College Students Today Aren't Cooking Enough

In a fast-paced society, college students today seem to be having more and more trouble finding time to make a good dinner.

The time that I'm home nowadays is limited. Most of the time, I'm at work or on campus. When I do have "free time" it's spent doing assignments, and I still feel like I'm always behind. So when I do get a free second, I always think about all of the things I could or should be working on.

Lately, that stress has been showing itself through my eating habits too. I've been bad with picking up food on my way home. I don't take enough time to make a full dinner/meal, because I feel like I never have time.

Most days, by the time I get home from class or work, it's the evening, and if I do take the time to make a good meal, by the time I'm done cooking, eating, and then cleaning up, I'm exhausted and ready for bed. I can't just get right to bed though, because I then have assignments to finish up, etc. So it turns into a late night, and then I'm not on my A-game the next day. So you can see the domino effect here.

We shouldn't feel like making a nutritious meal is a hassle, but too often, it just does. Cooking should be an enjoyable experience that takes away from our stresses for a while so we can decompress from the day's work.

I'm going to try and start prioritizing cooking wholesome dinners, and stop associating it with stress, or time that "I should be doing other things." And you should too. After all, our bodies need fuel, and if you don't find yourself cooking full dinners enough, that might just be contributing to the stressful domino effect.

Even if it's twice a week, remind yourself that you'll find other time to get your work done and that it's okay to step aside and take an hour or two to cook a meal and relax.