Lets be real – university life is expensive. Between textbooks, rent, social nights and the occasional cheeky takeaway, budgeting becomes an extreme sport. Add trying to eat healthy on top of that? You might feel like it’s impossible. But here’s the good news: you don’t have to sacrifice your health to stick to a student budget.
Why Nutrition Matters for Students
University life can be demanding – a whirlwind of lectures, deadlines, social events and part-time jobs. Amid all this, it’s easy to underestimate the importance of eating well. Research consistently shows that good nutrition is directly linked to academic performance, mental health and physical well-being – all of which are vital for student success.
Nutrition Supports:
Cognitive Performance: The brain consumes about 20% of the body’s energy, so it’s no surprise that what you eat affects how well you think (Gómez-Pinilla, 2008).
Mental Health: Eating high-quality food nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress (Selhub, 2022).
Energy and Physical Health: Students who regularly skip meals or rely heavily on takeaways often experience irregular energy levels, poor sleep, and a higher chance of illness (Pengpid and Peltzer, 2020).
Long days of lectures, commutes or part-time jobs demand physical stamina. Nutrient-rich foods help (NHS Health Scotland, 2023):
Stabilise blood sugar, reducing energy crashes.
Support immune health, reducing the risk of illness after freshers week!
Improve sleep quality, which is essential for memory consolidation
Perhaps most importantly, university is often the first time students take full control of their own diet. The habits you form now can last into adulthood, influencing your long-term health, risk of chronic disease and relationship with food.
Note: While this slightly exceeds the £20 goal by £2, you can bring it back under budget by:
Swapping Greek yoghurt for a cheaper plain yoghurt.
Buying smaller meat portions or skipping mince.
Dropping optional extras like peanut butter.
Sample 3 – Day Meal Plan
Here’s a realistic, easy-to-cook plan for students:
Day 1:
Breakfast: Overnight oats with banana and peanut butter.
Lunch: Boil pasta and mix with tinned chickpeas and tomatoes. Add garlic or mixed herbs.
Dinner: Pan-fry chicken thighs with oil, garlic and herbs, serve with rice and veg.
Picture Source: (PixaBay, 2016)
Day 2:
Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with chopped apple and cinnamon.
Lunch: Use leftover chicken and rice in a wrap or with bread.
Dinner: Beef mince stir-fry. Cook mince beef with frozen veg and soy sauce or paprika. Serve with rice or pasta.
Picture Source: (PixaBay, 2016b)
Day 3:
Breakfast: Peanut butter toast with banana.
Lunch: Veggie omelette with toast. Just 2 eggs + frozen veg = power lunch.
Dinner: Jacket potato with baked beans and cheese (optional).
Picture Source: (PixaBay, 2020)
Best Places to Shop for Students
Lidl or Aldi – Budget-friendly staples and meat.
Tesco Everyday Value / Asda Smart Price – Affordable store brands.
Local Markets – Cheap fruit and veg (especially near closing time).
Pound Shops / Home Bargains – Good for spices, kitchen tools or tinned goods.
Tip: Sign up to loyalty cards (e.g., Tesco Clubcard) for more deals and always bring your own carrier bags!
Save More with Meal Prep & Smart Swaps
Meal Prep Tips:
Plan Ahead: Know what you’re eating before you’re starving.
Batch Cook: Make dinner, save half for lunch the next day.
Freeze Leftovers: Works well with pasta, curry, soup and rice.
Picture Source: (Dreamdecko, 2025).
Ingredient Swaps:
Use lentils to bulk out mince.
No lentils? Use chickpeas or beans.
Alternate meat days with plant-based protein like eggs or beans.
Buy cheaper cuts like drumsticks or chicken thighs.
Cooking doesn’t need to be perfect – it just needs to work for you.
Bonus: Mindful Eating = Better Living
It’s not just about eating cheap – it’s about feeling better. Cooking your own meals:
Reduces stress
Helps you focus
Saves you money
Builds confidence
If you can prep a week’s worth of healthy food for £20 now, imagine what you can do with a full-time salary later.
Tip: Try pairing your meals with a short walk, water bottle refills, and decent sleep. Small Changes = Big Wins!
Student Voices
“Meal prepping saved me at least £15 a week compared to eating out! Now I find it easier to save money to spend on things I enjoy”
– Josh, 2nd Year Psychology Student
“I Stopped skipping meals once I knew I had food ready in the fridge. Meal prepping helped me become more organised and less stressed”
– Amelia, Final Year Nursing Student
“I used to skip breakfast to save time and money, but once I started prepping overnight oats, I noticed I had more energy for my 9am lectures”
– Cameron, Third Year Physio Student
Try this £20 Meal Plan This Week!
Want to see how far your food budget can stretch? Try this 3-day plan and tag your creations with #StudentFuelChallenge. Let’s normalise healthy eating on a student budget.
