A few easy breakfast ideas include:. But a lot of the meal ideas below can be easily transported to class, the library, or anywhere else your busy schedule requires.

By the end of a long day, cooking a meal that takes a lot of time and effort might be the last thing you want to do.

Here are a few easy meal options and shortcuts to help you avoid the drive-through and finish your day in a healthy, budget-friendly way. No matter your level of cooking experience, try to have fun with meal planning and preparation. Use your smarts and creativity to stay within your budget while meeting your nutritional needs.

Focus on fruits and vegetables for low-calorie high-fiber options with vitamins and minerals, as well as lean protein choices for fullness.

Check out myplate. gov , fruitsandveggies. org , Eatwell com , Eatingwell. com , and Healthline. com for more meal planning, recipes and shopping resources. Nicole Starr, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian with LG Health Physicians Healthy Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery. Nicole is a graduate of Immaculata University where she studied Nutrition and Dietetics.

She completed a supervised practicum and internship in the Philadelphia area through Aramark Corporation with a concentration in Clinical Dietetics at Abington Hospital. She is passionate about educating people on the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet and helping them discover simple changes in their diet to enhance their overall health and wellness.

The LG Health Hub features breaking medical news and straightforward advice to help individuals of all ages make healthy choices and reach their wellness goals.

As such, it's best you research your individual campus plan and its exclusions. Financial aid can cover the various expenses of attending a university. Fortunately for college students, meal plans are calculated as part of the cost of attending college in addition to yearly tuition, school fees, and housing.

This means you can allocate some of your financial aid funds to cover the cost of the meal plan you select. College meal plan policies vary from institution to institution.

Most plans will allow you to make a change in "swipe" choices by a certain date without penalty. View the most relevant schools for your interests and compare them by tuition, programs, acceptance rate, and other factors important to finding your college home. Some find it challenging to eat healthy on a college meal plan — but it can be done.

Follow these tips on making good choices when you dine on campus. By Kim-Ling Sun. Kim-Ling Sun. Kim-Ling Sun has 20 years of teaching experience, with 12 years teaching in community colleges.

She is also a published poet, a community activist, and a writer covering topics related to the Asian American community and education. She holds an MA in Edited by Will Baker. Will Baker. Will Baker has worked as an editor and outreach strategist with BestColleges.

He is passionate about providing students with the means to make informed decisions about their education. In his free time, he plays music, spends time with his sisters, a Learn more about our editorial process. Updated on October 4, Turn Your Dreams Into Reality Take our quiz and we'll do the homework for you!

How to Eat Healthy on a Meal Plan: 4 Key Tips One of the best ways to set yourself up for college success is to eat nutritious meals. Know Your Meal Plan Options. Plan Your Dining Routine. Organize Your Daily Schedule. Use it sparingly and consider sweetening coffee, tea, cereal, and fruit with diet sweeteners instead.

Visit the dining hall salad bar. The dining hall salad bar can be either an asset or a detriment to your diet depending on how you choose from it. Of course, leafy greens, raw vegetables, and fresh fruits are beneficial.

But, if you choose a lot of creamy dressings, bacon bits and mayonnaise-based salads, the calories and fat may equal or even exceed those of a burger and fries—so choose wisely!

Limit your alcohol intake. If you drink alcohol, keep in mind that it supplies calories but no nutritional value. A light beer, a glass of wine or an ounce of liquor each has about calories. There may also be health problems associated with drinking alcohol. Drink lots of water.

Your body needs at least eight glasses a day, and, if you exercise vigorously, you may need more. To remind yourself, carry a water bottle along to class and keep it handy during late night study sessions.

Enjoy your food. Food is a lot more than nourishment for our bodies, so take the time to enjoy and savor it!

I lived on flavorless egg white omelets, crappy tofu stir fries, and grapefruit. The worst part? In college, food took up so much of my brain space and energy. I had a negative relationship with food and exercise, and I struggled with body image issues.

I regularly got upset about my body or what I was eating. Not having a good kitchen, or in some cases not having one at all, kind of sucks! At Ithaca College, where I went to school, we were lucky to have communal dorm kitchens on every floor with a fridge, oven, stove, and storage.

