What is In Your Dorm Room Food Stash

A dorm room food stash is great for when you’re hungry in the middle of the night or the early morning and you’re not in the mood to run to the nearest 24/7 convenience store for some grub. But here’s the thing even if it’s just for snacks, you still have to choose healthy options over junk foods.

Before we get to what foods are good for storing, check if you have a suitable container to stash your food in. You’ve got to have an airtight, transparent plastic bin that would keep insects and bugs away, as well as a box of small or medium size Ziploc bags.

Here are some tips on healthy foods to buy for stashing inside your dorm room.

Raisins

Bring several packets of sunshine raisins in your dorm room. They’re cheap and plentiful, so you can share the dozen with your roommates. Raisins are sweet enough to curb your cravings for candy. In fact, they taste like candy, only healthier.

Trail Mix

If you’re not the picky sort and you’d rather have quantity and variety when it comes to your snacks, you should keep a few trail mix packets around for snacking on when you just need to munch on something to keep awake. The items in most trail mix brands are healthy, with bits of dried fruits mixed in with nuts and crackers.

Fresh and Dried Fruits

The best fresh fruits to keep around are apples and pears because they can be eaten raw and with the skin on. Plus, they can keep for longer than most fruits. The only preparation you have to do is to wash these fruits and dry them thoroughly using paper towels before storage. Place them on top of the canned goods and boxes so that you will always remember to eat them before they go bad.

Dried fruits are poor substitutes for fresh ones, but they will have to do if you’ve already eaten all your fresh fruits.

Multigrain and Soda Crackers

Soda crackers and multigrain crackers are great for study time snacks and pre-breakfast food. They can tide you over before breakfast so you won’t have to overeat or faint from hunger while lining up for breakfast. These soda crackers can also fill you up sufficiently when you have to take headache or flu medicine, which you should not take on an empty stomach.

Beef Jerky

They’re salty, but they’re a great protein source. Some students have gotten very creative with their stash of beef jerky, and I know of one dorm mate who eats them with fruits, crackers or rice on a regular basis when he’s short on cash to buy snacks. These desiccated beef slices also keep for a long time.

Low-Sugar Cereal

Keeping a box of low sugar cereal is the most fundamental way of surviving in the dorm. A box of cheerios is comforting, and can be eaten with a glass of milk or a bottle of fruit juice. Tossing back a handful of dry cereal during the morning rush is better than not eating breakfast at all. Cheerios also make great diet food, especially the low-sugar variety. Use the smallest Ziploc bag to bring along your ration of cheerios anywhere you go.

Eating healthy in college can be a challenge because you’re stressed enough to eat all the comforting junk food inside the store. But if you have healthy foods in your dorm stash, you will find it easier to abstain from junk food and eat healthier options for snacks.

Photo Courtesy of BIGSTOCK