One of the problems of being a broke college student is that you don’t always eat as well as you should.  You end up putting tons of processed foods into your bodies.  I enjoy cooking, but not everyone has the luxury of a kitchen.  So what can you do to be healthy with out having to spend a lot of money and that doesn’t have to be cooked?

It’s easy. Some healthy options for breakfast are fruits: apples, oranges, and bananas.  Yogurt is always a good way to go; it’s quick, healthy and there’s a serving of calcium in the process. Whole-grain cereals are also healthy and easy go-to for breakfast, no matter if you live in a dorm or have a kitchen.  Craving a hot breakfast? Make instant oatmeal.  It is a good source of some of the grain servings that is needed for the day.  For the adventurous, it is possible to make scrambled eggs in a mug and cook them in the microwave.  Just crack the number of eggs that you would like, mix in a little salt and pepper and maybe some cheese if available.  To cook, place in the microwave for one minute on full power, stir your eggs when the timer goes off.  From there, cook in 30 second intervals until eggs are fully cooked.  Be careful not to overcook the eggs.

When you are ready for lunch there are other healthy things that you can do.  Go buy some baby spinach and shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes if you like and you have enough for about five days worth of salads (depending on how much is eaten per serving).  To be really healthy use a lighter dressing, instead of ranch use balsamic vinaigrette.  Packaged tuna is a good source of protein and makes for a quick, easy lunch.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches make for a good, filling lunch.  You get protein, fruit, and grain all in one go.  If you are not a fan of jelly make a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  Peanut butter and honey make a nice and different combination too.  Fruit or carrots would make a good replacement for chips as a side with a sandwich.  Sandwiches with meat and cheese and without a whole lot of high-calorie condiments (such as mayonnaise or mustard) and are a good choice for and easy lunch.  If your looking to spice up a salad or sandwich, add a little avocado. Remember all of these lunch things can be good for dinner also.

Dinners are a little bit more difficult, if you want a hot one.  If you have access to a kitchen, pasta with butter or olive oil, some salt and pepper, and cheese is a great healthy dinner.  Also pasta with pesto is another tasty choice and is easily fixed as well.  Rice with some spices mixed is another delicious meal option.  To the pasta or rice you can add a chicken breast.  Wal-Mart has frozen, bagged chicken breast that are relatively inexpensive.  If you live in a dorm and still want to eat healthy, instead of buying pizza rolls you can buy the vegetables in a bag that can be cooked in a microwave.  Grocery stores also carry canned, pre-cooked chicken (it is wear you find canned/bagged tuna) it is not super cheap but it is good.  Canned soup makes for an easy meal, is relatively inexpensive and can be cooked in a microwave.

Some healthy snacks to keep on hand are nuts – like almonds or peanuts.  Also string cheese is a nice and easy snack.  When you go to the store look at prices and compare brands.  Most of the time the store brand is cheaper and just as good as the name brand.  If you want to loose weight by eating healthy, remember portion control and to look for weight loss pills that adjust your diet.  Eat smaller amounts and don’t eat a lot of sweets. Some sweets every now and then are all right, but are not meant for as everyday consumption.  Sodas contain multitudes of sugar, thus cutting sodas out of your diet really helps too.  So instead of soda drink water, fruit juice, milk, or unsweetened tea.  If you want to spend a little bit more on fresh vegetables, cucumbers are always a good snack or can be mixed in with a salad.

Eating healthy doesn’t guarantee weight loss, but helps significantly.