College nutrition is embodied by cheap pizza and Top Ramen, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Cooking is a skill that a lot of college students lack. It’s something they think they may not need until they get older. Learning the basics of cooking can make for a healthier and more nutritious time in college while simultaneously learning an important life skill.

Unfortunately, a lot of the most commonly eaten food in college isn’t the healthiest. An estimated 70 percent of students gain weight while in college, with an average of 12 pounds gained. Another study shows that one in four students gain 10 pounds their first year in college. Some of this may be due to a lack of physical activity post-high school, but a lot of the weight gain can be attributed to a lack of good nutrition. People often think that cooking takes time and energy that can be better used by studying, or using what precious free time in college there is to relax. This lack of desire to cook leads to an increase in consumption of poorly nutritious foods like pizza, Pop Tarts, Top Ramen and more.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a huge ordeal that requires dozens of ingredients and takes hours to prepare. Even in college on a bare-bones budget with almost no spare time, easy to make and healthy meals can be made every day. You don’t even have to cook to eat healthier; stocking up on the right things at the supermarket can be a beneficial alternative to eating junk.

Here are some examples of healthy meals you can cook with fewer than four ingredients in under 30 minutes:

1. Chicken and Veggies
   1. Preheat oven 450 degrees
   2. Cook the chicken +/-11 minutes each side
   3. Pop in a pack of frozen vegetables halfway through the second side of the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes so they finish at the same time (you can do the same thing with steamed rice or other microwave side dishes)
2. Buy a Rotisserie Chicken
   1. Any grocery store sells whole rotisserie chickens in the fresh food section. One of these chickens can feed a couple people, or one very hungry person.
   2. Pro-Tip: If you go later in the evening they put the chickens on sale and you can find one for as little as $3
   3. Grab some bread, vegetables, or a piece of fruit to go with it and you have yourself a meal
3. Eggs and Greek Yogurt
   1. Scramble some eggs. This is a great tutorial on how to cook perfect scrambled eggs.
   2. Plain Greek yogurt is great for breakfast. Honey always tastes good in it. Fresh fruit like blueberries and spices like cinnamon also go well in plain yogurt. Avoid buying the already flavored yogurts because they have a lot more sugar and artificial sweeteners.

These are only a few examples of much healthier meals you can make on a tight budget and with not much time. There is nothing wrong with an occasional pizza or Hot Pocket, but the amount of effort required to make healthy and tasty meals is often much less than most people think. Nutrition is no less important than exercise and you cannot excel at one without the other.