Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's Cris service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:00:42] Speaker B: Again for brain matters, the official radio show of the UA Counseling center. We are broadcasting from the campus of the University of Alabama. Good evening. My name is Dr. BJ Gunther and I'm the host of the show along with my colleague and producer Catherine Howell. And in case you don't know, this show is about mental and physical health issues that affect college students and in particular UA students. So you can listen to us each Tuesday night at 06:00 p.m. On 90.7 FM, or you can listen online at wvuafm ua.edu. You can also download the MyTuner radio app and just type in WVUaFM 90.7. And I always make this announcement every week we're coming, kind of, I guess mid semester you would say. But I'm always asking for ideas for upcoming show topics. So if you have any ideas, please email those to me at brainmattersradio at wbuafm ua.edu. I'll try to remember to give this out periodically throughout the show. We probably have most of our shows confirmed, but I still have three or four topics that I need some help with. So if you're listening and you have an idea, don't hesitate to email those to brainmattersradio at wvuafm ua.edu. And of course, I'll consider using your idea for a show topic. Tonight's topic. We have had this topic before in the past, but considering this is our 11th spring of doing brain matters, it's been a long time and a long time ago that we did this topic, eating healthy on a budget. And I've had students who really struggle with this because they really can't afford. They're convinced that it does take a lot of money to eat healthy. They don't know what is healthy that they could eat and afford also. So with food prices rising and your grocery bill may be giving you sticker shock. Basically, you shouldn't toss your healthy eating goals just because your food's budget gets squeezed. And now is a great time to pick up or brush off some smart shopping and meal planning skills. And these skills can help save money while buying and preparing healthy food for yourself. So that's what we're going to try to talk about tonight. My guest is Rachel West. Rachel is a registered dietitian, and she's with the top meal planning app emails. So if any of you are listening and have tried to or have downloaded emails, then you probably are familiar with some of Rachel's work and advice. Hi, Rachel. Thanks for being on the show.
[00:03:17] Speaker C: Thanks for having me.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Tell the listeners a little bit more about know your credentials and why you're interested in this topic.
[00:03:27] Speaker C: Right. So I'm a registered dietitian. I've always been fascinated with food and nutrition in general, and I have worked at emails for about five years now. I focus on a lot of the health focused stuff, obviously, but I also handle the budget friendly plan. So I do look at grocery prices pretty much every single day. I've seen the same sort of increases that you all have and certainly the fluctuations for the various issues, production issues or bird flu or whatever it is that's affecting those grocery prices and giving us all sticker shock. So I've seen it, too. And so my goal really at emails is to think about that every single day for our subscribers because it is an issue for college students. Certainly. I know that's certainly an issue for them. So in general, I've always loved food. It's such an important part of our lives, emotionally and physically and culturally. And I'm just really fascinated by food cultures and what different people use to celebrate events or prepare for everyday meals.
I'm also really interested in how foods can harm and how they can heal. And I think unless you're dealing with maybe a health condition or you're really focused on some diet, know, you may not think about that every day, but food is a very powerful thing for good and for bad sometimes.
[00:04:50] Speaker B: Yes, I've talked before on the show about diet, exercise, et cetera, but how important it, and I think we did a show, Catherine, I don't know if you remember. I think we did a show about food and mood, how diet affects your mood.
[00:05:07] Speaker C: Right.
[00:05:08] Speaker B: It's real. And I think you have the power to control that sometimes. If it's mild to moderate, if your mood is low and it's mild to moderate.
I was just jotting down some notes about what you said. Did you say there is a budget friendly portion of the app?
[00:05:26] Speaker C: Yeah. So one of our plans is just called the budget friendly plan. And I develop recipes for that plan every week and really try to stay focused, know, keeping those meals to an affordable level.
[00:05:38] Speaker B: I think that's what everybody's looking for.
Do you find that? We're here in Alabama, and Tuscaloosa is where the University of Alabama is where I am right now. It's a town of about, I don't know what our population is. Maybe a little over 100,000, maybe not even that much. And we're limited, honestly, on some of our options. Now, in the summer, it's different because we have lots more fruit and vegetables, I think, like everybody across the country does. And so we have farmers markets that you can find that sort of, you know, we don't have a whole foods here. We don't have a, excuse me. We have Aldi's and we have, you know, publix, of course, and other grocery stores. But how different are the prices across the country from region to region?
[00:06:33] Speaker C: It certainly depends on if it's a big city versus a smaller.
Going to. The larger cities are going to have higher prices and just regional differences. Shipping Vidalia onions up to New Jersey is going to make them more expensive than they are here in the mean, depending on what's coming from, where it's going to have an effect. The southeast in, we generally, unless you're in a large city, you're going to know average prices in terms of the United states. So it is possible. But one thing that I'll tell you about when I'm researching budget friendly stuff is I really look at Walmart, because Walmart is something that is available to the vast majority of Americans. That's sometimes all the people have in their town. So that's really where I look when I'm creating these plans.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: I'm curious, can you or do you, when you're making these meal plans for the budget friendly option on the app, do you suggest where people can find these certain foods that you're recommending, or does it really matter?
