Like most college students, I have an intense schedule, spending eleven hours on campus every day. In addition to a full twelve hour class schedule, I also work up to thirty hours a week. Throw homework, studying, and every spare minute of free time in to that mix, and you have a schedule that just isn't conducive to healthy meal prep.
Now, my weight isn't the issue for me, I have an active lifestyle, a healthy BMI and I love my body the way it is. However, my nutrition began worrying me. On my campus, there are almost zero healthy food options. Just this semester, my university removed the only salad bar on campus. If you can find an option that is even mildly nutritious, it costs at least $8.00 a meal. This adds up, and I end up spending upwards of $50 a week just trying to eat.
After two years of terrible, limited food options provided by Sodexo (a corporation infamous for its 2013 recall of all United Kingdom beef products after it was found the meat contained horse DNA), I was done. I began to research easy ways that I could incorporate proper healthy meal prep into my daily schedule.
I stumbled upon a website called justbento.com that features recipes geared toward Japanese lunchboxes called Bento. A Bento is essentially just a portioned lunchbox, traditionally wooden but has now evolved into many different varieties and materials. The recipes on their website provide dietary information, such as caloric content, approximate prep time, and other useful information for those completely new to meal prep.
After a month of toying with the idea, doubtful about whether a fancy portioned lunchbox would actually help me, I finally caved and ordered one off of Amazon. My Bento Box is by the maker Three Squares, and it is essentially, three portioned squares for food and one small square for treats.
Since purchasing my bento box, my focus on my health and eating habits has sky rocketed, teaching me to prioritize my meal times among other things. I no longer succumb to temptation at the nearest Taco Bell, or go hours without eating because I don't want to eat fast-food. My typical meal prep takes about 20 minutes total, at the end of the day. That 20 minutes I spend cooking helps me unwind, and I find that, after I finish preparing my meal I've lost the stress headache that grows throughout the busy day.
My morning routine has also been cut down immensely, because I no longer rummage through my pantry stuffing cookies into Ziplock baggies before rushing out to my car.
I now spend about $25.00 a week on the ingredients for my lunches, instead of burning through my bank account buying take out and fast food. The money I save on food has contributed to my newfound savings account, something I never thought I'd have as a college student.
A major benefit to the bento box, is its divided portions. I never really ate terribly unhealthy before, avoiding fried foods and processed junk foods. In fact, my biggest problem with my diet was portion control. Instead of eating one serving of tuna salad, I'd unknowingly eat three.
The old adage "eyes bigger than her stomach" reigns true with me, except my stomach is able to power through my triple portions like a champ. I've always prided myself on being a "clean plate ranger," and never letting food go to waste, but never considered how that food was being wasted inside my body.
Now I can actually see what a proper serving of food looks like, and because of my bento box, I'm physically unable to serve myself more than a single serving. At first I thought I'd go hungry eating one third of my average intake, but was surprised to find out I was just as fulfilled from my meals as I had been before. Even better, I no longer felt nauseous from eating far too much in one go.
Overall, just by purchasing a lunchbox, I've improved the overall quality of my life. I feel less stressed, I'm eating meals that make me feel energized and healthy, and I'm saving money that I would have otherwise blown on garbage food.
Useful Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Leakproof-Removable-Nontoxic-Three-Squares/dp/B0158TCV9A
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2013/feb/22/horsemeat-scandal-schools-frozen-beef
