How to eat well and save money

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Apples are part of a nutritious diet.

Students are always on the go, juggling classes, homework, jobs and, if there's time, a social life, and it's not always possible to find time to eat a healthy meal or think about a food budget. I've come up with an easy solution to both problems, and it'll cost you less than $120 a month.

It seems very implausible that one person can live well with just under $120 a month! This seems almost too good to be true, some will say. The truth about this is, you should keep busy in order for this to work as well.

You may be thinking I am going to tell you to purchase 120 boxes of macaroni and cheese or 120 cups of ramen noodles. No, in fact the diet I am about to share with you has been thoroughly tested and analyzed by yours truly over 30 days.

Now, there are some things you are going to have to part with (junk food, pop, juice and dairy products, for the most part), but if you are able to consume this diet on a regular basis it will help improve your efficiency in more ways than one. This diet consists of raw foods like carrots, apples, bananas, grapes, cucumbers and broccoli, and other staples like pasta, rice milk and hemp seeds.

Now, you might ask, is this all you consume each day? The truth is yes, it is my primary diet and I only deviate from it when going out with friends with the money I saved on groceries. Let me give you a brief breakdown of the expenditures on a biweekly basis — the prices will fluctuate slightly, depending on your grocer of choice or various promotions they might be running, but this is essentially the average of what I spend and consume:

- $2 for hemp seeds (protein)
- $2 for rice milk (calcium)
- $5 for five large packages of pasta (carbohydrates)
- $23 for 30 cans of flavored tuna (protein)
- $5 for three bushels of broccoli for boiling or raw consumption (vitamins)
- $2 for three bushels of bananas (potassium)
- $6 for two bags of Granny Smith apples (vitamins)
- $3 for two pounds of red grapes (vitamins and anti-oxidants)
- $6 for three pounds of baby carrots (vitamins and minerals)
- $2 for two cucumbers (vitamins and minerals)

The total amount spent for this period will be $56 in this instance for two whole weeks or $112 for an entire month. Some may say this is not enough to sustain life, but take it from a man who is healthy and alert and on the go all the time: this diet works for increasing both mental and physical capabilities. If this diet is combined with an average to intermediate workout regimen, you will shed weight in no time as well. If you use a reusable bottle and drink water every day, it will save you a lot of money, and our landfills will thank you. There are many ways to be creative with the food you purchase, whether you make salads or eat them individually, cooked or raw, there is a ton of variety.

As long as you have the desire to eat well and increase your expendable money, you will flourish with this diet. Admittedly it is not filled with various colourings, artificial sugars, sweeteners, MSG or other components of artificial nature, but your body will thank you and so will your wallet if you have the willpower to stick to it.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.