Eating healthy in college is hard — believe me, I know. However, your health is definitely something to prioritize because it contributes to your overall well-being. Here are some core values that I follow with my eating habits. Hopefully you’ll find them to be helpful!
Meal prepping
A common misconception about meal prepping is that it “takes too much time.” Contrary to this belief, it can actually be a time saver! Setting time aside upfront to prepare your food makes it way easier for you to just grab and go when you’re busy throughout the week. Some of my favorite ways to meal prep are by cooking vegetables, meat, and grains ahead of time and storing them in reusable containers in the fridge.
Buy more whole foods
The fewer ingredients in a food you buy from the store, the better! A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t pronounce the ingredient on a label, you probably shouldn’t be consuming it. Stray away from processed foods with lots of additives and begin to gravitate towards things that can only be produced in nature.
Balanced meals
Balanced meals are key to a healthy diet. Make sure your meals have an appropriate amount of proteins, carbs, and vegetables so your body can get the nutrients it needs.
Make your own salad dressing
Believe it or not, salad dressings can either make or break the healthiness of a meal. Many ready-made dressings have an unnecessarily high amount of sugar and calories which is something you can avoid by making your own dressing. There are lots of healthy recipes you can find on Pinterest, but my go-to is basic olive oil and lemon juice.
Seasonings
Think healthy food tastes bland? Well it does if you don’t season your food. Seasonings and spices add so much flavor to a meal and can transform your experience of eating it from a chore to your favorite time of the day. Next time you’re cooking meat, try marinating it for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Also, roasted vegetables with the right seasoning could be your new favorite.
The last obstacle people often face is the expense of eating healthy. I’ll be honest, fresh produce and healthier options in general do tend to be a bit pricier than your average food. But to put things into perspective for you, if you’re going to splurge on anything, make it something that improves your well-being.