As college students, I know it can be challenging to meet our nutrition goals, so here are my nutrition tips for busy college students.
- Prep ingredients, not meals
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Meal prepping sounds amazing in theory, but it’s incredibly time-consuming to prepare dishes that combine carbs, protein, and healthy fats for each meal. Then it is even more annoying when you want Italian food, but you prepped Mexican, so now you’re disappointed and have to eat the food you’re not craving. Instead, it helps to prep individual ingredients. That way, you can combine your protein and carbs in whatever style you want, ensuring you actually eat your meal prep. If you can’t prep all components of your meals, try just prepping your proteins. For example, Greek yogurt or turkey bacon for breakfast, and beef or chicken for dinner.
- Focus on easy fiber
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Many people prioritize their protein intake, but neglect their fiber intake. The easiest way to get your fiber in is by eating fresh or frozen berries, oats, potatoes, pre-packaged vegetables, or canned beans. Frozen berries tend to be cheaper, just as nutritionally dense, and very cost-effective since they’re a high volume of berries for a low price. Potatoes are also good price-wise; they have high satiety and fiber but are low-calorie.
- Eggs
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Eggs have every vitamin/mineral except vitamin C, and they are literally $2.99 at Target. Eggs are a great option when it comes to nutritional density.
- Canned soups
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Canned soups tend to be cheap, filling, and well-balanced options. I love getting canned soups for the feeling of having a home-cooked meal, all for just a couple of dollars. They also tend to be high in protein and fiber, and they are nutrient-dense while not being extremely high in calories (if that’s the type of thing you’re looking for).
- Fermented foods
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Fermented foods have tons of good bacteria for your gut and are great for snacking on! Foods like Kimchi, pickles, yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha all contain probiotics, which help facilitate the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut.
- Premade/frozen food
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Similar to tip 1, many stores, especially Costco, make prepackaged, seasoned proteins. All you have to do is cook or microwave them! It makes prepping your proteins super convenient and easy for busy students.