Mostly, I used it to bake cupcakes — lots and lots of cupcakes. Even just having my morning breakfasts taken care of would have made my life way easier in college. Experiment and see what works for you! So why not make two or three servings, and save the rest for the next few days?

Chopping and portioning is often the most time-consuming part of cooking a meal, so If you have chopped up onions, garlic, and veggies and exactly 3 teaspoons of garam masala ready and waiting, that curry is going to be a breeze on the day you actually cook it.

You can ease your way into meal prep by just meal-prepping ONE meal — breakfast is often the easiest and quickest, but if your schedule is wide open in the mornings and crammed with classes in the afternoon or evening, maybe having a prepped lunch or dinner will make the biggest difference for you.

Whatever meal you choose, try prepping enough for three days and see how it feels, then adjust based on what works for your routine and amount of free time. It may change from week to week — be flexible and gentle with yourself. Possibly both. While you have access to plenty of equipment with with to do the actual cooking, there are challenges unique to college student that you may be facing.

For example, one thing I remember running into in college was that my roommates would keep old, moldy food in the fridge, so that it was just sitting there taking up space. In that situation, I mandated an occasional fridge cleanout to purge all of that.

You could also try agreeing on a takeout rule. Another way to ensure that you have space is to divide up fridge and pantry space. For example, assigning each person one shelf or one half of a shelf.

In tiny kitchens, it can be really hard to cook when someone else is trying to cook at the same time. I have lots of advice and tips on storage solutions and kitchen organization on my Instagram and in other blog posts, but you can start by following four basic principles:.

Another thing I want to point out: you can easily meal prep snacks and even some meals without a kitchen. Even having snacks on hand can make a huge difference in the way you feel and your energy levels! When I asked my audience on Instagram what their biggest struggles were around college and meal prepping, being able to carry meals around all day was a BIG one.

Take our quiz and we'll do the homework for you! Compare your school matches and apply to your top choice today. College students can get incredibly busy with classes, homework, part-time jobs , and socializing , making it hard to put yourself — and your nutritional needs — first.

This is why it's a good idea to get into the habit of meal prepping while in college. Meal prepping can help you take care of yourself by getting you ready for the next day.

By prepping meals ahead of time, you never need to worry about what you're going to eat. It also helps you spend less money on food and going out to eat.

Meal prepping involves planning out the meals you'll eat throughout a designated period of time, usually a week or so. Once you plan your meals out, you can create a shopping list and budget to get the ingredients you need at the store.

This way, you aren't sitting in your dorm at P. wondering, "What should I have for dinner tonight? College meal prep can also save you time. When you plan your meals in advance, the choice is already made for you — you don't have to make another decision or stare at the fridge until you get frostbite.

You can prepare meals for all three meals a day breakfast, lunch, and dinner or just one, such as dinner. Make sure you schedule time to eat and make healthy choices.

Before you start preparing meals, it's important to know what tools and items you have available to you. For instance, do you have a stove or an oven? A microwave? A fridge ideally with a freezer?

Know how much space you have to work with as well. Is it possible to keep dry, nonperishable foods in a shared cupboard or in a dry storage container under your bed?

What supplies do you have to cook with e. Is there a communal kitchen in your building you can use? Answering these questions allows you to plan your meals around these limitations. However, while such help is available and is great for getting some free time, the need for healthy food should not be ignored even if you are immersed in your education.

And that is precisely why knowing about healthy meal prep ideas is crucial in college. If you eat meat and fish, then this part of your groceries will likely be the most expensive every time you go shopping.

That is why it is a good idea to buy just one protein per week. You can then easily create multiple dishes from that same protein rather than spending money on different meats for different dishes.

For example, you can use beef to cook steak fajitas and then use the rest in a diced beef stew on the following day. When meal prepping on a budget, you should choose ingredients that can be used in various ways.

By doing so, you can create different meals with the same base ingredients instead of spending more money on particular ingredients. For example, items like potatoes, carrots, minced meat, tomatoes, and frozen peas can be used in various dishes. Try making Korean radish as a starter and fried daikon balls for lunch using white radish.

There are many easy college meals that you can make on a budget, so always have some written down. Always remember to consider making healthy recipes for yourself.

