HLife | Healthy Living Redefined

Dear HLife: I’m a college student at Sonoma State University California, I only get about $200 a month for food, and it is hard to budget and eat healthy. Do you have any suggestions for healthy eating on a small budget?

Dear HLifer: First of all, we want to congratulate you on your desire as a college student to take responsibility for your health and well-being. You’re way ahead of the pack already. Now, to the point. The best way to eat healthy on a budget is to cook. And this comes with a reward, which is the fun that you can have getting creative in the kitchen and really satisfying your taste buds because nobody can make what you like as well as you. Also, you will make a lot of friends by being the one guy who cooks both tasty and healthy food!

So, here are some suggestions to eat healthy on a budget:

• - It doesn’t get healthier than a plant-based diet. On a PBD, you have a variety of fruit and veggie options that are not very expensive. For example: Meals that pair up a big salad with a grain (brown rice) and a legume (beans, lentils) are great nutrition, and not very expensive at all. Let’s break that down: For $6, you can buy a 16 oz. container of organic baby spinach, pre-washed. Two of those will last you for a week of salads. A pound of brown rice is $1.99 and legumes will cost from $1.50 to $2.60 per pound. You can get a variety – from all the beans, lentils to chick peas - and a small amount when cooked will increase almost triple fold. So, a small amount of legumes and grains (brown  rice, millet, quinoa) will last you for a while, is much cheaper than meat, and will nourish you with all of the protein you need PLUS vitamins, minerals and a variety of phytonutrients. You can recycle leftover beans into breakfast (most Mexican people I know can’t fathom breakfast without beans!), a burrito on the go for lunch, or a nice dip to snack on with organic chips while studying.

• - Shop with the seasons. Fruits and vegetables that are in season are much cheaper. For example, berries are summer fruits and you can buy a container of strawberries for $3.99 right now – compared to twice that much off season.  Blueberries are $2.99 right now, and $6.99 off season.

• - A great thing is that you live in California, a place that provides the rest of the nation with the majority of the organic produce, and a state known for amazing Farmers Markets where you can get good local produce straight from the farmer, who will charge you a flat fee and you can usually negotiate with. Some, when you get to know them, hook you up with freebies. The Farmers Market is also known for free samples – you taste before you buy and by the time you’re done with every aisle, you’re pretty full!

• - California also has great CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) programs. This is a good way to get a variety of produce for a flat fee. You are also eating with the seasons, and supporting your local farmers, and caring for the planet by getting food that has a small carbon footprint. This is for your health and the health of the planet! Maryl and I both signed up to Farm Fresh To You, and we get a box of fruits, vegetables and herbs for about $30 a month – delivered right to our doors.

• - Start a community garden in your college. You, and other students interested, can plant vegetables, fruits, herbs and more, and eat what you grow.

• - Get together with a group of like-minded students/friends who are also into health, and do a weekly or monthly potluck. Each person can bring one dish, and there will be plenty of quantity and quality (variety), for everyone to get nourished. Be sure to specify the rules of the game: healthy food, meaning organic, local, plant-based and homemade. You can get plenty of ideas from the HKitchen.