With the new school year soon approaching and many university students including myself, entering a new stage of their lives full of independence and new choices to make about their future, which also includes choices about their health such as what food choose to buy and eat.

In this post I wanted to focus on how young people and students in general can find more joy in eating and cooking healthier which is not only better in the long run for their health, but is also done in a way that does not hurt their wallets or time in any drastic way.

I hope that you find this article useful regardless of your age, because I think we could all appreciate if we could find more ways of eating better for ourselves while still keeping our food spendings in check.

Enjoy :)

WHAT IS HEALTHY EATING?

Include a variety of different whole foods in your diet
Avoid consuming too much salt, processed sugar, saturated fats and trans fats
Stay within your caloric need range
Drink enough water
Finding the right balance for you in terms of nutritious foods and less nutritious foods that are eaten in moderation
Trying to include a serving of oil fish into your diet each week
Eating high quality protein sources and nutritious oils and fats
Emphasis on getting enough fibre from wholegrain foods

MAKING HEALTHY EATING EASY AND AFFORDABLE

Go to farmers markets or other local food markets
Buy food in bulk
Check out the discounted section of your supermarket
Buy fruits and vegetables that have been put aside due to their due date (most are still perfectly fine)
Avoid expensive supplement stores and high priced health food shops
Focus on buying whole foods - Specialized and highly processed foods that may be labeled as “healthy” can actually end up costing a lot
Buy foods that are in season and preferably locally produced
Make a list of ingredients to buy before entering a store
Try not to go to the grocery store hungry
Plan your meals ahead of time and buy ingredients accordingly
Try preparing most of your food at home
Buying frozen fruits and vegetables
Making larger batches of certain meals so you can have left overs
Bringing your own lunch or snacks to work

I hope that you found this post interesting and in some degree also useful for incorporating more healthy habits onto your plate.

I hope to inspire people with the idea that to eat well for your body and mind does not mean having to spend excessive amounts of money on groceries or going to expensive supplement stores. Healthy eating does not have to be time consuming or restrictive. The point is to make it enjoyable for yourself by mostly including delicious foods that are good for you but also foods that bring you joy and a sense of balance with your diet. Its all about longterm consistency.

Thanks for reading.