The Importance of Healthy Eating
In discussions about health, people usually jump right into physical and mental health and skip over one of the most important factors to living a healthy life: diet. While exercise is important, eating right will help you see more progress quickly.
The benefits of a healthy diet are seemingly endless – longer lifespan, helps with skin, tooth, and eye health, supports muscles, boosts immunity, strengthens bones, lowers the risks of heart disease, type two diabetes, and some cancers, and more!
To gain these benefits, it is recommended that more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products are added to your shopping list, as well as a variety of proteins, such as seafood, lean meats and poultry, eggs, legumes, soy products, nuts, and seeds. With these foods in mind, you can create a meal plan based on healthy foods that you enjoy building a personalized meal plan.
Balance is the key to a healthy life, and according to U.S. News and World Report, “Eating a moderate and varied diet can help with weight loss, weight control, and help you stay healthy.” Allowing yourself the odd indulgence can prevent serious problems like binging, overindulgence, and under-eating as well.
As a student, it is hard to cook regularly and stick to a healthy diet. To make things easier, we have compiled a list of nine tips to help you get started:
- Time Management is Key
Look towards online resources for quick, easy meal prepping ideas and time management tips.
- Select One Protein Per Week
This tip limits food waste and saves money – proteins are expensive but versatile, and picking one to use in multiple dishes will allow for maximized use.
- Buy Multi-Use Ingredients
Purchase foods that can be used in different dished throughout the week. This will keep you from spending money on a large variety of specific foods that can’t be used twice.
- Buy in Bulk
This allows for you to save money when deals arise and saves you money in the long run. Most items that this can be done with, such as pasta and rice, can be used for quick meals when you have a limited time.
- Keep a Recipe Book
Having healthy, low-budget meals on hand can take away a lot of the stress of meal planning.
- Chop and Freeze
Items can be prepped ahead of time and frozen. When you have a limited time to cook, you can pull ingredients that are ready to be used from the freezer to be used right away.
- Make Portable Food
Having meals from home that can be brought with you will allow for a healthier, cheaper option.
- Use the Weekends
Days off can be used to prep for meals throughout the week to ensure that you will be eating well. Meals can be cooked ahead of time and kept in containers, or you can prepare some ingredients for less hassle throughout the week.
- Less is More
There are dozens of easy, one-pot meals that can save time in both cooking and cleaning that are still healthy options.
Article and Infographic Resources
CDC Nutrition Team. (May 16, 2021). Benefits of Healthy Eating. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/resources-publications/benefits-of-healthy-eating.html#
CDC Nutrition Team. (March 8, 2023). Healthy Eating for a Healthy Weight. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/index.html#:~:text=Emphasizes%20fruits%2C%20vegetables%2C%20whole%20grains,products%2C%20nuts%2C%20and%20seeds.
CDC Nutrition Team. (July 11, 2022). Healthy Eating Tips. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/healthy-eating-tips/index.html
Jones, A. (2024). Eating in Moderation is Easier Than You Think. Planet Fitness LLC. Retrieved
Ando, A. (October 30, 2021). 9 Meal Prepping Tips For College Students. Honest Food Talks.
Retrieved from: https://www.honestfoodtalks.com/basic-meal-prepping-tips-college/
Unity Point Health Team. (2023). 10 Reasons Doctors Talk About The Need For Good Nutrition
& Diets. Unity Point Health. Retrieved from: https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/10-reasons-doctors-talk-about-the-need-for-good-nutrition-diets
