Photo by Jack Bond | Opinion Editor

Jack Bond, opinion editor, as a senior English major from Marion

People tend to think of living healthy and living on a budget as a venn diagram with no overlap. “Fruits and vegetables are just too expensive!” they say. This is doubly true for us broke college students. 

But what if I told you that the overlap between the two lifestyles not only exists, but is probably bigger than you imagine? Yes, even for said broke students like myself.

The first, and most important keystone of this plan is beans. Beans are the perfect food. They’re easy to make, great for your heart and muscles and, most importantly, dirt cheap. One can of Great Value beans at Walmart is only 78 cents. They make great ingredients and meals by themselves.

However, due to the high sodium content of canned beans, it’s better to dig out that extra 40 cents for the organic version. The no-salt versions are also good and cost the same as regular, but not all beans have that option unfortunately.

But we can’t live off protein alone. We also have to have grains. Thankfully, most rice and noodles are also dirt cheap. A box of Zataran’s jambalaya rice, for instance, is only $2.52 and, when combined with other cheap ingredients, can last you for quite a few days.

The next step is to make sure you have your fruits and vegetables. Buying a bag of apples is an absolute must. They’re only about $3-5 per bag, and if you put them in the fridge, they last for 2-3 weeks as a quick and easy nutrient-rich snack.

But that’s not enough to cover all your vitamins, and most other produce is not that cheap. The solution? Frozen fruits and vegetables. A Great Value 48 oz. bag of frozen berries is $11.98, but will make enough smoothies for about a month or two. 

Their 12 oz. bags of steamable frozen vegetables are much cheaper at 98 cents per bag, and they make a great addition to a recipe for the week. Just throw them in with rice and beans and you’ve got a healthy meal to last the week.

The last food group to touch on is dairy. As a vegan myself, I find this food category requirement to be, for lack of a better word: B.S. The fact that over 68% of the world has lactose intolerance just proves this further.

If a majority of people literally can’t eat it, then why is it still a recommended food group by the FDA? Tangent aside, there are still quite a few health benefits to plant-based milks. They are also, however, the most expensive thing in this article.

While not necessary, I still highly recommend buying a healthy cereal and some plant-based milk for quick, easy and healthy meals. Most plant milks will range from $3-6 with most cereals in a similar range. 

Putting all this together, let’s look at a sample grocery list for the week. Objects that will last longer than a week are marked with (!). Prices are taken from the Walmart app:

• Silk Soy Milk – $3.86
• Kashi Cinnamon Harvest – $5.98
• (!) Bag of gala apples – $4.42
• 7 cans of organic Great Value chickpeas – $8.12
• Zataran’s Jambalaya Rice (Family Size) – $2.52
• (!) Great Value triple berry blend 48 oz. – $11.98
• Great Value steamable mixed vegetables 12 oz. – $0.98
• Nature’s own whole wheat bread – $3.34
• (!) Great Value strawberry preserves – $2.48
• (!) Great Value creamy peanut butter – $3.98

That’s a total of $47.66. Subtract the longer lasting items for most weeks and you have a total of only $24.80. That’s more than enough room for non-essentials like microwave dinners or a bit of junk food for cheat days. 

The hardest part, as with any healthy lifestyle, will be the discipline to not give in to greasy and sugary foods. Living healthy as a busy college student with a minimum wage job is no easy task, but it is easier than you think.

Categories: Opinion