Healthy Eating on a Budget

Monday, September 25, 2023

A healthy diet can boost academic performance, improve your mood, contribute to healthy sleeping habits and more. Finding ways to eat healthy on a budget can be daunting and sometimes feel impossible. However, there are several budget-friendly shopping tips and on-campus resources to help you achieve healthier eating habits.

 

Shopping and Meal Planning Tips:

• When you create your grocery list, focus on covering the basic food groups: fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein and grains.
  • Frozen fruits and vegetables can be a more cost-friendly option.
  • Plant-based protein sources such as beans, lentils, tofu or legumes can be a less expensive option compared to lean meats.
• Shop by comparing unit price.
  • When you’re comparing options and food brands, compare the unit price rather than the actual price of the item. This tells you how much you’re paying by unit, and it standardizes the cost of the product based on the size of the container. In general, the unit price is lower when you buy a higher quantity of the product.
• Purchase store brand instead of name brand products.
  • Store brand items are often less expensive despite being the same quality as name brand.
• Create a list.
  • Having a general idea of what you need before you go into the grocery store to help you to stick to your budget.
  • Buy items that you can use for multiple meals.

 

 

On Campus Resources

University Dining offers students several healthy eating resources for special dietary needs as well as healthy eating.

• NetNutrition allows students to build a virtual plate and view the nutritional information of the meal.
• The Choose Orange program helps students identify healthy eating options on campus by adding the Choose Orange logo to healthy dining options.
• Patty Anson is the UDS Registered Dietitian on campus. She meets with prospective and current students with food allergies and special nutrition needs to help build a healthy nutrition plan in their transition to the college dining setting. Email Patty at panson@okstate.edu.

There are so many mental and physical benefits to a healthier diet! We hope that these tips help you achieve the goal of a healthier lifestyle with budget-friendly options!