The Student News Site of Simmons University

The Simmons Voice

The Student News Site of Simmons University

The Simmons Voice

The Student News Site of Simmons University

The Simmons Voice

Collegiate epicuriosity: Navigating a grocery store and diving into meal planning

By Chloe Davis
Contributing Writer

Food, health, and overall well-being are passions of mine which I strive to incorporate into my daily routine, and deliver helpful information and tips to those around me.

As we look into the way that our society is coming to revolve more and more around food – primarily those of convenience to the consumer – it is becoming increasingly important to find a balance between what tastes good, is fast and easy, and provides us with the fuel we need to sustain everyday activity.
Additionally, many of us students face yet another barrier in this “food-fight”: cost.

Tuition bills are not getting any cheaper, and as we near the hopes of financial independence far after college, we need to start learning ways to make the most of our weekly and monthly budgets so that we can stretch our wallets, and not our waistbands.

Throughout this academic year I will provide weekly recipes, dining out guides, FAQs, food trends, cooking, and nutrition tips. I am always interested in new foods, recipes from various cultures, and home-cooking tips of your own, so if you’d like to see your recipe, question, or tip here, please email me at chloe.davis@simmons.edu.

With the beginning of the school year, and with everyone back on campus we will talk about how to navigate the aisles of a grocery store and/or dining hall, what to look for to eat, and how to start to think about meals in different ways while being price conscious. It is important to remember as your lives and semesters get busier, the desire and energy it takes to think about “what’s for dinner?” lessens, but don’t let that reflect in your food!

Fruit:  Look for fruits that are in season or local for the best prices; if you cannot get the fresh fruits you want cheap enough, there are plenty of frozen options that will taste just as good and have multi-functionality! Just make sure to purchase the unsweetened packages, or canned fruits in natural juices only.

Meat and Legumes: If you eat meat and are shopping on a budget be careful when packages claim ‘family size.’ Label reading is key here to check the date of freshness as well as whether or not the meat contains chemical fillers or preservatives. If you see a label that is clear of those things, it may be smart to purchase the value-pack and freeze some portions to use at a later date. For those that do not eat meat, dried beans and other legumes are awesome sources of protein that are significantly cheaper and last much longer than meats do.

Dairy: Look for low-fat options in milk, yogurts, and cheeses. As the containers become smaller for on-the-go convenience their price increases, so purchase a bigger portion and buy some reusable (BPA free!) food storage containers to pack for lunch or a snack.

Vegetables: Same as fruit, look for in season produce first, and avoid pre-cut pre-packaged salad mixes. You can avoid both higher price and risk of food contamination. Frozen vegetables provide the same amount of vitamins and minerals with bigger packages, and sometimes are easier if you can purchase a 16oz bag of frozen, pre-chopped onions, you can save time and hassle later on.

Grains: When in the market for bread this is another time to read labels, you should be looking for whole-grain breads, but be careful of imposters! Some breads may be “whole-grain” or “whole-wheat,” but then contain large quantities of high fructose corn syrup, a sweetening agent that plagues many commercial products.

A note on food labels in general:  by no means should you need to spend hour upon hour or wrack your brain when it comes to looking at labels on foods, but use it as something to help you make decisions on what will be the best for your body.

To avoid cardiovascular complications, and other health issues later in life, look for and compare foods to see which are lower in fat, lower in cholesterol, and lower in sodium, but higher in fiber to sustain you with energy throughout the day.

It is also important to consider the amount of physical activity you are participating in throughout the day; if you are exerting yourself more, you will need to eat more proteins and carbohydrates  because you have to repair those muscles each day.

Spend some time at the beginning of each week to plan out your meals, set aside a few more minutes to cook and prepare them in ready to go containers to grab throughout your busy week ahead.

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