Student Groceries

As a university student grocery shopping is a much different pursuit than that of your mother's grocery shopping adventure.  You see, most go shopping once a week, stock up on key items, mainly healthy dishes that are planned out for each weeknight then the odd bag of chips or box of cookies for treats.  This is the typical grocery list for a mom or anyone BUT a student. You see, students have a much different approach to grocery shopping. We shop when we think we have nothing possibly left or we have a craving for something, likely something unhealthy at that.     Students go into a grocery store looking for something quick and cheap or unhealthy, but worth it.  

When I first met with my dietician here in London and she looked at my meal list I had written down for the past three days she smiled back at me and said, "I can tell you're a student..."  Of course, with 'cereal' scribbled into the supper section and 'cheese and crackers' in the lunch section, anyone could guess that either a child or a student was eating this and calling it a real meal.  She didn't really seem to worried only that some days I was eating less than 100 grams of carbs - other than that she empathized with me - being a recent student as well. 

It's not hard to eat healthy logistically.  I mean, vegetables aren't that expensive and you can shop for ONE fairly cheaply. However, the point is that when you are cooking for one you don't want to spend an hour preparing something.   I don't have the motivation to prepare anything when it is just myself, I am content with pouring a bowl of cereal or having a bowl of soup.    So many people tell me that I should be making proper meals because I have diabetes and once again I think to myself, 'well of course! everyone should be eating proper meals...not just me!' but realistically, I obviously know that I should take the time to hit all the food groups, make something that actually tastes good and sit down, count carbs, check blood and give insulin for a delicious meal, not one that came in a cardboard box with a maze on the back of it.   

But, this is college living.  Students are doing this because it's cheap and quick, not because we wouldn't enjoy a nice roast beef meal.    I am doing this because I am cheap and want to eat when I'm hungry - I am not doing it to be a 'bad' diabetic or doing it because I don't care about my own personal health.     Of course it sucks having to write down the past three days worth of food I ate and have it looked at, picked over and examined, but that's what being a student is all about and as a diabetic student unless someone wants to purchase wonderful meals for me, I will be rocking the cereal, cheese and crackers and kraft dinner for at least another year!

Kayla