possible in your meals. This means that you should choose whole foods over refined foods. Replace empty carbohydrates with whole grains like quinoa. A good student cooking strategy is to decide to eat whole fruit before having a sweet snack. It will provide more nutrition and less sweetening of the candy.
Try to include protein at every meal
This will keep you fuller for longer. Refined carbohydrates spike your sugar and insulin levels all over the place, causing periods of hypoglycemic hunger that force you to make poor decisions. Protein and some fats stabilise your blood sugar and keep your cravings under control. Having a jar of peanut butter nearby can be a good alternative. It's cheap, lasts forever and contains healthy oils and proteins. You can get it without added sugar, but a little salt is okay. A spoonful of peanut butter will keep you from going hungry until you can get real food.
Don't drink your calories
One of the wisest decisions you can make in your student kitchen is to avoid soft drinks. Sodas are full of sugar and excessive consumption of sugary drinks is linked to the current obesity epidemic. Even fruit juice has too much sugar per serving, so if you do have fruit, eat it whole. Grind it into a smoothie if you like to get all the fibre out, but don't drink a glass of orange juice thinking it's healthy. Everyone should drink more water, so take a reusable water bottle with you. Bottled water is a bit of a scam. It is not only expensive, it is often less pure than tap water.