[00:07:39] Speaker C: Well, the app works by, you can pick what grocery store you're going to be shopping at.
[00:07:43] Speaker B: Okay?
[00:07:44] Speaker C: So that way it's curated for you.
So I don't really ever recommend a store, but I tend to look at Walmart just because it is available to so many people.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: How does healthy eating affect mental health? I mean, I think I know a little bit, but for the listeners, how does healthy eating impact it? Mental health?
[00:08:06] Speaker C: I think when anytime any of us have a big, rich, heavy meal or maybe just overindulge or drink too much or whatever it is, you just don't feel good. Like, physically, you don't feel good. And when you don't feel good, your mental health isn't great. Emotionally, you're not great. You're just kind of down. But what's actually happening in there is if you're eating those good for you foods, you're getting all the vitamins and the minerals and the fiber and the healthy fats and all of those things that are going to make your organs internally function as they should. And that includes your brain and all of the things associated with that. So if you're eating those healthy foods, it's going to reduce inflammation, which is a whole systemic thing that you.
Yes, that's the whole of their podcast. But healthy food also can. There's numerous studies that have found that it can alter the neurotransmitters, that can help reduce symptoms of depression and just improve mental health in general. And we see that when we eat healthy food, we just feel better. And you can just physically feel that emotionally and mentally can benefit as well.
[00:09:10] Speaker B: It's so true. I mean, I love mexican food. It's probably my favorite. I'm serious. But I cannot go to a mexican restaurant at lunch because if I come back because of the high carbs in it, I just can't function. And I even noticed it. I think we went Friday night to eat, and I love it, but I feel horrible afterwards so much. So I thought, am I having some kind of food allergy? Because I feel weighed down.
[00:09:40] Speaker C: Right, exactly. So, I mean, all of that stuff that's happening internally that you're like, oh, you're sluggish. Your body's sluggish, too. Yeah.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: I don't know if it's worth it, maybe sometimes.
Why is eating on a budget so difficult? Why is eating healthy so difficult?
[00:10:03] Speaker C: I think the rising cost of everything doesn't help, but I often think that we have a very specific idea in mind of what healthy eating looks like. I think people have in mind that it's a salad with 20 different ingredients, or it's a piece of salmon, or it's kombucha or something like that. And healthy food can exist all over the grocery store. You can find budget options all over the grocery store that may not look like that Instagram picture or that picture you saw on Pinterest, but is actually healthy for you.
And I think that people just have to kind of think outside the box in terms of what they're thinking of as healthy. There's a lot of other strategies just for shopping that you can make a healthy meal with budget ingredients?
[00:10:53] Speaker B: I was going to say, yeah, because you think juice is healthy.
You think orange juice, that's healthy. You hear that? But it's so full of sugar, and we're starting to learn all this other stuff about sugar and how dangerous it is and how it causes inflammation. And like I said, that's a whole nother podcast. But does the app help with that? Kind of pinpoint what's healthy and what isn't healthy? And I know that sounds like a stupid question, because we just were talking about that, but do you know what I mean? I didn't ask that. I don't know how to ask that.
[00:11:28] Speaker C: Right.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: Kind of pinpoint, like, just because you think orange juice or just because you've grown up drinking orange juice, is that necessarily healthy for you?
[00:11:38] Speaker C: I think it depends. Of course, it's the amounts. It's the amount that you're consuming in one go. But within the app, all of our recipes in the app have nutrition analysis, so you can kind of see if you are watching your carbs.
And some of them are not, like, probably within healthy parameters, our more traditional know. So you can look at specific things that you want to focus on there. But then we also have health focus plans. So if you're gluten free, if you're paleo, if you're low calorie.
And we have a diabetic plan that meets the American Diabetes Association, a heart healthy plan, so you can kind of tailor it to whatever your nutrition needs are, your health goals. But we always give that information in there so people can really know, even if they choose that traditional meal, at least they know what's in there and what they're getting.
[00:12:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's hard when you really limit people's choices. That's a recipe for exactly. You know, Catherine and I have had students who complain that the food that's served in the sororities and the fraternities, for instance, are mostly fried foods and that the healthy options are not there. What would you say to those students?
[00:12:59] Speaker C: That's a tough thing.
[00:13:00] Speaker B: It is, because.
[00:13:05] Speaker C: You don't want to eat fried food every day. If you're trying to be healthy, sometimes it's fine, but otherwise, you want to do I need to do anything?
[00:13:17] Speaker B: What happens?
[00:13:18] Speaker C: Okay, sorry.
[00:13:18] Speaker B: You're good.
