the college student nutrition thread

[bmf895]

Originally Posted by indesertum

i disagree. canned tomatoes are fine. most good stuff (san marzano dop) don't add sodium and even the ones with sodium added still have little sodium in it.

i honestly feel that if you're a college student and you're reasonably healthy you don't really have to worry about sodium levels. only if you're arteries are older and less plastic should you be worrying at all.

also i dont see what's wrong with canned beans. most people dont have time to soak them overnight and whatnot.

i have a few cans of tomatoes and some garbanzo beans. prolly will try what charly mentioned with the ground beef and make a chili

+1

The sodium content of canned veggies should not be the top concern for someone trying to lower their salt consumption. Restaurants are the villains when it comes to overly salted food. A chicken burrito from Chipotle, for instance, can easily top 2500mg of sodium. You would have to eat more than 7 cans of tomatoes (at 350mg sodium) to match the burrito's sodium levels. Plus, there are plenty of lower sodium canned vegetables to choose from.

 

[not_a_virus.exe]

Originally Posted by indesertum

you guys that are on IF, WD, or what have you

what do you guys eat? how much do you spend? what do you make on a daily basis?

I think I tend to eat dirty if I don't eat enough for a few days (not purposefully)

I went out and bought 6, 7 lbs of chicken breast, 3, 4 pounds of 95% ground beef, roma tomatoes, spring mix, cucumbers, broccoli, garlic, romaine lettuce, carrots, onion, celery, eggs, a loaf of whole grain baguette (sooo good),

and this http://www.dartagnan.com/51177/56582...-Herbette.html

as a splurge

total came to maybe $60.

diet will probably

12 to 1 pm light meat salad with a little egg and bacon
4 to 5 pm workout
5 to 6 pm heavy meal including bread and a little terrine
7 to 8 light salad

BCAAs and caseine shakes throughout the day. 2, 3 grams O3s

any ideas to switch things up but keep protein intake > 1 g/lb bodyweight

i generally eat chicken breast, butterflied, pounded, and either with a shallot, garlic, balsamic vinegar sauce, a dry curry rub and salad, or a soy based stir fry

i'm getting tired of this. also, it's hard to cook every day when I have school work and procrastination to do. i was thinking of either cutting everything up today so I just have to toss it in the pan and add sauce to make dinner or cooking the meat today and just reheat things that day.

what should i do with the ground beef? i was thinking hamburger patties, but any other easier cheaper recipes?

also, any ideas on how to reduce food costs?
i've already covered this in great depth in another thread, but basically, college student or not, a good diet is only 2 things (in the following order of importance):

1. control your calories - if your waistline is at unhealthy levels, you need to eat less calories
2. eat a variety of vegetables

everything else are non-issues. diet-related problems only arise if you get fat (thus why #1 is most important). for people who live in an industrialized society, almost all of our nutrients come from vegetables, and even then, we really don't need nearly as much as most people think. the inuit eskimos who don't eat any vegetables are a good example how nutritionally "low" you can go and still be healthy.

 

[mega ultraman]

all very helpful tips thanks guys...eating well in college is tough

 

[not_a_virus.exe]

Originally Posted by mega ultraman

all very helpful tips thanks guys...eating well in college is tough
no it's not. did you completely miss my post above? businesses and companies want you to think it's tough so you buy their foods, products, and services. just eat a variety of vegetables and watch your waistline (aim for a waistline that is roughly 45% or below of your height). if you're trying to build muscle too, aim for a rolling daily average of 70-120 grams of complete protein (which you're probably already getting on a typical north american diet). read these articles if you don't believe me: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08...ex.html?hpt=T2 http://discovermagazine.com/2004/oct/inuit-paradox

 

[Solarhaphaeriom]

Originally Posted by indesertum

also, any ideas on how to reduce food costs?

Old-fashioned oats.

 

[StephenHero]

I liked this one.

-Go to store and get rotisserie chicken. Eat it.

