Nutrition on a college budget

Many college students struggle to balance nutrition with tight budgets and busy schedules. Between limited time, money and overwhelming food options in dining halls and grocery stores, health often takes a back seat. 

Mary Kiernan, Nutrition and Food Studies professor at Syracuse University, emphasizes that the key lies in learning how to budget, cook and prioritize health, even when it isn’t easy.

Kiernan said many students lack basic knowledge, not only in nutrition but also in budgeting to create sustainable and fresh meal plans. Despite financial and lifestyle barriers she believes students can eat nutritiously by improving access, learning to cook and making disciplined and informed choices, values that are central to her philosophy.

Before students can make healthy choices, they must have access to affordable, nutritious food. Kiernan sees access as both a systemic and educational issue.

“How do you budget that money and what are your groceries going to cost? That’s not taught,” she said. Without that knowledge, students often rely on processed or convenience foods.

Roommates Molly Wells and Dylan Kujawski, both Syracuse University seniors, learned this firsthand.

“I don’t think college students don’t care about nutrition,” Wells said. “I just don’t think they think about eating at all.” 

Kiernan agrees that undergraduates often grab the easiest option because they don’t set aside time to plan, cook, or even eat.

Even with access to a grocery store, healthy shopping can be harder than expected. Food choices are often shaped by marketing and store layouts, not nutrition. 

“If you look at how a grocery store is laid out, all of the shelf-stable stuff is in the center,” Kiernan explained. “If you walk the perimeter, that’s where the fresh food is.”

Kiernan advises students to “eat the rainbow” and “if you’re ripping open a package, think twice.” 

The first step to eating better on a budget, she said, is learning to cook and to work with fresh ingredients. When shopping at warehouse stores like Costco, Kiernan reminds students to be realistic about how much they’ll actually eat, deals aren’t always cost-effective. 

For example, a two-for-one pack of strawberries isn’t a better buy than purchasing what you can eat before it goes bad. Kiernan advises students to think about why the grocery store has put that item on sale before making the purchase. 

Convenience often wins out for busy students. Wells said her best solution was subscribing to a meal plan service called Nutre which offers “five meals for 80 bucks.” While grocery delivery and meal kit services can be helpful, Kiernan cautions against high delivery fees and impulse spending.

Eating well, Kiernan said, takes both knowledge and discipline. Making and sticking to a grocery list is one of the simplest ways to stay on track. For Wells, that means buying cheap cuts of meat at Wegmans for lasting protein and driving to Trader Joe’s for affordable produce. Kujawski, who has food allergies, sticks to whole or naturally gluten-free foods. Both found that cutting out snacking and “grazing” helped their budgets and nutrition.

Kiernan believes discipline extends beyond the shopping list, “If you cook for yourself, you’re prioritizing your own health,” she said. 

Cooking, she adds, is also social and therapeutic, “Find a friend who’s not subject to the dining hall and cook together.”

Even in dining halls, mindfulness matters. Menus across campus tend to be similar, and Kiernan explained many freshmen quickly fall into routines, eating the same few items. She encourages students to stay curious.

“Those choices are still going to be there tomorrow,” she said. “Try something new.”

Kiernan’s advice is simple: fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, rotate options and practice moderation to keep meals balanced and interesting.

Eating well on a college budget isn’t impossible, but it’s about awareness, discipline and prioritizing health. Kiernan urges students to focus on whole foods, make a list and stick to it. 

“Make it a priority,” she said. “If you start now, it’s a habit that will stick with you for life.”