Students studying in the university of their choice for higher education with a promise of grabbing a high package later live on a tight budget. It is the reason most students work part-time besides attending classes. 

Tuition, rent, credit card bills, utility bills, stationery costs, and car maintenance all add up. Consequently, students cannot manage the most critical part of their lives- Health. Most students succumb to affordable food instead of nutritious food due to the costs involved. Moreover, gymming and exercising with a strict schedule is impossible.

However, one cannot underestimate the importance of a healthy diet frame. It helps one do everyday tasks much more efficiently. It also helps keep oneself away from consuming junk food and aerated drinks. Moreover, regular consumption of these things impacts health significantly.

Read ahead if you want to grab the route to a healthy diet but your purse does not allow it. The blog lists some techniques to eat healthy on a budget.

7 Ways to Eat Healthy Without Paying Extra

If your body feels healthy, so does your mind. However, to keep your body healthy, you must ensure the best nutrition mix to the core. It helps you concentrate on your studies better, engage in extra-curricular activities and keep your body free from illness. The below tips may help you remain healthy on a budget:

1)     Check online coupons

 If you are a student visiting a grocery shop often, you may leverage these coupons. Now, you can find them online as well. Many websites provide coupons and exciting deals online. You must check it before visiting the store.

Thus, you can utilise these coupons to buy healthy food items. It is one of the best ways to grab healthy items on a budget. Moreover, you can store some for a week and consume it accordingly.

2)     Pick seasonal fruits and veggies

One of the most common issues a student faces while shopping for fruits and veggies is – the cost of organic items. However, one of the most effective approaches to dealing with it is- buying seasonal fruits.

These seasonal fruits and veggies are cheaper compared to off-season fruits. So, in the fall seasons, you can opt for green vegetables like asparagus and Brussels sprouts. Likewise, in summer, you could add summer squash to your plate.

3)     Cook for yourself

Do you enjoy cooking different stuff?

Heating the things in the microwave impacts the nutrients of the food. It is healthier and cheaper to save meals for special occasions. Moreover, it could be fun to cook food with your flatmates. You can try out a recipe from a book of healthy dishes. You would love to make it together.  

You can also split the price of the ingredients required as roommates. It would limit the baggage and expenses. If you currently lack money, check student loans for bad credit scores. Students lack good credit history because of constant reliance on credit cards, pending bills or no credit history. Thus, a minimal amount may help you counter the cash issues immediately.   

The nearby shops are tempting, but campus food is expensive and would make you eat unhealthy food.  

Moreover, individuals are much more aware of what they eat after the pandemic. Cutting out on regular consumption of snacks, frozen food, sugary snacks, processed meat and unhealthy carbohydrates is a must.

4)     Avoid smoking excessively

Smoking is unhygienic for your health and your bank account. In addition, smoking substantially increases the chances of lung cancer and bronchitis. Thus, consuming more than one cigarette daily directly impacts your health and other aspects of your lifestyle. Moreover, you become a passive smoker if someone in your room smokes.

 It has a near-equal impact than a smoker. Thus, try to limit smoking and live in a green and healthy environment. Alternatively, quitting smoking can improve your health and heal it again. It helps increase immunity and remains healthy. 

It would also help your bank account. For example, if you spend around £140/week on smoking, ditching the habit would help you save more. Just imagine, you can save £560/ month by ditching smoking! It is indeed beneficial for your account and health alike.

5)     Shop right and bargain

There are other ways to spot discounts than supermarkets. Explore the nearby shops selling fruits and vegetables. Instead of heading towards the supermarket directly, just analyse the market. You can even visit the community markets and gardens if hunting for bargains.

You can spot cheaper products there. What could be better than saving money on buying the same item fresh? Moreover, you can also spot deals like grab fruits at £1! Yes, it is possible. Just be mindful of each pound you spend. It would help you skip relentless shopping.

6)     Consume healthy food and avoid medical bill

Knowing how to prepare food correctly would help you avoid getting sick. Illness comes with expenses like- consultation, medicines, tests, etc. It may cost you up to £6500 or more! Thus, you can avoid this expense by incorporating healthy eating and living habits.

How do you stay active and healthy always?

You can stay free from diseases in the following ways:

·        Check the dates on food and ingredients. If the date has passed, you must go through the packet immediately. If it mentions “best before”, it may be okay but still not healthy.

·        Always sanitise your hands, knife and chopping board before usage. It would help you chop fruits and vegetables the healthy way

·        Always cover the food and prevent contamination.

·        Do not store food for over 3-4 days. If you want to keep it longer, — keep it in a deep freezer

·        Make sure to reheat the food thoroughly for at least 60 degrees. It would help kill potential bacteria.

7)     Plan meals and a shopping list for the week

Planning meals helps one avoid the hassles that follow. It is ideal if you often spend hours on it. Create a list of the items you would need the next week. 

Moreover, check the nutritional quality of each meal. Avoid adding something that may impact your health or not good. It would only be an additional expense.

Thus, when you head to shop with a list of commodities, you only buy what you need. It would help you carry only the needful amount. It prevents overspending and helps save more. However, if you fall short of the amount in the supermarket, check for bad credit and no guarantor loans instantly. It would help you get the needed cash with no third-party requirements and a bad credit history. Do not worry, you can pay it off in easy instalments.

Bottom line       

Eating healthy on a student’s budget is challenging. However, the above-listed aspects may help you ensure the same. You must count the calories you consume every day. You would be shocked to know the numbers. Thus, one must eat healthy to concentrate better and avoid additional health issues. And when you can do that in a budget-friendly way, why not?