Your nutrition is important! A healthy lifestyle helps to balance your mind and body. We’ve put together some useful hints and tips around nutrition to help you stay on track whilst at university.
Meal prep and diary
Starting university gives you the newfound independence and the opportunity to learn new skills. Living away from home requires you to budget your money, so creating a plan for your upcoming meals is a must. Planning your meals makes sure that you buy the relevant ingredients and don’t waste money on buying things you don’t really need. MyUniDays provide a number of deals for companies such as Hello Fresh and Gusto allowing you to meal plan with hardly any waste.
Taking a short amount of time out of your day to plan meals for the rest of the week keeps you organised so you can spend time focusing on other things. Meal prepping allows you to make some foods in bulk such as pasta sauces that you can freeze and use when you are short of time.
Getting the right nutrients
It’s important to make sure that you get all the nutrients you need by eating a varied diet that includes fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates, and protein. Exam time is a stressful time and British Nutrition Foundation has put together some helpful hints and tips for clever eating during this period.
Shop locally
There are endless opportunities to shop locally. Why don’t you immerse yourself in the local community? There are excellent markets available in any big city reflecting a myriad of different cultures. Grab yourself a bargain and save money on fresh fruit and veg by shopping locally. Experiment with different produce to spice up your meal plans and get excited about cooking!
Supporting local businesses
Large supermarkets may cloud your buying vision. There are plenty of local gems in the area and it’s great to support local businesses and be a part of a thriving community. Enjoy going shopping by seeing a friendly face who will provide you with helpful nutrition advice as they are knowledgeable and passionate about their produce.
No travel costs
Help to achieve your daily step goal by walking to local stores. Not only will you be able to get some fresh air, but you will also be able to save money on travel costs. No more waiting around for the bus to come, instead spend your time browsing ingredients for your next recipe.
Environmentally friendly
Supporting local businesses allows you to be more environmentally friendly. Reducing your use of public transport can dramatically diminish your carbon footprint. Plastic packaging is destroying our oceans, shopping locally enables you to handpick produce minimising the need for plastic.
Smoothies
Low on vitamins? If you are looking for a quick boost, frozen fruit is your new best friend. The options are limitless, enjoy frozen berries and bananas one day and mango and pineapple the next. But don’t worry about fruit going off as you can always whip up a quick smoothie at any time of the day. Enjoy your smoothie at breakfast or why not take one with you to a lecture?
Hydration
Keeping hydrated is incredibly important. Why not invigorate your water with some fun with a fruit fusion? Adding combinations such as lemon-lime, cucumber and mint can make plain water more appetising. Experts recommend drinking eight glasses of water a day, you can even track this on an app on your phone! Mild dehydration affects your ability to think clearly. Always remember to take a bottle of water to lectures so you can stay sharp and focused.
Get your friends involved
Save money and buy group shopping together and cook with your friends. Make this into a social activity that you can look forward to every day. Take this a step further and challenge yourself and your friends with bake-offs. It is great to learn from others and learn recipes for different cultures. Save your student loan by not going out as you can always have a great night in.
Take a look at the NHS Live well, eat well page for recipes, tips and more information on eating a balanced diet.