The Canadian Psychological Association conducted a study in that talked about how students often develop chronic diseases because of their eating habits. One of the most time-consuming parts of cooking food is chopping vegetables. This serves two purposes. On the one hand, you will save a good amount of time when cooking and on the other, your vegetables will not go bad sitting in the fridge for a long time.

If you want to do some healthy meal prep, remember to chop and freeze!

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careerplus-stackable Created with Sketch. Search… Search. Eat a good breakfast. Studies show that skipping breakfast detracts from scholastic achievement. Most of these items can be easily stored in your residence hall room.

If you must eat fast foods, choose wisely. Choose pizza with half the cheese, a regular size roast beef sandwich, baked potato or green salad with reduced calorie dressing.

Limit high fat offerings like French fries, fried chicken or fish sandwiches. There are many easy college meals that you can make on a budget, so always have some written down. Always remember to consider making healthy recipes for yourself.

The Canadian Psychological Association conducted a study in that talked about how students often develop chronic diseases because of their eating habits. One of the most time-consuming parts of cooking food is chopping vegetables.

This serves two purposes. On the one hand, you will save a good amount of time when cooking and on the other, your vegetables will not go bad sitting in the fridge for a long time. If you want to do some healthy meal prep, remember to chop and freeze! You can also freeze guacamole for another time too!

A lot of students forget to make lunch for themselves on long days when they are all caught up in their academic courses. That is why you should make some portable items like sandwiches or salads. Not only are these quick to make but you can also put them in a box and take them with you on long days.

Try making this spicy kani salad recipe! Whenever you have some free weekends, use some of your time to prepare for the coming week.

Chop up some vegetables and throw them in the freezer, cook some food for the next day and put it in the fridge, or go get some groceries. You can also prepare meals and freeze the whole meal if you have a microwave handy.

Check out some one-pot recipes like fried rice, curry, and shrimp chow mein that you can make quickly. Cook simple but healthy food and experiment with your culinary visions when you have more time on the weekends. As such, it's important for students to learn how to make healthy choices on a college meal plan.

Read on for tips and guidance. A college meal plan gives you access to dining services on campus through prepaid accounts. With this plan, you can get a certain number of meals per week at campus eateries and dining halls.

Many colleges require students who live on campus to purchase a plan since full meals can't be cooked in dorm rooms. Plan options cover meals a day to meet most dining needs.

One of the best ways to set yourself up for college success is to eat nutritious meals. Doing this will give you energy to power through your days and studies. By making careful choices, you can do this — even with a college meal plan. First, familiarize yourself with your meal plan options.

Know what healthy foods are available and at which locations so you can make informed choices. Go online to your university's Campus Life Page and look for the Dining tab.

Most colleges list all dining locations and hours of operation. And they usually include online menus, which should help make meal planning a breeze. The key to eating healthy on campus is to build a healthy meal based on the basic food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.

Eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and including fiber in your meals helps keep your digestive system healthy, according to Cleveland Clinic. Eating healthy on your college meal plan may also help you avoid gaining the " freshman To eat healthy successfully, it's best to schedule your meals and plan your snacks throughout the day.

This will help you be efficient with your time as you make your way across campus. And it helps you steer away from calorie-heavy temptations. Within this schedule, you should also allow some time for exercise beyond getting your steps in running from one class to another.

Maintaining a consistent schedule each day will also promote mental and physical health. There are several tricks to maintaining healthy eating habits around the various food stations in the cafeteria.

Though you may find it hard to believe, you can even make healthy choices at the dessert station! For a quick, refreshing dessert, go for low-calorie options like frozen yogurt. Finally, at the salad bar, load up on protein and fiber by topping off your greens with pine nuts and grilled chicken.

A few easy breakfast ideas include:. But a lot of the meal ideas below can be easily transported to class, the library, or anywhere else your busy schedule requires. By the end of a long day, cooking a meal that takes a lot of time and effort might be the last thing you want to do.

Here are a few easy meal options and shortcuts to help you avoid the drive-through and finish your day in a healthy, budget-friendly way. No matter your level of cooking experience, try to have fun with meal planning and preparation. Use your smarts and creativity to stay within your budget while meeting your nutritional needs.

Focus on fruits and vegetables for low-calorie high-fiber options with vitamins and minerals, as well as lean protein choices for fullness.

