Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

There are two life factors that have caused me to have a less-than-healthy diet. One, groceries are expensive. Two, I'm a poor college student.

I recently noticed that my grocery purchases have considerably changed. I used to have a nutritionally rich grocery list that I would use every week to find items to stack my pantry with. It was a great list; it would have made any doctor happy to have me as a patient. Over the past several months I've been crossing off more and more items from my list and just going for sale purchases. It means that my diet has become seasonal. During the 4th of July, I purchased packets of hot dogs that were 2-for-1. For the back-to-school sales, I bought a ton of Goldfish snacks that were marked half-off. And now...unfortunately, it's Halloween season and I have had a lot of Butterfingers.

It's not good. My life expectancy was probably cut in half. I'm a college student that is not just hungry for knowledge, but also hungry for real food. I really miss the weekly allowance I got when I was twelve. I also miss the great dinners my mom made. While Hot Pockets might be delicious, they're not nutritious. But, what's a student to do?

Well, I found that there are ways to buy smart. It does not have to be difficult to eat healthy on a budget. While pizza and Chef Boyardee are convenient for any person, regardless if they are a student, there are simple ways to find grocery items that make the most health sense.

First, the downtown Farmer's Market is wonderful. Local vendors provide healthy food that is cheaper and fresher than at many other places.

Health expert, Sally Wadyka, gave a good list of items that are healthy and cheap. Beans, eggs, bananas, carrots, flank steak, sweet potatoes, tuna, and walnuts are very affordable foods that provide for a well-rounded diet.

As a student, I'm starting to find more ways to save on food that my body appreciates, and these two suggestions are just a start. Going from cafeteria food to Whole Foods is not an easy jump with a small amount of money, but healthy eating is less expensive than I originally felt it to be. Fortunately, my healthier diet is returning without the same expense.