[00:13:22] Speaker C: But I think part of it. I know I've heard some people who are part of sorority houses or fraternities talking to their cooks and even trying to make changes. So at least maybe they still have their fried food, but they have also healthy options. It could be talking to dining services. Is there a way to add something healthy to this menu, at least for one thing that we can have?
It is a big climb because I know they're trying to appeal to a wide variety of people who may not be health conscious or health focused at the moment. They're just having a quick, easy meal that they're going to enjoy. So I think it starts with just talking to the people in charge and voicing what you want to see there, because they want to serve their customers well.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: Yeah, here we are in the deep south. Everything's fried. We know that we've got lots of kids coming from different parts of the country, too, who are not used to eating fried foods at every meal. And they are very health conscious. And I think that's helping the culture of our campus, too, to be able to talk to the food service on this campus. And I've not really heard any students say that they've done that, but I would encourage them to do that because you're right. I think they want to hear what students want, what would make them happy, what would make them healthy. Not only happy, but healthy, too. So I encourage students to reach out and not necessarily complain, but make some recommendations about what they'd like to see on the menu.
[00:15:00] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:15:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Let's take our first break, and when we come back, let's take an email question, if you're okay with that. Okay, you're listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone Tuscaloosa.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling, and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA counseling Center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your near emergency room.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: To brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone. I'm Dr. B. J. Gunther, and we're talking tonight about eating healthy on a budget. And it is possible. You just have to take some steps and make some plans, and we're going to talk a little more about that with Rachel. Rachel west is my guest. She's a registered dietitian and she's been working for, I guess, the past five years, you said, for emails, which is an app, that you can actually find a budget friendly option on that app. If you're listening and don't know where to start. How important Rachel is. Meal planning.
[00:16:40] Speaker C: Planning really is everything.
Having a plan is the quickest way to stay on your budget and to eat healthier.
It's just like studying.
You do better when you have a plan and you start working on it early and you don't wait until the last minute to cream it all in. Because if you do that with meal planning and you wait until you're hungry, you're heading home from school a long day, and you don't know what's for dinner, then you're going to make not great decisions just because you're hungry. Your blood sugar is low. You're just hungry. So if you have ingredients at home and you have a plan, even a loose plan for what you had intended to do with them, and you've already paid for them, then you don't have to make the decision. The decision is already made. And I think a lot of times bad choices come from just decision fatigue and you're hungry and you just are ready to get that choice made. So planning, if you have the plan, you can save money. You know what's going to be in your grocery cart. You know what meals you can make with those ingredients, and you can do it at a time when you're not hungry. You can plan and get your list together and then you've got it ready to go for the week.
[00:17:52] Speaker B: That's right. Okay, I'm going to put you on the spot for a minute.
Besides fruit, what would be your top snacks for students, besides fruit?
[00:18:07] Speaker C: I think popcorn is a great one. Popcorn, whole grain. What is also great about popcorn? One of my friends told me this. I think in college, you know, when you get snacky mouth, you just want to eat.
[00:18:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Kind of bored almost, right?
[00:18:23] Speaker C: But you just kind of want to go through the motion of eating. Popcorn is a great one for that because it's not a lot of calories if you don't get the ones kind of loaded with butter.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: And it kind of takes a long time to eat, if you think about it.
[00:18:34] Speaker C: Exactly. So it's a little salty, it's crunchy, it satisfies a lot of the things that we're kind of craving.
I would also say yogurt is great.
[00:18:44] Speaker B: Oh, really?
[00:18:44] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:18:45] Speaker B: Plain yogurt, greek yogurt. What about the yogurt? I like the yogurt that has the mix ins, but I don't know how healthy that is.
[00:18:53] Speaker C: I think it's whatever you're going to eat that will get you to eat yogurt so you can look at some that don't have a lot of added sugars. It's really the added sugars that are going to be problem. But if there's a flavored one that you like and that will get you to eat yogurt, that's great. I think also you can add in the premixed ones in there, too. But if you have nuts or something in there that you can add in for some texture variation to get you that kind of sweet and salty and crunchy thing going on, I think it's a lot about satisfying that and getting some protein and just flavor in there.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: What about nuts in general? Are they pretty healthy? Is that a healthy snack?
[00:19:32] Speaker C: Great. Nuts are great for you. It's really about the amount.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:19:38] Speaker C: It's really kind of controlling that. So what I would always do is you can either get the prepackaged ones or package them yourself. And that way you have a finite amount and you don't overdo it. And if you let kind of settle in, they will fill you up. I mean, it just takes a minute to kind of register that.
[00:19:56] Speaker B: Is it true you as a dietitian, you'll know this. Is it true that some people, because my husband eats fast and he says that. He says it's a problem, and I told him you need to slow down. You need to slow down. Is it true that your stomach doesn't catch up with your brain and that's why some people really overeat?
