Everyone always says that being healthy is expensive, however there are many ways to eat healthily on a budget. Here are my top 5 tips:
1. Try going vegetarian
You could either do this permanently or swap in a few veggie meals a week. Things like beans, pulses and lentils are a lot cheaper than meat and make sure you’re still getting lots of protein. They even count towards one of your five a day. You could also try using things like Tofu, Quorn mince or vegetarian sausages to replace when you would normally use meat. However, if you are a real meat eater you could try using half the amount of meat in something like Spaghetti Bolognese or Shepard’s pie and bulking out the other half of the recipe with lentils.
2. Buy frozen vegetables and fruit
Frozen fruit and veg works out to be a lot cheaper than the fresh stuff as you get more for your money and what’s great is that it doesn’t go off quickly. It is also good for bulking out meals and adding more fibre and vitamins to your diet. I tend to add frozen spinach and broccoli to almost everything! Frozen fruit is an easy addition to smoothies or on top of porridge in the morning.
3. Bulk cook food
Portion control is something every single one of my flatmates has struggled with so why not take advantage of this and cook food in bulk. This can then be frozen and you will have healthy food ready when you want it.
4. Get outside
Cycling and running is really easy and cheap to do. Often, universities have dedicated routes for students to follow or cycle on safely. Lancaster University has a Woodland walk which is great for walking or jogging.
5. Join a society
There are lots of societies you can join and that will keep you fit at the same time. Something like the Salsa Society is only £5 to join for the year and for that you get 2 classes a week. There’s also things like the Yoga society which has a £5 membership fee and then it’s £2 a class. This is a lot cheaper than a gym membership and it means you will also meet new people.