Check out myplate. gov , fruitsandveggies. org , Eatwell com , Eatingwell. com , and Healthline. com for more meal planning, recipes and shopping resources.

Nicole Starr, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian with LG Health Physicians Healthy Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery. Nicole is a graduate of Immaculata University where she studied Nutrition and Dietetics. She completed a supervised practicum and internship in the Philadelphia area through Aramark Corporation with a concentration in Clinical Dietetics at Abington Hospital.

She is passionate about educating people on the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet and helping them discover simple changes in their diet to enhance their overall health and wellness.

The LG Health Hub features breaking medical news and straightforward advice to help individuals of all ages make healthy choices and reach their wellness goals.

The blog puts articles by trusted Lancaster General Health clinical experts, good 'n healthy recipes, videos, patient stories, and health risk assessments at your fingertips.

Find our contact forms and phone numbers or give feedback on a recent experience using Care to Share. View test results, schedule appointments, or request prescription refills from the convenience of your computer or mobile device. Learn about health system news and meet new providers in Progress Notes, Lancaster General Health's provider newsletter.

LG Health Hub Women's Health. Health Hub Home Women's Health Healthy Budget Friendly Meal Ideas for College Students Healthy Budget Friendly Meal Ideas for College Students Published: April 6, Authors: Nicole Starr, RD, LDN. Nicole Starr, RD, LDN Nicole Starr, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian with LG Health Physicians Healthy Weight Management and Bariatric Surgery.

Understanding Vertigo and How to Make it Stop Answers to Common Questions about Colorectal Cancer Screening. Compare your school matches and apply to your top choice today.

For many college students, living away from home can be a little daunting, especially if they aren't used to making meal decisions day in and day out. This can lead to poor choices, like constantly turning to comfort food or cheap eats such as pizza and hamburgers. It's no wonder some students put on the "freshman 15" during their first year of college.

What many students don't realize is that poor nutrition can also negatively impact academic performance. As such, it's important for students to learn how to make healthy choices on a college meal plan. Read on for tips and guidance. A college meal plan gives you access to dining services on campus through prepaid accounts.

With this plan, you can get a certain number of meals per week at campus eateries and dining halls. Many colleges require students who live on campus to purchase a plan since full meals can't be cooked in dorm rooms. Plan options cover meals a day to meet most dining needs.

One of the best ways to set yourself up for college success is to eat nutritious meals. Doing this will give you energy to power through your days and studies. By making careful choices, you can do this — even with a college meal plan.

First, familiarize yourself with your meal plan options. Know what healthy foods are available and at which locations so you can make informed choices.

Go online to your university's Campus Life Page and look for the Dining tab. Most colleges list all dining locations and hours of operation.

And they usually include online menus, which should help make meal planning a breeze. The key to eating healthy on campus is to build a healthy meal based on the basic food groups — fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy.

Eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and including fiber in your meals helps keep your digestive system healthy, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Eating healthy on your college meal plan may also help you avoid gaining the " freshman To eat healthy successfully, it's best to schedule your meals and plan your snacks throughout the day.

This will help you be efficient with your time as you make your way across campus. And it helps you steer away from calorie-heavy temptations. Within this schedule, you should also allow some time for exercise beyond getting your steps in running from one class to another.

Maintaining a consistent schedule each day will also promote mental and physical health. There are several tricks to maintaining healthy eating habits around the various food stations in the cafeteria.

Though you may find it hard to believe, you can even make healthy choices at the dessert station! For a quick, refreshing dessert, go for low-calorie options like frozen yogurt.

Finally, at the salad bar, load up on protein and fiber by topping off your greens with pine nuts and grilled chicken. You can also choose a low-calorie dressing such as a vinaigrette to keep your salad light. Below are just a few examples of healthy meals you can make or purchase on a meal plan.

You can use these ideas as a launchpad for choosing or creating healthy meals and meal combos on your meal plan in the future. Most universities now use the " swipe system " as part of the meal plan. That makes it easier for some schools to allow students' unused meals to carry over from week to week until all meals have been used.

Many schools do not allow for meals to roll over from one semester to another. As such, it's best you research your individual campus plan and its exclusions. Financial aid can cover the various expenses of attending a university.