[00:20:14] Speaker C: It can be. Certainly it does take a minute. I mean, if you think about it and you eat a meal, it's like ten minutes later, you're like, oh, I'm really full.
It just hasn't caught up yet. So eating slowly can help with that. For the Fast eaters, it's just kind of like you have to learn to regulate how much you normally do it.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: I don't know if you have a dog, but I do.
She's tiny. But I've seen those mats, you know what I'm talking about? The mats that you give to dogs and put their food on it and kind of squish it down in there and it slows them down. I don't know what they're called, but it slows them down so they don't eat so fast. It's like that for my husband.
[00:20:53] Speaker C: I should do that for my dog, too.
[00:20:55] Speaker B: Well, here's some email questions, and I think we've already answered this first one. Why is healthy food so expensive? Maybe not.
[00:21:05] Speaker C: I think it depends on what you're defining as healthy.
[00:21:10] Speaker B: Popcorn is cheap. You just mentioned popcorn. Peanut butter nuts are not. They're pretty expensive when you buy the whole can.
[00:21:18] Speaker C: Right. But if you portion them out, it's a great. You can make a 16 ounce jar of peanuts last a pretty long time.
But I think it's really kind of in what we are identifying as healthy.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:21:34] Speaker C: It's not always a salad with 20 ingredients. It's not always having salmon in every meal.
But if you are buying salmon for every meal, yes, it is going to get very expensive. You're getting kombucha every day. Yes, that's going to be very expensive. So I think it's redefining what healthy actually looks like. It's not always beautiful, Instagram worthy pictures.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: Are there any frozen meals that are for convenience and are healthy?
[00:22:01] Speaker C: I think in terms of frozen meals, the big kicker there is going to be sodium and a lot of the meals, I think it's good because you do have a meal. It's a portion control meal. But I find a lot of the meals, either they're over the top or they're too small.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: Too small? Yes.
[00:22:19] Speaker C: You just aren't satisfied with what you've got. So if that's going to help you get a meal in, that can be great.
But you may need to supplement whatever's in that meal with something else.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: Yeah, I've had friends who, they start out with the frozen meal, but then they add more vegetables. Might add onions or peppers, just more vegetables because you just need more bulk, to be honest. Like you said.
[00:22:45] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:22:46] Speaker B: This is another email question. Is organic food better and healthier than non organic food?
[00:22:53] Speaker C: So nutritionally, in terms of the vitamins and minerals and all of that in there, no, it's really in terms of, if you are concerned about pesticides and ingesting those sort of chemicals, that is when you need to look at organic. Now, organic is more expensive because it is more involved in terms of farming and maintaining the land.
But there's also a list called the dirty dozen list that you can look at that are kind of the top twelve fruits and vegetables that are the most heavy. So if you're really concerned, look at those, maybe prioritize those, but in general, in terms of nutrition, they're the same. It's really about to get the most nutritional bang for your buck. You're going to want to buy locally grown vegetables. If you can do that, like at the farmers markets in the summer, those vitamins and minerals, they're going to be better for you. They're just probably cheaper. Cheaper and a higher concentration of all those good for you things.
[00:23:58] Speaker B: What about.
This is an interesting email question. How can a dietitian help with weight loss? Just kind of off the subject a little bit, but I'm taking email questions.
[00:24:09] Speaker C: Sure. Well, I think a dietitian, if you're really interested in kind of figuring out your diet, having a dietitian on your team can help you figure out what works for you. Food and eating is so personal.
What you enjoy eating, how it reacts in your body.
Everyone metabolizes things in their own way. So having your personalized plan with a dietitian, they can help you figure out what's going to work to help you lose weight to maintain the weight loss, and also how to cook food that you actually want to eat to maintain that weight loss.
[00:24:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I've had students and I've talked to them about a referral to a nutritionist or a dietitian just to kind of validate what they're already thinking. It kind of like gives you confirmation that it's okay to eat 1200 calories because they don't have an eating disorder, but they're just worried about consuming too many calories. And if you meet with a dietitian, you can get a plan made for yourself that you don't feel guilty.
[00:25:15] Speaker C: Right? It's customized to you.
You might not feel guilty about eating 2000 calories. Whatever your body needs, that's what a dietitian can help you with. And another cool thing that dietitians do now, too, a lot of times is do grocery store tours, like go to the grocery store with you to help you find ingredients that fit your budget.
[00:25:33] Speaker B: That's a good idea. Yeah.
[00:25:34] Speaker C: And that way they can really customize it and so you can do it the next time without needing them. And know what?
[00:25:42] Speaker B: Practice. Yeah, we need practice.
I have some students who subscribe to these subscription meal subscriptions, like hello, fresh and blue apron, and there's tons of more hungry root. I can name a bunch.
