By Al Fit Nut
Its 9pm and my professor finally let’s us depart his night class. I head over to my friends dorm and see the usual snacks a dorm room contains; pop tarts, chips, and soda to name a few. I then see my friend holding a Chinese menu ready to order take out, “do you want anything?” He asks, my reply is quick, “no thank you” I say. As much as I love Chinese food and how exhausted I feel after my 3 hour night class there’s no time to be lazy in my nutrition.
I have been to a few colleges and many of my teammates and friends over the years have always said, “it’s so hard to eat here” or “the cafeteria has nothing healthy” and “I can’t cook anything in here”. I have always had a hard time with my friends saying these kinds of things because to me they are all excuses. I know they are, I lived in a dorm for two years and got it done. I had a fridge, microwave, plastic plates, forks, knives, spoons, and one bowl. That’s all you really need guys. Now let me tell you some cheap foods that are a must if your trying to eat healthy in a dorm.
10. Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes are one of the absolute best carbohydrates on the planet and good for after games, practices, workouts when your body is in critical need of carbohydrates. Simply cut the sweet potato in half, and put it in the microwave for 4 – 7 minutes based on size. Bigger ones tend to take a little longer to cook.
9. Greek Yogurt – Great for a little snack, and packed with protein! Also make sure you get the plain flavor some of the brands of Greek yogurt tend to throw unwanted sugar and carbs in.
8. Milk – For breakfast on the go, or a big glass after a workout to aid in recovery.
7. Natural Peanut Butter, and Natural Almond Butter – Justin’s brand is my favorite but a little expensive. Any kind of natural peanut butter or natural almond butter is a great snack idea to spread on organic bread for a sandwich !
6. Ezekiel Bread – This stuff is great! It’s all organic and there are tons of flavors, each is great. This is the bread you spread your peanut, or almond butter on to make a quick delicious snack.
5. Eggs – Your probably thinking how in the world can I cook eggs in my dorm room? Easy, crack the eggs scramble them into a bowl and cook in the microwave. 2 minutes 30 seconds usually for two eggs. I have 6 every morning and set my microwave for about 3 minutes and 20 seconds, but just set time accordingly.
4. Almonds – These are king. If your hungry throughout the day don’t grab the gold fish or cheezits grab a handful of un- salted almonds! I promise you wont be hungry after doing so.
3. Kale, Spinach, Arugula – Great for making salads in your room. Just store some little bags of each in the refrigerator. You can mix a little bit of each together to make a perfect vitamin and mineral rich meal!
2. Fruit – Peaches, plums, bananas, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, apples get them all! Their cheap!
1. Water – This seems like a no brainer but many college students have alcohol and sugary drinks in their fridge. Water is extremely important to have on hand. Water bottles can be expensive so I would invest in a Brita filter. This is a cheaper option in the long run and you can go fill it up in any accessible sink!
Now I am a college student and know all about the college student budget so I also took the liberty of adding up what each item costs. These costs are based on Whole Foods Market prices. I shop here for my foods but your local grocery stores will be at least six or seven dollars cheaper than the total under these foods.
Sweet potatoes (3) = 2.49 a pound
Greek Yogurt (1) = 3.99
Milk 1% 1 gallon = 1.99
Almond Butter = 6.99
Peanut Butter = 4.99
Ezekiel Bread (1) = 4.79
Eggs (1 dozen large) = 2.99
Almonds (1, 12oz bag) = 6.99
Kale = 2.49 medium box sized
Spinach = 2.29 medium bag
Arugula = 2.19 medium bag
Banana (1lb) = 0.69 a pound
Apple (1 lb) = 1.49 a pound
Brita Filter = 25.99 – via amazon.com
Total= 44.37 for food only not including Brita
If for example your cafeteria closes at 7 or 8 o’clock and you get hungry later in the night don’t pick up the phone for some take out! Go to your fridge and pick one of these quick snacks to satisfy your hungry. If nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle is important enough to you, the money you would budget on these foods once every month isn’t bad at all. Your body is your temple, build it how YOU want to look.
Source: http://fitnutalex.blogspot.com/2014/…r-college.html
