Arizona State University students in downtown Phoenix tend to struggle with living on a budget and finding the balance between healthy eating and saving money.
Learning how to do this is not easy, but health and wellness coach SheriAnne Little from Next Level Endurance shared some tips on how to live a balanced life in the webinar “Back to Basics: Healthy Eating on A Budget” in mid-September over Facebook Live.
“You’re going to pay for your health one way or another,” Little said. “So why not pay for it on the front side by eating healthy and doing the things you can do to live a life full of vitality rather than paying for it on the backside with healthcare costs.”
Grocery stores, dining halls and restaurants are nutritional hubs to college students, but not all of them are attainable on a budget. Realistically, to stay within a budget and eat a balanced diet, Little recommended planning out meals and making a grocery list on your phone so students won’t buy foods on impulse.
“Moving into the dorms at the beginning of the school year, I had a $50 budget if I wanted to go get extra snacks or stuff at the grocery store. Little did I know I would be buying everything at the grocery store after a couple weeks in,” said Sophia Ippolito, a sophomore at the downtown campus.
The Taylor Place dining hall at ASU always has a variety of vegetables, carbs and proteins which together can make a healthy diet.
“I always try to have a balanced meal,” said Emily Bailey, a junior at the downtown campus, referring to the dining hall. She added she had more options when she went grocery shopping.
ASU dining halls get their food from vendor Aramark, saying it provides students with nutritious food options and high quality ingredients with every meal, according to Aramark’s health and wellness initiative.
“The quality of the food was very low and personally made me super sick,” Ippolito said. “It was kind of a bummer because we did spend about $1,000 on the meal plan each semester when that money could have been used for groceries.”
There are five different meal plans offered to on-campus students ranging from $1,185 to $2,905 per semester. Meal plans are required for all students living on campus and include Maroon and Gold dollars, which are declining balance dollars that can be used at any Sun Devil Dining location or participating restaurants.
Shopping in the grocery store for balanced meals can be expensive, especially when buying meat products. Little said her number one tip is to buy in bulk, especially with meat, because it’s easy to freeze and can last a super long time.
“If you don’t eat meat, it’s important to do your research to make sure you get a full amino acid profile in your diet,” said Little.
For students, buying in bulk is challenging when living on campus. They are allowed to have a small refrigerator and 700-watt microwave in their living spaces for their personal use. Since they only have a small freezer, it is hard to store large quantities of food, thus making it more difficult to budget for certain items like meat.
Students are encouraged to use the communal kitchen located on the first floor of Taylor Place to cook fresh foods that they buy at the grocery store.
“I used the kitchen once, it was disgusting honestly,” said Bailey. “The pot and pans were dirty and students didn’t clean like they were supposed to.”
ASU said that students are responsible for keeping the space clean and they will be held accountable if it is not left in good condition according to the health and safety expectations.
A healthy diet is attainable whether you live in the dorms or not but students must be willing to put in the work, Little said. “It’s not convenient, it does take time and it does take effort.”
Contact the reporter at soppfelt@asu.edu
