When it comes to Meal plans for students at college or university; picking a sustainable and affordable meal plan can be one of the last priorities on the list. Students will often forgo structured and routine meal plan options, and indulge in ‘convenience food’, that is, fast-food takeaway. For most students this is a ‘quick fix’ and an easy on-the-go solution while pacing through college or university, on the way to classes, lectures and tutorials.

However, these types of meal options in comparison to structured Meal Plans, come with many downsides and I’m going to show you why!

The overwhelming benefits of student meal plans

Student meal plans have significant benefits in comparison to fast-food alternatives that are swarmed by students on a daily basis:

Firstly, meal plans are cost effective. In terms of fast food services, a typically meal can cost from $5 to $20 in value. Compared to meal plans, $20 can be portioned into at least two meals, which means, ‘more bang for your buck’!

Secondly, meal plans are healthier. They provide excellent nutrition health ratings for most of their products. This means meal plans most of the time provide more energy than fast food counterparts, which can lead to better focus and academic results for students!

Thirdly, they are a simple and provide routine. Meal plans provide routine and structure to a student’s daily life at college or university. It might seem like there is work in preparing these delicious meal plans, but the preparation in doing so means that student’s do not have to locate food vendors/stores in order to eat – their food is prepared and ready to be eaten when they want!

My personal experience with meal plan options

I personally have used these meal plan options: Hello Fresh and My Muscle Chef. In terms of the viability of these options (and deliciousness), they both are extremely suited to students who thrive off routine and do not have time to source fast food takeaway vendors at college or university. During the height of COVID-19, these options were my favorite:

“Hello Fresh”

Hello Fresh is an extremely delicious and ‘fresh’ meal planning agenda. They deliver fresh food, all ingredients and a variety of recipes to your doorstep! This is meal plan simplicity at its best. In my experience this is a cost effective solution, as a single meal at a takeaway vendor can sometimes be one-third of the total cost of a single week of meal planning!

Seriously, give Hello Fresh a chance while you’re studying. The only kick with this meal plan option is that you need to follow instructions and cook the ingredients yourself. But, this will give you students an opportunity to upgrade your cooking skills!

“My Muscle Chef”

My Muscle Chef is an even simpler meal plan alternative. My Muscle Chef is an excellent choice for university students on the go, and provides a serious amount of nutrients for the individual portion sizes in each ready-made meal. This meal plan is perfect for students who are active in sport, exercise and for those ‘gym junkies’.

It’s another cost effective solution and has packages which support all different types of diets and lifestyles e.g. Keto, Vegan, High protein, Low Carb, High Carb.

‘I am a student but I think it’s too late to start with meal plans’

Wrong. If ever there was time to start, it is now. Both these meal plan options have great offers. Go and sign up for the one that you like most.