And they think they're going to eat healthier. And a lot of times they end up throwing the food away. I mean, it's expensive. And I was shocked because I looked into it myself and I was really surprised. I thought I was going to sign up and get like a meal for every time I eat like three meals a day. But it's really not like that. It's more like two or three meals a week. Three meals a week. What do you think about those services?
[00:26:29] Speaker C: I work for a competitor of those services, so take this with a grain of salt. But I will say that food and taste is just so personal.
And sometimes meal kits may not include the flavors you enjoy, or they can take longer to prepare than you kind of anticipated.
And you already have all the ingredients in the meal kit. They're right there for you. So it can be a big time investment for something that you may or may not like.
And cost, too, is a consideration.
Is it worth it on a permeable basis for the time and the money that you're investing? I think that's just something to look at. They could be a great solution for you or not. So I think it's just a matter of kind of really looking at the ingredients that are included and if they align with what you're actually interested in eating.
[00:27:17] Speaker B: Yeah. And a lot of our students are on the meal plan here on campus because it is so convenient. And a lot of times they can go off campus and use their card off campus at a lot of the restaurants off campus. But that's tricky, too, trying to figure out what's going to be healthy at a place that only sells chicken fingers.
It probably is not a good idea to go there if you're health conscious.
Are there any healthy foods you should splurge on or budget friendly foods that seem healthy but are not?
[00:27:56] Speaker C: This is a tough one because I think one thing that is good for healthy foods, if there's a sauce that's a premade sauce, that might be a little bit more expensive, I'm thinking specifically of like an asian sauce that has a lot of ingredients that are in it, that can be a great thing to purchase because it can amp up the flavor of a ton of different things, proteins or vegetables. And if that kind of more expensive sauce is going to make you eat chicken breast instead of getting chicken fingers, or if it's going to help you make your vegetables taste amazing, I think it can be worth the higher price tag initially at the grocery store just because making that homemade might not even be as cost effective. And just the time investment in doing that, you can save time by spending maybe just a tiny bit more time.
[00:28:51] Speaker B: Well, you can make it in bulk, too.
[00:28:54] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:28:55] Speaker B: Over and over again on different vegetables, like you said, or chicken or meat. You can use it on different things. Yeah, right.
[00:29:03] Speaker C: But if there's a convenience product like that that is more expensive, but it's going to just serve you in so many different ways, whether it's time or just making food taste better, I think that's a worthwhile investment.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: You mentioned taste and convenience. Taste cost convenience, nutritional value. Which of these values do you believe college students put the most emphasis on? Do you think it's cost?
[00:29:28] Speaker C: I think it's got to be a tie between cost and convenience.
[00:29:32] Speaker B: I do, too.
[00:29:33] Speaker C: Those are the two biggies in college.
[00:29:39] Speaker B: You would think taste, but I have some guys that I don't think. They don't care.
They don't care that know, I don't know about you, Catherine, but they just don't care that much about taste. They just want to feel full and hurry up and eat so they can get back to doing whatever else they were doing.
[00:29:56] Speaker C: Right.
[00:29:56] Speaker B: And the cost, for some students, it's pretty important. That's why I'm doing the show.
Let's take another break, and then when we come back, let's take a few more email questions and pick up where we left off. You're listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone WVUA FM, Tuscaloosa.
[00:30:27] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling, and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
[00:31:07] Speaker B: Matters on 90.7 the Capstone I'm BJ Gunther. We're talking tonight about eating healthy on a budget, which can sometimes be difficult to do, especially now that food prices have really increased.
And my guest is registered dietitian Rachel west. And Rachel is.
She's worked at the emails app. Food app. What would you actually call it? Is it a food app? It has more on it than just that. It's a meal.
[00:31:34] Speaker C: It's a meal planning app.
[00:31:36] Speaker B: Yeah. And there are a lot of different ways to utilize this app. It sounds like. It sounds wonderful, Rachel. And hopefully some people who are listening will try to check it out to give them more ideas of what to eat and how to cut their cost a little bit. Like, what would be the number one thing you would say to do to cut cost immediately if you wanted to start this week? What would be. Again, I put you on the spot.
[00:32:04] Speaker C: That's okay.
I think the biggest one is going to be meat. Meat.
[00:32:09] Speaker B: Really?
[00:32:12] Speaker C: Well, meat. And probably if you're a soda drinker, soda is going to be a huge thing. It's expensive, it's gotten a lot more expensive recently, too. And depending on how much you're drinking each day, that can add up so quick. But in terms of just a meal like dinner, meat is going to be. It is one of the most highest price items on your plate.
[00:32:33] Speaker B: You're talking about ground beef, steaks.
[00:32:38] Speaker C: Dish, all of it.
It's one of the most expensive things. So I think if you can either switch over to meatless meals more often, maybe a couple of times a week, or even starting with incorporating one meatless meal a week, that can start helping. I think it's also important. Maybe if you still really want to have meat at every meal, just decrease the amount that you're using.