-Use carcass to make stock with onion, carrot, celery stalks, bay leaf, etc.

-Add complex carbs like brown rice, white beans, veggies, etc. and turn it into 5-6 meals worth of hearty stew. You can go with Tex Mex or Italian flavor profiles and it masks the blandness of the cheap carb sources.

 

[not_a_virus.exe]

if you have access to a microwave and oven, i recommend buying frozen vegetables and buy frozen chicken thighs in bulk. frozen vegetables are just as nutritious, if not more, than "fresh" vegetables and chicken thighs are a good compromise between white and dark meat. i never have to season my chicken thighs as they taste good as is, and i cook them in bulk and save the rest to microwave later. super low calories and fills you up and getting your veggies have never been easier.

don't think you have to buy starchy food like bread because vegetables have carbs in them too. starchy food is cheaper though but is also incredibly calorically dense (not a problem if you have good self-control).

 

[HgaleK]

I'm not actually sure how nutritious my diet is, but it's been working fairly well. I'm sure that sodium is a little high, but I sweat for 3 hours daily, so it's not a big issue for yt. It's satisfying, super freaking cheap (I spend 20 on groceries a week tops), and hasn't resulted in any unwanted weight loss or gain.

When I'm just feeding myself, my pantry tends to have canned black beans, canned tomatoes, canned spinach, canned crab, packet fish (salmon and tuna) and a few cans of mixed veggies, carrots, etc. I also keep carton beef and chicken broth, as well as dry split peas and beans, and a **** ton of corn tortillas. My fridge at the start of the week normally has a couple dozen eggs, a block of jack and cheddar, a large white onion, some cilantro, jalapenos, a half dozen limes, half a loaf of good bread, butter, and condiments. The freezer stores any stews (turkey veggie whoop!) and leftovers from making dinner for friends. Otherwise it's whey, casein, and creatine. I get at least 50 grams of protein from the supps and let the food take care of the rest of my dietary needs.

 

[not_a_virus.exe]

Originally Posted by HgaleK

I'm not actually sure how nutritious my diet is, but it's been working fairly well. I'm sure that sodium is a little high, but I sweat for 3 hours daily, so it's not a big issue for yt. It's satisfying, super freaking cheap (I spend 20 on groceries a week tops), and hasn't resulted in any unwanted weight loss or gain. When I'm just feeding myself, my pantry tends to have canned black beans, canned tomatoes, canned spinach, canned crab, packet fish (salmon and tuna) and a few cans of mixed veggies, carrots, etc. I also keep carton beef and chicken broth, as well as dry split peas and beans, and a **** ton of corn tortillas. My fridge at the start of the week normally has a couple dozen eggs, a block of jack and cheddar, a large white onion, some cilantro, jalapenos, a half dozen limes, half a loaf of good bread, butter, and condiments. The freezer stores any stews (turkey veggie whoop!) and leftovers from making dinner for friends. Otherwise it's whey, casein, and creatine. I get at least 50 grams of protein from the supps and let the food take care of the rest of my dietary needs.
you're stressing over minutia that don't matter. as long as you (1) eat a variety of food, particularly veggies, (2) aren't overweight (if your waistline is above 45% of your height, you need to lose fat), and (3) you're not a competing elite athlete, there's no need to worry about macronutrients, your sugar or sodium intake, trans fat, etc. the only number you need to track is your caloric intake, and if you're also lifting weights, your protein intake (try to get a rolling daily average of 70-120 grams).

 

[ds2465]

All about eating a strong breakfast, have usually 2 eggs with some oatmeal as well as 1-2 bananas. Wash it down with a glass of OJ.

