Inexpensive Eats at Full Flavor to the Student
Words by: Meg Grice
It’s that time of the night again. You just finished a long day on campus and now the hunger pains are starting to kick in. The problem? Payday isn’t for another week! You already paid rent and utilities this month, hurtled money at the UBILL, took too many trips to Tea Time and asked grandma for money. Another problem - the only foods left in your apartment are a bottle of ketchup, a package of ramen noodles, a freezer burnt pizza and a half-gallon of milk. Sound somewhat familiar? Dr. Ruth Litchfield, Iowa State Nutrition Extension State Specialist, says food insecurity is far more common than meets the eye for Ames residents. Litchfield teaches a community and nutrition class for food and nutrition majors. As a part of her coursework, she sends out a nutrition survey to students asking if they themselves have experienced food insecurity. Each year, she notices a skewed portion of students who claim to struggle with food instability.
“Exactly! Think of vending machines that charge upwards of a dollar or more for one candy bar. For that same price, you could be getting four pounds of bananas.”
“The numbers tend to be higher among college students at 15%, while the rest of the community sees around 10%. This is often due to the economic realities and instabilities of our students,” Litchfield said. Litchfield also challenges her class to eat on a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which adds up to just over $3 a day for one person. The dollar amount threatens variety, proving the vulnerability of many households nationwide. In cases like these, Litchfield says eating right begins with investment, “You pay for convenience. The thing that’s been lost to us is food preparation, and healthy eating is not expensive. How much does a pound of bananas cost?” Litchfield asked. “About 50 cents a pound,” I said. “Ok. And then how many bananas are in a bunch? “Around five to seven bananas.” “So if you do the math, that adds up to around 75 cents for a bunch. How much does that leave you per banana? “Around 10 cents?” “Exactly! Think of vending machines that charge upwards of a dollar or more for one candy bar. For that same price, you could be getting four pounds of bananas.”
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Litchfield said she often makes simple choices based on what items are on sale at local grocery stores. In the department of food and nutrition, she runs a “Culinary Bootcamp” class in the fall for faculty and in the spring
