Tips to eat healthy at home on a student budget

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Tips to eat healthy at home on a student budget

How to become a home-cooking masterchef

Registered dietitians and PhD candidates Virginia Chan and Helen Yumeng Shi take us through their top tips for cooking healthy food at home, getting the best value for your groceries and making sure your food is safe and tasty.

Making nutritious choices

鈥淓ating well not only has benefits for your physical health but it impacts other areas of your life, like your academic performance,鈥� says Virginia. 鈥淔or example, research has shown people who eat breakfast do better academically than those who skip breakfast.鈥�

If you鈥檙e not sure what foods are good for you, Virginia and Helen say it鈥檚 best to keep it simple and use the as a guide.

Ideally, for each main meal you should aim to fill your plate:

Half with colourful vegetables
A quarter with grain foods (mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties)
A quarter with protein sources (such as lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans).

鈥淟ow GI foods like wholegrains release their energy over a longer period of time, which gives you sustained energy to go about your activities throughout the day,鈥� says Virginia.

Where to shop

If you鈥檙e not sure where to buy groceries, major supermarkets are a great place to start for all of your staples. Don鈥檛 be afraid to branch out to markets and community gardens, especially if you鈥檙e on the hunt for a bargain.

聽鈥淎 lot of products in Aldi are cheaper than Woolworths and Coles,鈥� says Helen. As well as the main supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and IGA, check out alternatives such as聽聽and the聽.

"OzHarvest Market runs on the principle of 鈥淭ake what you need, pay if you can鈥� so you can pay as little as $0 or as much as you want. Keep in mind that every dollar you spend equals two meals served to vulnerable women, children and men across Australia, so give what you can."

Make a list (and follow it!)

If you鈥檙e looking to tighten the reins on your budget, a little meal prep can save you from spending big on last-minute takeaway orders.

鈥淭ry to write up a meal plan for one or two weeks. Stick to your shopping list when you go shopping. Try to avoid wastage,鈥� says Helen. 聽

How to make the most of your shop:

Buy in season fruits and vegetables 鈥� they鈥檒l be cheaper and marked as product of Australia. As well as being inexpensive, they鈥檙e often more nutritious and flavoursome than produce that鈥檚 been stored for a long time.
If you鈥檙e worried produce may perish before you use them, tinned, canned and frozen vegetables are a nutritious, convenient and inexpensive way to buy vegetables.
Avoid impulse purchases like chips and chocolates, which are often positioned near the checkouts 鈥� take your shopping list and refer back to it as you shop.

Be sure to check what you already have in your fridge and pantry to avoid unnecessary purchases. If you plan to buy in bulk, make sure you have plenty of storage space available.

Cook once, eat twice

While it can be tempting to order food when you have assessments to complete and are feeling short on time, it may not be the best option for your health or your wallet.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l know exactly what you put it in your meals, a lot of restaurants add a lot of salt, sugar and fat,鈥� says Helen.

There are a few time-saving strategies you can use to get the most out of your cooking:

Use frozen or tinned foods, which are already prepped and diced ready to be thrown straight into your pan.
Cook meals in bulk to eat over several days.
Use quality reusable containers to freeze leftovers 鈥� next time you鈥檙e busy, you鈥檒l have a home-cooked meal ready.

鈥淚f you have a busy period coming up, cooking something that can last you for a few days will give you time,鈥� Helen. Cooking can also be a relaxing way to take a short break away from your screen.

Stay clear of the danger zone

Knowing how to prepare your food safely will help you avoid getting sick. Perishables and cooked foods must spend as little time as possible between 4 and 60 degrees. This is known as the danger zone, where bacteria multiplies rapidly.

Store your food properly 鈥� make sure pantry goods are sealed to prevent pests, perishables are stored in the fridge and frozen foods are kept below zero degrees.

Check the date on foods 鈥� if it鈥檚 a use by date, it may be unsafe and should be used or thrown out past this date. If it鈥檚 a best before, it will most likely be okay, but may have lost quality.
Always wash your hands, knife and chopping board after you鈥檝e finished preparing anything raw, especially meet and seafood, and keep raw food separate from food that鈥檚 already been cooked.
Always cover food to prevent contamination from bacteria.
Food can safely be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days 鈥� if you plan to keep it any longer, it can be stored in the freezer for several months.
聽When re-heating, make sure your food is heated thoroughly past 60 degrees to kill any bacteria.