Many students come to university with no prior cooking knowledge and the most simple things may not even be thought of, and that’s completely normal and okay.
In this article I will be sharing some of the most simple food tips to help you de-stress and find more confidence in cooking something that isn’t frozen or a takeaway!
Fruit & veg
A lot of people tend to skip over fruit and veg due to it’s short shelf life and price tag, especially berries, however shopping at budget stores, like Aldi and Lidl, or going to the market next to Wilko ensure fresh greens can be part of the average student life. They shouldn’t be a privilege!
By bulk buying large items, like bags of potatoes or onions with your flatmates will ensure costs are kept low and you don’t need to eat potatoes every day for a week just to get through the bag before they go off! Additionally, keep as much fruit as you can in the fridge or freezer for preservation, even items like bananas, which can be taken out to ripen when needed, or chopped up and stored. Mason jars are great places to store berries to increase their life span and can be bought very cheaply. Don’t forget to wash before use!
Storage
Investing in proper Tupperware with tight seals can make a huge difference to the freshness and life-span of food. As well as reducing food waste and cost this tip means food is safe to eat and kept away from excess and unseen bacteria. As an extra note, make sure to keep track of when you put things in Tupperware, as food is still best eaten fresh!
Portions
A good general rule to follow if you’re aiming for a more well-rounded diet is to fill half your plate with fruit or vegetables, this could be anything from a salad to roasted veg, a quarter for carbohydrates, these are things such as pasta, rice, or bread and the final quarter for protein, this could be meat, fish or any alternative. This eliminates the fear that can come with tracking nutrition or calories whilst still allowing you to get all the nutrients you need.
If you find yourself constantly feeling hungry, maybe try increasing your protein intake or volume eating, this is where you fill up on nutrient dense foods like fruit and veg, both keep you fuller for longer whilst providing an excellent source of slow release energy to keep you powered throughout the day without emptying your cupboards daily.
Seasoning
A way to completely transform a bland plate is through seasoning, and not just by using salt and pepper. Take a minute to discover which seasonings you like and incorporate them into your meals, you may find a dish you’re getting sick of will become your favourite again! These can also be shared with flatmates, reducing costs! They can also be paired will cheap meal staples like noodles, beans or rice to create endless new flavour combinations.
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