Roughly 20 percent of our daily calories go toward powering the brain.
That's why nutrition for college students matters – and by meal prepping, you ensure your body gets the fuel it needs within the budget your wallet requires.
What is Meal Prepping?
Meal prepping entails cooking meals, fixing snacks, or compiling ingredients at once to be stored or frozen then eaten throughout the week.
For example, on a Sunday someone may:
- Chop the vegetables needed for their daily snack
- Grill chicken that can be added to salads at lunch
- And make a large pot of chili for dinner.
The intentionality sets it apart from leftovers. With meal prepping you plan ahead and cook efficiently rather than just eat whatever you didn't finish last night.
Why Students in College Meal Prep
Meal prepping can make healthy eating easier during your busy days by:
- Reducing decision fatigue: You no longer need to open your fridge and wonder what to eat with meals ready to go.
- Saving time: Preparing food in one batch frees up your schedule during the week to focus on other tasks such as studying.
- Decreasing food costs and waste: Intentionally planning your meals and how much of an ingredient you will use ensures you only buy the food needed.
- Incorporating nutrient dense ingredients: Consistently eating satisfying meals keeps you energized and allows you to avoid binge eating.
Can Meal Prepping Improve My Academics?
Inadequate access to food affects up to 40 percent of college students, making them more likely to experience poor outcomes related to mental health, academic performance, and graduation rates.
According to Tammie Kephart, a registered dietitian and co-chair of the Biology Department at Portage Learning, you should eat meals regularly and drink water to avoid those negative effects.
"Hunger and dehydration tend to be associated with worse moods, more tension, fatigue, irritability, and headaches," she explains. "That is going to impact how well you're going to be able to learn something."
Professor Kephart encourages students to incorporate the following foods into their diet, eating them as close to their natural form as possible:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Healthy fats
- Dairy
"You'll get fewer nutrients the more processed a food is," she notes. "The Mediterranean and DASH diets are great examples of what to follow because the focus is on those five basic food groups, and you don't have to have a lot of red meat, which is expensive."
Professor Kephart emphasizes you do not need to eat beef and pork to hit your nutritional goals. It can be done through cheaper types of protein, including:
- Beans
- Legumes
- Nuts
- Cheese
- Peanut butter
- Cottage cheese
How to Meal Prep
When beginning to meal prep, Professor Kephart recommends the following steps:
- Pick your recipes
Start by preparing one to three meals, such as your snacks and breakfast, then gradually expand. Choose simple recipes with whole foods that you will eat and ones that include ingredients already in your pantry and fridge. - Determine how many days you'll meal prep
At the start, make enough portions to last a few days rather than the entire week. Doing so allows you to discover recipes, techniques, and other meal prep preferences that work for you. - Choose your designated prep day
Decide which day of the week you can carve out the hours needed to batch cook everything. - Get to work
Self-explanatory. Bring your ingredients together to make memorable meals! - Store your meals properly – and enjoy
When you finish your meal prep, put the food into containers and separate ingredients. For example, if you make a salad, wait to add the dressing until the day you eat it.
Professor Kephart adds if you live in a dorm, with limited access to kitchen appliances such as a stove, you can still meal prep by selecting recipes that require little assembly including:
- Sandwiches
- Adult Lunchables
- Overnight oats
"It's all about asking what meals you like and what tools you have," she stresses. "By knowing those answers, you can make the best use of your time as well as your finances."
Easy (and Healthy) College Meal Prep Ideas
Ready to start meal prepping? Here's a list of recipes that will satisfy your taste buds and bank account.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
(Turn your understanding of nutrition from practical tips into scientific insight. Portage Learning's online, self-directed nutrition course offers an academically rigorous exploration of how food affects the body. Credits earned transfer to more than 2,800 institutions.)
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