Eating tips for students

For many young people, going to university means leaving home for the first time. This presents a whole new set of challenges in the kitchen, with home-cooked meals no longer an option. With students often on a tight budget, opting for the wrong kinds of food can be all too easy.
However, eating healthily at university does not have to be laborious or expensive. The first thing to do is make a budget and work out how much you can afford to spend on food each week - and stick to it.

Remember, processed food can often be expensive. By investing in basic ingredients you can often make more meals for less money and they will be healthier.

Shopping around is also key. If your nearest supermarket is Waitrose you are not going to get as much for your money as if you ventured to the Tesco on the next street.

Once you have got your budget and shop of choice, try to buy fresh ingredients that will make several different meals. When cooking, try to make batches of food. For example, if making chili con carne, try making enough to freeze an extra portion or two. Making extra won't cost double but will provide you with extra food throughout the month.
Students should ensure that they buy a balance of foods, which includes eating a lot of starchy carbohydrates. By basing meals around foods such as porridge oats, potatoes, rice and pasta you will have sufficient energy to carry out your studies and provide your body with necessary protein.

Eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables is also imperative. However, avoid overcooking vegetables as most of the vitamins end up in the water. Frozen vegetables are an economical choice, as they are often cheaper and last longer. Tinned tomatoes are another inexpensive item, which can be a base for sauces and are low fat. Meanwhile, carrots are one of the cheapest vegetables around and can be added to stews or eaten raw as a snack.

Students will also need to ensure that they are getting enough protein. The good news is the quintessential student dish - baked beans on toast - is a protein-rich choice, especially if low-fat spread is used with wholemeal bread. Other good sources of protein include pulses, eggs, canned fish and chicken.

However, be careful to not undo your good work in the kitchen with some poor decisions when it comes to reheating leftover takeaways. This can be a prime way of getting food poisoning, as can leaving piles of dirty dishes in the sink. Always check use-by dates and do not be tempted to cut off moldy sections of food and eat what is left. Moulds and other fungi produce invisible toxins, which can make their way into the rest of the food and make you ill. So, if a food has gone moldy it's safest to bin it.