And if meals the center of your plate, if you're having a steak as the center of your plate, that might not work so well. So I think it's kind of transitioning what you're preparing, doing mixtures of things. So stir fries, skillet meals, pizzas, tacos, things that where meat can almost be a side dish or just part of the mixture, and you can fill in with vegetables or rice or whole grains to bulk it up. And it's still got that flavor in there, but it's not quite as much.
[00:33:34] Speaker B: You're so right. Rice is like my favorite ingredient to add to anything. Just about anything. In fact, I had it at lunch. I had made some leftover soup, and I didn't have enough soup to make a whole bowl. This is TMI for all you listeners out there. And I added rice. It was rice and quinoa with it, and it was delicious. And I say it sticks to my ribs, so it sticks to my ribs. What do you think about the number one cheap food for college students you hear about is ramen noodles or Mac and cheese.
[00:34:10] Speaker C: Those are tough.
[00:34:11] Speaker B: They are carb, carb, carb, isn't it?
[00:34:14] Speaker C: They are. It is.
[00:34:17] Speaker B: But they're cheap.
[00:34:19] Speaker C: They're so cheap and they're just convenient. So I think if you're looking for an alternative to those college classics, they have so many different, and I'll say rice and whole grain products now that are in those microwavable cups.
[00:34:34] Speaker B: They sure do. And they're delicious.
[00:34:36] Speaker C: Those are great if you wanted to have that and then add in other ingredients, vegetables or a sauce or something. So it's not really refined processed carbohydrates that you're eating.
That can be a small tweak that you can make that if you're picking a whole grain, like a brown rice or a whole grain quinoa in those little cups. That can be a great substitute.
[00:35:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I just think it's just too easy to walk in and get Mac and cheese and just leave the grocery store. As a therapist, and we may have already talked about this a little bit, but as a therapist who's worked with college students and for extended period of times, a lot of times, I usually consider one complete meal a day like a win because some of these students, they're lucky to get a complete meal a day. They're just eating bits and pieces of meals. But I wouldn't call it a whole healthy meal by any means. I mean, how can students get the most nutrition at a low cost if they only really can afford, I don't know, a meal a day? I guess.
[00:35:48] Speaker C: I think in that case, if it's just you're having the one meal, you're supplementing basically with snacks, then you really do have to focus on the snacks that you're getting. I mean, the meal too, but certainly snacks. And the thing about that is you have to think about they're going to be filling, you're not going to be starving. So you can focus in class or focus at your job or whatever it is. So things like we talked about, the yogurt and the nuts and nut butter is such a great one. It is a very dense food. You don't have to eat a ton of it to feel full, but that can be a great thing just to.
[00:36:20] Speaker B: Have for protein, too. Right?
[00:36:23] Speaker C: Right. Protein. It's going to have healthy fat.
[00:36:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:26] Speaker C: Right. And that way it kind of, again, sticks to your ribs as an option.
A jar of peanut butter, a big one. It's not too bad for how much you get, but it can really hold you over for those. If you're having a snack for most of your.
[00:36:41] Speaker B: Talking about almond Butter, too.
[00:36:43] Speaker C: Sure. But the only thing is almond butter is great, but it's also a lot more expensive than peanut butter.
Yes, I think peanut butter. I'm assuming you don't have a peanut allergy. It is a great, pretty inexpensive option.
[00:36:59] Speaker B: A lot of our students who live on campus, I don't know how to ask this. They don't have full kitchens in their dorm rooms.
So how hard is that? Most of the time? Gosh, it's been so long since I've been in a dorm room. Help me, Catherine. I think they have microwaves.
[00:37:23] Speaker C: Right.
[00:37:24] Speaker B: Maybe stovetops, but I don't think they have ovens.
[00:37:28] Speaker C: Right. I think in that case you're going to be relying on a lot of those shelf stable items because I know the fridges aren't big either, and they're.
[00:37:40] Speaker B: Sharing with three others.
[00:37:42] Speaker C: Right, exactly. So a lot of the shelf stable products, frankly, a lot of meatless meals are great things that you can make in the microwave. And frankly, mexican food or southwest inspired food, that can be a great option, too, because a lot of that stuff you can just put in the tortilla and heat it up, put some cheese in there and heat it up, and it can be a great filling meal that doesn't take a lot of effort.
[00:38:06] Speaker B: What do you think are some casual factors relating to poor nutrition on college campuses in the dining locations?
[00:38:17] Speaker C: I think a lot of it is just the dining locations are serving that audience that just need quick meals.
They're not always keeping nutrition at top of mind, even though it would be a beneficial thing in terms of focus and studying and all of that, but it's really just people are rushing and food and nutrition is not necessarily a top priority when they're studying for a test or they have a final or doing a project or going to a lab. It's just not so. I think just the kind of nature and environment. And plus, college students, a lot of them are young. They don't necessarily have a great metabolism. They're not necessarily worried about their weight in the same way.
