Food Confessions of a University Student

As a university student, it's often difficult to maintain a healthy diet on a low budget. I found it was one of the hardest things to adapt to when moving out to live on my own, as I had the freedom to buy and cook whatever food I wanted without my parents' input. I had no willpower at the beginning and found myself buying in loads of food which would be wasted as I wouldn't eat it. I would also end up spending lots of money on junk food and takeaways which was not healthy...I was often known for my late night trips to KFC in my first year of uni😅

Since then, I have learnt the best ways to shop to ensure I eat healthily but also stick to my spending limit and reduce the amount of food I waste😃

Here are my top 5 student food tips:

1. Always check the reduced section of the supermarket - you can always freeze items and use them at a later date

2. Plan your food shop ahead of time and make a list which you stick to - you can often get carried away and end up buying loads of food which goes to waste.

3. Make sure you check the USE BY and BEST BEFORE dates on food - they don't mean the same thing (you won't die if you eat after the best before date)

4. Cook a meal which you can freeze and eat another time - it's difficult to cook for one person and you can often make too much, so make sure you don't throw it away.

5. Plan your meal schedule - look at ideas for healthy but cheap recipes which you can have throughout the week (maybe treat yourself to the odd takeaway once a month)

Although these tips may be useful to some students, others may complain that they don't have time to  think about such things like shopping lists and meal schedules. In which case, spaghetti hoops on toast it is...👍