Question for the readers: What’s your go-to cheap and healthy meal at uni? Drop it in the comments below!
In this article we will be exploring what mental wellbeing is and ways that you can keep it healthy.
What is Mental wellbeing?
Mental wellbeing is our internal positive view that we are coping well psychologically with the everyday stresses of life and can work productively and fruitfully. Good mental health means we can realise and reach our full potential , feel safe and secure and thrive in everyday life. It is especially important to care for your mental wellbeing while in university.
Here are 10 ways that you can help manage your mental wellbeing:
Regular exercise
Yes! most of us hate the idea of exercise, but study have shown that it is one of the most beneficial ways to maintain a healthy mental state. Exercise is a powerful way to improve your mental welling for various reasons, it encourages all kinds of changes in the brain, including neural growth, reduced inflammation. new activity patterns can promote feelings of calmness and well-being. it also releases endorphins in your brain and can also count as a distraction from life stresses. Not sure where to start? click here to start your fitness journey.
2. Get enough sleep
Adequate sleep is crucial for emotional regulation and resilience. We spend approximately a third of our lives asleep, it is an essential and involuntary process which allows us to function correctly. getting roughly 8 hours of sleep each night is important, some benefits include:
get sick less often
stay at a healthy weight
lowers your risk of health problems
reduced stress and improved mood
clear thinking
3. connect with others
Meeting new people and connecting with friends is important, not only to maintain your social life but to also improve your mental wellbeing. Keeping in touch With others can help create feelings of belonging and being loved, cared for and valued. Being connected with others amazingly helps to protect agains serious illness and disease as people with stronger social bonds are more likely to live longer, healthier lives. Meeting new people is definitely easier said than done, introverted people who struggle with socialising with others may find this more challenging. If this is you then check out this video.
4. Practice mindfulness or meditation
Mindfulness allows us to pay attention to what is going on inside and outside ourselves. Sometimes we spend so much time focusing on everything around us that we forget to ground ourselves and look within. Meditation is a great way to improve wellbeing as it allows us to easily:
reduce stress
controls anxiety
supports emotional health
enhances self-awareness
lengthens attention span
reduces age-related memory loss
generates kindness
ease addiction
improve sleep
reduce pain
what’s even better about meditation is that unlike exercise, where you may need special equipment or large spaces, you can do meditation from the comfort of your bed.
5. Eat a healthy balanced diet
What you eat doesn’t just dictate how you look on the outside it also plays a significant role in how your mental health functions. Check out this article on how to establish a healthy diet, doing so will protect you among many noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. eating a variety of foods and consuming less sugars, salts and saturated fats are essential to step into a healthier diet.
6. Reduce alcohol and avoid drugs
Alcohol and drugs may be viewed as something that can help mental well being, when in fact they do the complete opposite. They can increase stress, anxiety and cause a myriad of health problems. Recreational drugs can even lead to long-term mental health problems such as depression and schizophrenia. Instead, consider some healthier options that will benefit you in the long run rather than harm you and learn about the harm here.
7. set realistic goals
Setting realistic goals is important because it helps to create a sense of purpose through structure and achievement. When you set goals that are achievable they build confidence and motivate you to achieve your best. If you set unrealistic goals they can lead to frustration, burnout and make you feel like you’ve failed. When setting goals for yourself use the SMART acronym to allow yourself to set realistic and achievable goals to improve your life.
8. Do things you enjoy
Participating in your favourite hobbies can be an amazing way to reconnect with yourself and greatly contributes to a better mood and overall wellbeing. Hobbies not only prevent feelings of stress, but they also provide an effective outlet in which to project anxiety and worries through mental and physical stimulation. Also, learning a new hobby can create a sense of accomplishment which therefore promotes feelings of confidence and increased self-esteem. let us know your favourite hobbies!
9. Keep a journal
Journaling is a powerful tool for managing stress, anxiety, and depression. By writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal can help you to process complex thoughts and feelings. As you journal you can notice any patterns or triggers which can lead to improved self-awareness and allow your to regulate your emotions better. Expressive writing helps to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression by allowing individuals to confront and make sense of their experiences.
10. Seeking professional help
If all else fails, being able to recognise when you need to seek professional help is crucial for mental wellbeing. Mental health professionals such as therapists an councillors are trained to help you navigate though these challenges. Early interventions can prevent issues from escalating and provide you with effective coping strategies. In the UK, organisations like Mind offer resources and helplines to assist those in need. There are also many other resources for help such as NHS services. It is important to remember that seeking help is a sign of strength.
Taking care of your mental wellbeing is an ongoing journey and may not be a one-time fix. Take some of the suggestions above and incorporate them into your daily life, experiment with which ones work for you and which don’t. Through your journey you will build resilience and improve your overall quality of life to result in a better you.
Let us know your thoughts below and let us know what worked for you!
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