So it's not something that they're having to actively think about now that people maybe older or who are trying to lose weight have to think about or have health problems. Right. If you have health conditions, of course.
[00:39:13] Speaker B: We have students here who have health issues like diabetes, but that's probably a low percentage. And on campus, most of our food options, like in the dorms, are like a buffet.
It would be very hard to control yourself. That sounds horrible when you've got so much to choose from and you can get whatever you want. I mean, it's hard to have some discipline, I guess.
[00:39:42] Speaker C: Right? It is hard. And I think for a lot of those students, it's really about just setting boundaries for yourself. You stick to one plate and for that plate, make a ton. Half would be amazing.
[00:39:55] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:57] Speaker C: That are not in a heavy sauce or cheese, just simple vegetables or something from the salad bar, like a healthy salad that you can, and then plug in some of the other stuff that looks really good as the rest of your plate. So at least, you know, half of your plate is a good, healthy, solid thing, and the other stuff can fill you up or satisfy a craving or whatever it may be. But as long as you get half of your plate as vegetables, that's a win.
[00:40:26] Speaker B: I think, Rachel, can bread be healthy? Because I think a lot of people think that it's not. And that's a, you know, I think it can.
[00:40:35] Speaker C: Again, you're going to want to choose whole grain bread when you can because of the know, white bread. It's more refined carbohydrates. It's going to affect your blood sugar differently than something with fiber. So I think that's really where bread gets the bread wrap. It's the more refined.
[00:40:54] Speaker B: Yeah. And even though a loaf may be expensive, that can last you a whole week.
[00:40:59] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:41:00] Speaker B: Just that. And peanut butter, like you mentioned, would be healthier than the macaroni and cheese we talked about.
[00:41:08] Speaker C: Probably, certainly. And it would keep you full longer, too.
[00:41:13] Speaker B: Buy in for our listeners. In your opinion, why should college students even care about eating choices and nutrition?
[00:41:25] Speaker C: There's so many great side effects of eating healthy that it's not just about your weight. It's about feeling good every day. It's about, again, not being tired after that meal, not feeling heavy or unfocused after a meal. But also, if you can start establishing healthy habits in college, that's going to help you for the rest of your lifetime. Start having that healthy breakfast. And in terms of, I mean, you may just want to start there if your whole day is just kind of, I'm figuring out as I go, start with having a healthy breakfast and make that your goal, just to start moving towards healthy habits and making that just part of your routine.
[00:42:05] Speaker B: Well, and for students, talk a little bit, if you can, about how your diet affects your brain and your decision making and how that can help you do better. On test, for instance.
[00:42:18] Speaker C: Yes. Well, I know from me personally if I'm hungry or if I ate a heavy meal and I don't feel great, I'm just irritable.
[00:42:27] Speaker B: Brain fog.
[00:42:28] Speaker C: Brain fog.
And we all know that just from working, you're just not at your best. I think the same is certainly true for students, especially when you're under the stress of preparing for a test and taking a test.
Having a not great diet is not going to serve you in those situations.
And that's pretty much part of college. You always have something to do, always a test for a project.
[00:42:52] Speaker B: Yes, constantly. And constantly making choices, too. So hopefully this will be one that people will consider on down the road. If you're not eating healthy now and you're listening to us, like Rachel said, just start with maybe one meal, right.
[00:43:10] Speaker C: And I think if you have a breakfast, that is your go to breakfast that just keeps you full you kind of don't have to think about it. That decision is now on autopilot. You don't have to think about it. You don't have to make the decision. And I think a lot of our struggle with food is just decision fatigue.
So if you even have that one, like that breakfast that you can just, that's your autopilot meal. You don't even have to think. You just make it. And it's healthy.
That can destress your life in multiple ways.
[00:43:42] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. And make you feel better. Let's take our last break, and when we come back, let's talk about some resources or any more tips that you have for us. Okay, Rachel, hang in there. You're listening to brain matters on 90.7, the Capstone tuscaloosa.
[00:44:08] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency zero.
[00:44:47] Speaker B: Back listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone I'm Dr. B. J. Gunther. We're talking tonight about eating healthy on a budget. Sounds easy. It's not easy. It takes some time. You have to make some decisions and some choices. I have many students who are very health conscious, and I wouldn't categorize them, like I said, as having any kind of an eating disorder or just, they're just health conscious and it's okay to be like that. And I think that sometimes you can have friends who eat healthy and can kind of set an example for you. My guest is Rachel West. Rachel is a registered dietitian with the emails app, and it's a wonderful app with a lot of different varieties of plans, meal plans. And the one that we're talking about really is the budget friendly because college students need help with cost. We all need help with cost, but college students especially because we have several, I have many students that I can think about right now that really can't afford to even go out to eat. They're making it paycheck to paycheck. They're working and going to school, and so this would be a great solution for them. What tips and tactics have you found to be the most effective, other than what you've already kind of shared with us.
