‘Save more, Worry less’: eating on a budget in college

With college students navigating life on their own, do they make the grade when it comes to saving on groceries? In today’s, ‘Save more, worry less,’ nutritionists offer some affordable and healthy tips.

There’s a fresh taste of freedom for nearly three million freshmen living on their own for the very first time.

Gail Cresci is a registered dietician at Cleveland Clinic Childrens.

She said first-year students adapting to college life may struggle to maintain a healthy diet and the so-called “Freshman 15” can creep up.

“We find hidden calories in things like alcohol. Another area is with coffee. You may get some of those extra syrup flavorings, – the whipped cream that’s on those coffees. We see a lot of extra calories with fast food,” Cresci said.

The key to eating healthy is to start with an A-plus grocery list. Monti Carlo – a chef and TV personality says to load up on fruits. These fresh blueberries cost about $5 a pound, but for the same price, you can buy three times that amount frozen, adding them to oatmeal, yogurt or smoothies.

As for packaged produce, she says it’s a no-no.

“No, come on. You’re gonna pay like $5 for four little pieces of corn when you could buy this for 59 cents a pop, right? Just peel it, bro. It’s not that hard. And if you have a microwave, you have fabulous, fresh corn.”

Take note of hot deals on frozen meals – like a staple of college life – pizza! Stock up on a variety of store brand, frozen vegetables to use as pizza toppings.

“You don’t want to be dialing that pizza delivery company. One pepperoni pizza is $17 – you can get three for $10,” said Carlo.

Last, another popular snack – ramen noodles.

At $3 for six servings, Carlo partially cooks the noodles and divides them into mason jars with the veggies.

When you’re ready to eat, you add a little water, a little broth. You put it in the microwave, and you’re set.