Jason Voorhees
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- May 15, 2020
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I was a broke college student in my first year too and struggled to find affordable protein sources . My uni required us to pay for and eat at the mess but the food was often carb-heavy, bland and only moderately high in protein. To make up for this I ate out frequently which quickly drained my wallet. I know the struggle so here are some useful tips I learned along the way.
1. Cook at home with an induction stove β I used to borrow an induction stove from my roommate and prepare my own meals. Since I was already paying for the mess I would selectively take high-protein dishes and vegetables from there and cook additional meals to supplement them. My favorite struggle meals were scrambled eggs, paneer fry, canned Tuna sandwich, Red beans and rice
2. Avoid waste and only buy essentials Eat everything you cook and be mindful of what you purchase to avoid unnecessary expenses. Don't leave any wastes and only buy if there is something necessary
3. Buy seasonal produce It's more affordable and fresher. In winter, go for spinach, carrots, and cauliflower and in summer bottle guard etc are cheap. Also rice and grains are cheaper during harvest season
4. Stay away from pre-made food β Most of it is ultra-processed and best avoided but you can still keeps instant noodles packets in stock to just cook food when you don't feel like it.
5. Cut down on meat High-quality meat is expensive no way going around it. So you need to instead eat lentils and dairy into your diet for an affordable protein boost. Also better to buy the whole chicken instead of pre-cut pieces it's cheaper and you get bones for soup/stews. Canned meats are also cheap and can be bought for discount. Canned Tuna is my favorite.
6. Buy in bulk. You can buy ulses, grains, and spices in bulk from wholesale markets for very cheap after the harvest season and save a lot of money.
1. Cook at home with an induction stove β I used to borrow an induction stove from my roommate and prepare my own meals. Since I was already paying for the mess I would selectively take high-protein dishes and vegetables from there and cook additional meals to supplement them. My favorite struggle meals were scrambled eggs, paneer fry, canned Tuna sandwich, Red beans and rice
2. Avoid waste and only buy essentials Eat everything you cook and be mindful of what you purchase to avoid unnecessary expenses. Don't leave any wastes and only buy if there is something necessary
3. Buy seasonal produce It's more affordable and fresher. In winter, go for spinach, carrots, and cauliflower and in summer bottle guard etc are cheap. Also rice and grains are cheaper during harvest season
4. Stay away from pre-made food β Most of it is ultra-processed and best avoided but you can still keeps instant noodles packets in stock to just cook food when you don't feel like it.
5. Cut down on meat High-quality meat is expensive no way going around it. So you need to instead eat lentils and dairy into your diet for an affordable protein boost. Also better to buy the whole chicken instead of pre-cut pieces it's cheaper and you get bones for soup/stews. Canned meats are also cheap and can be bought for discount. Canned Tuna is my favorite.
6. Buy in bulk. You can buy ulses, grains, and spices in bulk from wholesale markets for very cheap after the harvest season and save a lot of money.
