If you were lucky enough to have packed lunches made by your mum as a child, you would probably remember and miss the quality of them compared to soggy school canteen food. There’s a reason they say that mothers know best so here’s why you should follow in their footsteps.
Your wallet will thank you!
As a student, one of the biggest concerns we have is cost and we all know that eating out comes with a hefty price tag. Say on average you spend £5 a day for a hot meal and drink, you’d have already spent £770 for the Michaelmas and Lent Term (22 weeks) in total. However, if you replace that with packed lunches that are under a pound, I don’t even have to spell out the immense cost savings that you could make. More money to enjoy weekend or short holiday trips – economists would be cheering you on!
Your gut and mind will too
Unless you decide to bend the rules, packed lunches are a great way to make sure you’re eating healthily. As you’ll probably be sick of eating the same sandwich on campus or in cafes nearby, packed lunches provide an opportunity for you to put your creative hat on and mix and match portions for a well-balanced diet. Now you have no more excuses to not get your 5 a day of fruit and vegetables. Moreover, the demands of being a student also call for diets that will help supplement our lifestyles so make sure you get that brain food to make the most out of your lectures and seminars.
It’s better for the planet
Preparing a lunch helps reduce waste from plastic wrappers, containers, and takeout bags. This has never been a more important issue considering that just 10 plastic products used for takeaway packaging makes up 75% of all litter. At this rate, the waste ends up in landfills, clogging up space as much as a fast food burger clogs up our arteries.
Packed lunches are a better solution, especially when you reuse the same container and store everything in reusable containers. There’s way less stuff to bin, which is better for Mother Earth. Plus there’s no need to worry about food becoming cold even in the winter months with insulated containers. If you’re still worried you can get an insulated bag to go along with it. Don’t forget to invest in a reusable cup too as these can save you 25p on the LSE campus and in places like Starbucks and Costa. It may seem like nothing at first but will add up over time to be a huge saving! These items can probably last for your whole life depending on how well you take care of them but I’m sure they will still be able to withstand a rather significant amount of time.
LSE recently became the first carbon-neutral university so as one of its students you should live up to its standards and set a good example for everyone else to follow.
Lunch on the go
Dread the long queue when you desperately need to replenish your brain food supply? Want to grab a table or spot before they all fill up? Have limited time to enjoy a scrumptious meal with back-to-back classes or meeting commitments? All these things can be avoided with the help of a packed lunch. You may think that having to prep for meals will take time out of your schedule but if you have leftovers from dinner or meal prep on Sunday for the rest of the week anyway, spending a bit more time in order to reap the endless benefits of packed lunches mentioned above definitely sounds worth it to me!
