Marissa Rudley | Campus Dietitian
To cook or not to cook: Food for thought
Marissa Rudley | Campus Dietitian
You’ve made it through your first couple of weeks of the semester and finally feel like you have this semester figured out. You are totally prepared for the next four months. Or are you? One crucial task is still looming and it’s not going away any time soon. Cooking, grocery shopping, meal planning — these basic skills can set you up for success in college and beyond.
If you haven’t thought much about grocery shopping or cooking, now is the time to start. Whether you eat your meals in your apartment or on campus, every day is filled with hundreds of decisions of what and how much to eat.
In a 2008 Food Survey conducted by the Sustainability Center, University of Idaho students provided responses about their eating habits. Poor eating habits greatly or somewhat impacted 81 percent of students’ ability to eat a nutritionally balanced diet. Similarly, around 80 percent of students believed that the quality of their diet was greatly or somewhat impacted by not having enough time to cook. But let’s take a step back and look at the big picture. Over 94 percent of students believed the cost of food greatly or somewhat impacted the nutritional quality of their food. University of Idaho students are not alone.
Less cooking instruction in schools and at home has contributed to less confidence in the kitchen and fewer home cooked meals. For the cash-strapped college student, a tangible way to save money and create healthier eating habits is a grocery-shopping trip away.
Cooking is empowering. It allows you to customize food to fit your lifestyle, taste buds, and even budget. For the price of a single fast-food combo meal, home cooking allows you to make an entrée for four, such as chicken chili or a broccoli beef stir fry with rice.
At our university, 81 percent of students responded that they are somewhat or very interested in free cooking classes focused on healthy and affordable dishes. This fall semester ushers in another round of free monthly cooking classes just for University students.
In the 35 Vandalizing the Kitchen cooking classes I have instructed, the recipes have featured simple ingredients and basic cooking skills. These are not gourmet cooking classes with complex recipes that are difficult to pronounce. That is because cooking does not need to be complicated or require a culinary degree. Mastering basic techniques and using good quality ingredients are a home cook’s best tools.
The mission of Vandalizing the Kitchen is to make cooking accessible and affordable for every student. The first free cooking class this semester features One Pot Meals at 4-5 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Rec Classroom.
Marissa Rudley is the campus dietician. She can be reached at [email protected]
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In the spirit of preparing for a healthy semester of eating, here are five trusty foods that you won’t regret buying on your next grocery store trip:
Whole-Grain Carbs: Whole-wheat bread, whole-grain pasta, oats, brown rice, popcorn
Low-Cost Protein: Eggs, dried beans, lentils tofu, nuts, and peanut butter
Bulk Plain Yogurt: In a 32 ounce container, all you have to decide is Greek or Regular
Fruits: This time of year, the Moscow Farmer’s Market is bursting with ripe and inexpensive seasonal fruit. When the weather turns cold, frozen fruit can be a less expensive alternative to fresh
Vegetables: Shopping for seasonal vegetables is a great bang for your buck. That being said, kale, carrots