[00:46:05] Speaker C: Sure. I'll just say kind of in general, cooking at home is going to be healthier and more budget conscious than any sort of takeout.
I think that if you're doing that, that's already a win for you. So keep going with that.
I think in terms of other strategies to kind of help is find those go to ingredients and meals that, again, can kind of be your easy, effortless things that you just have in your pantry. So if you do come home, you're stressed, you're tired, you have those ingredients there, you can make it without thinking too much about it. I think that can be a really good thing. Just to have those go to ingredients that go to breakfast, lunch, that you just keep stocked. And then if you have the time and the energy and you can get more creative and do some other things, that can be a great win, too.
And I would say, too that you don't have to be perfect with this. Cooking at home is going to be a win, as I said, to start with. So if you can start slowly adding in healthier things to what you're already doing over time, again, it's just 1% better. You're just going to slowly start getting better.
That can be a great starting place for people who are not sure with.
[00:47:31] Speaker B: Regards to fast food. What do you think are some fast food options out there for people who maybe are too busy to cook or they just don't have.
They're in the dorms and they don't have the time or the kitchen that they'd like to. I've had some students that just don't cook because it's just not perfect. So they're just not going to cook. What are some healthy fast food options? Are there any.
[00:47:59] Speaker C: So like drive through fast food?
[00:48:02] Speaker B: Not what a. Sure.
[00:48:05] Speaker C: I mean, where there's vegetables in know, purest unadulterated form, it's going to be the best bet. So I know. I think Wendy's has salads and some of those. As long as you're not getting the ones that are heavy on the cheese or the croutons, that's a pretty good option. It's quick, easy, you don't have to think about it. And if you compare that with like a vinaigrette, not the creamy ranch or the Caesar, try to pick the vinaigrette or any sort of oil based, mostly oil, that's going to be a great option again. Sometimes life happens and you just have.
[00:48:45] Speaker B: To do know it's. We're talking about trying to eat healthy on a budget. It will be expensive to go out. There's not many. Even the fast food places, they're not really that cheap, know? And the options are limited. Definitely. Rachel, thank you for being on the show. It goes by fast, doesn't it?
[00:49:05] Speaker C: Very fast.
[00:49:06] Speaker B: Can you think of any more resources for listeners? Like any books besides emails, the app emails. Can you think of anything else for listeners resources?
[00:49:18] Speaker C: Know, I think a lot of people on Instagram are doing great work. There's a lot of dietitians on there who are doing meal development that are great to follow. They have great tips. They can direct you to the latest research on topic that you might be interested in. You can certainly follow news sources, but after you read the news source, I would say go to the source of the study or the accredited institution where that was produced, just so you can learn more and really get the facts that are outside of the news story, the article or the blog or whatever it is that you may be reading. You can really kind of dive deeper if it's a topic that you're interested in.
But I think really a lot about healthy eating and cooking in general, you've got to have the inspiration first, or you've got to have the craving that you can then execute on. And a lot of Instagram or Pinterest can be that place for inspiration.
[00:50:14] Speaker B: Motivation, too. You need to have the motivation to try to make some changes and not give up hope that it's too expensive, because I think sometimes that's an excuse for some people.
[00:50:26] Speaker C: Right. It's just about finding those things in the grocery store.
[00:50:30] Speaker B: It takes a little bit of thought, a little bit of, and like you said, once you make that might. That might be all it takes.
[00:50:37] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:50:38] Speaker B: Thank you so much. I really appreciate you being. I forgot to ask you, where are you joining us from?
[00:50:43] Speaker C: I am just on the road in Birmingham, Alabama.
[00:50:45] Speaker B: Okay, so you're on the same time? Thank goodness.
[00:50:48] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:50:49] Speaker B: I always feel so bad when I have people on the east coast. I think last week our guest was on the east coast and it's an hour ahead, so I'm appreciative. But thank you so much again. And like I announced before, don't forget our shows are recorded and podcasted to Apple Podcast audioboom.com and voices ua.edu. You can just type in brain matters and you'll find some of our past shows. There's also a link to voices ua.edu on our counselingcenter's website at counseling ua.edu. I like to thank the people who've made the show possible. Our executive director here at the counseling center, Dr. Greg Vanderwald and my producer, Catherine Howell. My colleagues at the counseling center, Catherine Ratchford. She edits our show for WVUA. And of course, my guest tonight, Rachel west. Don't forget we're back on same time, same place next week, and the show topic will be how mental health awareness can prevent veteran and first responder suicide. So that should be an exciting and interesting show, a timely show. I think so. Join us back here next week at 06:00 p.m. And thanks again for listening tonight. Good night.
[00:52:08] Speaker A: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions shared on the show do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener, and such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's CRIs service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
