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tuesday, february 19, 2013
the collegian
Cooking skills, limiting waste key to eating on budget
Kate Haddock It is common knowledge that most college students have less money than they would like. You can hear the phrase “I’m a poor college student” on campus almost every day. Being on a budget can be challenging, especially if you buy groceries and cook for yourself. I recently moved into an apartment myself and found out just how hard it is to shop on a budget and eat healthy foods at the same time. Many students who have encountered the same problem have asked themselves: Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget? It may be more difficult to shop within a small budget and to stay healthy than to load up on cheap, bad-for-you food, but it is definitely not impossible. “ere are studies that show that it can be done, but it takes some things that we also know are in short supply for college students,” said Sandy Procter, assistant professor and extension specialist in the department of
human nutrition. Procter explained that money is not the only thing in short supply, but that time is a restriction as well. Lack of time is what causes many students to waste money eating out. Knowledge is the best way to avoid wasting money while eating. “Just a few cooking skills can really help people better deal with a food budget,” Procter said. Procter suggested that students gain knowledge about food safety before cooking their own meals and learn how to use time-savers, like crockpots. Mary Meck Higgins, human nutrition specialist for K-State Research and Extension, also suggested that students learn basic cooking skills in order to eat healthy on a budget. She recommended buying staple foods, such as beans, lentils and whole oats. “if you’ve got a microwave, you can cook [oatmeal] in about 45 seconds,” Higgins said. Higgins said that one of the biggest problems with eating healthy on a budget is food waste. “If you waste your food, and you’re on a budget, that’s bad news,” Higgins said. “You want to use every morsel that you buy.” Sarah Falke, senior in food science and industry, said that she ran into this problem when shopping for groceries.
photo illustration by Marcella Brooks
To save money while still eating healthy, freeze foods before they spoil. Fresh fruits and vegetables can last months in the freezer without losing nutrients.
“I think I definitely don’t buy as many fruits and vegetables as I would like because I can’t use them before they go bad,” Falke said. An informational article from the USDA Nutrition Assistance Program also expressed the importance of minimizing food waste. e article suggests freezing foods right away to preserve freshness, and buying the
freshest food possible. Procter and Higgins agreed that there are many healthful foods that can and should be prioritized even when you are on a tight budget. “Milk and dairy products are a group that, as a whole, people aren’t getting enough of,” Higgins said. Both specialists mentioned that college students’ bones are still grow-
ing, so milk is a vital part of a healthy diet. ere are many strategies that students can employ to do their own shopping and stay healthy at the same time. Buying foods that are full of nutrients and come at a very cheap price, such as bananas, can help make your money go a long way. Eggs are very nutritious for their value as well, at between $2 and $3 per a dozen. Going back to the basics is also very helpful, as a bag of rice or pasta is much cheaper than its instant counterpart. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a “thrifty plan” for a weekly grocery bill for men between the ages of 19 and 50 costs $41.80, while women of the same age group spent an average of $37.20. Eating healthy on a budget may seem difficult, but it is in fact quite possible with the right knowledge and a bit of time for learning. You may have to cut back on foods that are supposed to be quick and easy or ease up on that fancy organic yogurt, but the extra money you will have is payback enough. With practice, you’ll get the hang of thrifty shopping and gain the satisfaction of being healthy at the same time. Kate Haddock is a sophomore in English. Please send comments to edge@kstatecollegian.com.
COST | Kuester: even with student debt, degree pays off after roughly 10 years Continued from page 1 the cost of college being inflated, too high ... some people think it’s not worth completing a college degree anymore,” Belley said. “I completely disagree with that. One thing these people tend to forget is when you compare the wages of people with a college degree versus the wages of people who are high school graduates,
it’s clear that getting a college degree is important.” Joel Smith, junior in agronomy, said that at one point he did not believe the benefits of a college degree outweighed those of the alternative. “I stopped going after the fall semester of my junior year because I was frustrated with some of the teachers and their teaching methods,” Smith said. “I got fed up and thought at
the time that there were other things I could do instead of ‘wasting’ my time in class.” Smith said he soon recognized that without a college education, he would not have as many opportunities in the job market. “I decided to come back to school because I thought it was the right thing to do,” he said. “I did realize that to be successful I would have to have a degree,
and it would increase my odds of having a successful career. If I wouldn’t have come back, I would have been stuck in the day-to-day grind of a job I didn’t enjoy.” Belley noted that although tuition costs have increased throughout the country, K-State is committed to helping students find a career that reflects the value of a college degree. “I think K-State puts a lot of
emphasis, at least more than other universities, on trying to place their students into jobs,” Belley said. “I think that’s one way K-State can help. I guess the other way would be to decrease tuition fees, but right now it’s been difficult given the state of the financial situation in Kansas.” Both Belley and Kuester agreed that the value of a college degree outweighs the fi-
nancial burdens. “College students are maybe taking on some debt while folks who don’t go to college would not be doing that,” Kuester said. “So it’s going to take some time to catch up. However, the data usually shows, over an average lifetime, someone in their mid30s catches up to the earnings of someone who didn’t go to college and earns that 70-percent wage premium.”
BRIEFS | Hugo Chavez returns to Venzuela after 10-week cancer treatment Continued from page 1 made history last summer in London as the first double-amputee to compete in the Olympics. e City Press newspaper in Johannesburg also reported that a blood-stained cricket bat was found at the scene. Steenkamp was found dead at Pistorius’ home last ursday morning, after neighbors alert-
stay
ed the police of the shooting. Some neighbors also reported “hearing things” at the home earlier that night, but did not elaborate on what exactly they heard. Local media reported that Pistorius had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder, but police investigating the case stressed that they were not the source of this information.
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E.U. foreign ministers decide against arming Syrian rebels According to the Washington Post, European governments decided Monday not to provide Syrian rebels with weapons, expressing fear that it would do nothing but cause more bloodshed in a conflict that has raged for over two years and claimed almost 70,000 lives. Great Britain had advocated
supplying the rebels with arms in their fight to oust President Bashar al-Assad, who has clung to power since demonstrations across the Middle Eastern nation demanded his resignation in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring. Rather than arm the rebels, European foreign ministers renewed sanctions against al-Assad’s regime for an additional
three months and amended the package to provide better assistance to civilians affected by the conflict. Chávez returns to Venezuela after long absence After leaving the country for 10 weeks to seek cancer treatment in Cuba, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has returned to his home country, according
to the New York Times. e President’s return, which was announced on his Twitter account Monday, sparked celebration among his supporters. His absence caused a period of uncertainty for the South American nation. While he was gone, the country was run by Vice President Nicólas Meduro and a number of other high-ranking officials.