 

[AlbertCamus]

Originally Posted by indesertum

i'm getting tired of this. also, it's hard to cook every day when I have school work and procrastination to do. i was thinking of either cutting everything up today so I just have to toss it in the pan and add sauce to make dinner or cooking the meat today and just reheat things that day. what should i do with the ground beef? i was thinking hamburger patties, but any other easier cheaper recipes? also, any ideas on how to reduce food costs?
It is important to consider the long term sustainability of your plan. When I started trying to eat healthy I would cook twice a day, but that didn't last long. Currently I am admittedly slacking but I get calories however I can. I eat raw oats ground fine mixed with milk (it's cheap and I can shotgun 500 calories in 10 seconds) in the mornings. Dinner often consists of buttered pasta, avocado, tomato, onion, and various cheeses, because I have found this to be personally sustainable and easy. I probably eat 2 whole roasted chickens a week (the post about rotisserie chickens was good but I personally find them to be disgusting, I have no idea how grocery stores manage this). Using leftovers to make stock is great; you can make soup/stews in fairly large batches, providing multiple easy meals. Tortilla soup, potato & leek, and butternut squash are some of my favorites that are relatively cheap. I haven't been able to find anything else to do with hamburger meat. But there are plenty of other meats, cheap ones even, that you should take a look at. Short ribs, pork butt, chicken livers (a vastly underpriced delicacy for those that enjoy them), anything can be braised at the very least. Of course you should limit red meat consumption, which is why fish is so excellent: it's delicious, easier to cook, and by far healthier than other animals. And finally, the best rule I have found for grocery shopping is to only buy things on the edges (raw meat, produce, dairy, nuts), with my only exception being grains. Canned beans and frozen vegetables can offer reasonable deviations but I have a hard time getting those types of things down. edit: I forgot, homemade granola is a pretty awesome portable snack, and varieties are infinite.

 

[janachen]

for breakfast: -chicken/hot dog and egg -rice -bread -coffee Lunch/dinner -anything as long as there's a rice I can't help myself not to eat many rice....dieting is not my line...urggg. indian restaurants singapore

 

[indesertum]

i just found a wholesale retailer nearby that's open to the public.

ground angus beef for $1/lb. going to make some chili

 

[MarcDominic]

Originally Posted by not_a_virus.exe

no it's not. did you completely miss my post above? businesses and companies want you to think it's tough so you buy their foods, products, and services. just eat a variety of vegetables and watch your waistline (aim for a waistline that is roughly 45% or below of your height). if you're trying to build muscle too, aim for a rolling daily average of 70-120 grams of complete protein (which you're probably already getting on a typical north american diet).

Gotta disagree with you here.
1) It is a little tougher to eat well in college. For example, my first 2 years, I had no car, no kitchen, and not much money to buy groceries if I could even physically get there. I had a meal plan. At the dining hall, there were good options, but I could only go once a day. Outside of that I had to rely on the stuff from the on campus convenience stores (where I could use my meal plan), which wasn't very good at all.

2) No way can you build any significant amount of muscle getting 70-120g of protein, unless you're small. Should be getting 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, give or take, depending on if you're a hardgainer or easygainer.


For people worried about sodium, it's not as big a deal as you make it out to be...unless you're overweight, have a heart condition, bad blood pressure, or are a bodybuilder getting ready for a competition.

OP, if you want to reduce costs, get the circulars from the grocery stores to see what's on sale. When, let's say chicken breast or tuna is on sale (which is often), stock up and store it. On-sale tuna, chicken breast, eggs, oats are probably the 4 best things for a health-conscious broke college kid. You should cook up a bunch of chicken breast at once and just have it in your fridge when you want a convenient snack, or open a can of tuna (go to a bodybuilding forum and they'll tell you a million and one ways to eat tuna). If you're actually going to make a real meal out of the chicken breast, there's a million different things you can do. Every so often, if you want to spend a little more, use some other meat. My favorites include: Boneless chicken thigh filets, ground lamb, lamp chops, skirt or flank steak, salmon, shrimp.

 

[not_a_virus.exe]

Originally Posted by MarcDominic

2) No way can you build any significant amount of muscle getting 70-120g of protein, unless you're small. Should be getting 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, give or take, depending on if you're a hardgainer or easygainer.
you sound pretty confident in this. proof?