You're off to college (yippee!) - with all the exciting new opportunities and possibilities that come with it. There is the odd down side - the discovery that your clothes have lost their magical powers, for example. In student accommodation they fail to pick themselves up off the floor and jump back on their hangers, like they do at home.
Another misfortune is that a scrummy, nutritious dinner isn't on the table when you get home from a hard slog of lectures and long hours spent poring over books in the library (or from the pub). In other words, part of the package of setting off into the grown-up world is learning to fend for yourself.
One method of fending for yourself on the food front is to try running around during freshers' week enquiring who did home economics and becoming their NBF (new best friend). Alternatively, you could follow some of the culinary tips below and see if you can't become the next Jamie Naked Chef Oliver phenomenon on your college campus.
When you're working hard and playing hard, it's vital that you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet to give you energy and keep you fit. It's essential that you prepare and store food safely and that you learn to manage your food budget. You don't want to be forced to spend the last week of term eating bits of textbook, made palatable only by the slathering of sachet tomato ketchup nicked from the fast food joint where you spent your last penny.
Dr Roisin Burke, course director for postgraduate food safety and handling at UCD, advises that personal hygiene is of the utmost importance. "Make sure your hands are thoroughly washed before you go anywhere near food. Buy some anti-bacterial soap and washing-up liquid to ensure your hands, cloths and surfaces are clean. Wash or change kitchen cloths and scourers frequently because they are a prime source of micro-organisms which can cause food poisoning," she warns.
As for food storage - take care to follow the rules. "Follow the storage guidelines on food. Your fridge should be below 6C. Raw and cooked food should be stored separately and do put meat in a plastic box to separate it from dairy produce," says Dr Burke. "It is also vital to wash utensils and boards in between preparing different ingredients such as meat and vegetables."
So much information is disseminated daily regarding the need to eat a healthy, balanced diet that by now, you should realise you ought to be trying to cut down on the amount of saturated fats, to eat more fibre and include five portions of fruit and vegetable in your diet each day. (A carton of McDonald's or Burger King fries does not really count as a vegetable in this context).
There are very simple ways of trying to achieve these aims without food becoming tasteless or too complicated to prepare.
"Trim fat off meat or buy lean mince for favourites like chilli or Bolognese sauce," advises Sally Ann McGrath, lecturer in nutrition in DIT. Use skinless chicken, turkey or lean pork cut into strips to stir-fry, with plenty of fresh vegetables. This is a quick and easy method of cooking which helps preserve a lot of vitamin content.
"Use sunflower or (if you can afford it) olive oil sparingly in your cooking. If you are vegetarian it is vital to eat lots of pulses and seeds, as well as cheese, eggs and milk, to ensure you get enough protein.
"A pint of low fat milk a day or its equivalent in yoghurt or cheese provides about the right amount of calcium and A and D vitamins for young adults," advises Sally Ann.
Incorporating fresh herbs into your cooking adds vitamins and taste. Like Jamie, plant parsley, cress, chives and coriander in pots on your window sill - it's cheaper, provides fresh ingredients and sprinkling green bits on adds a certain panache to your cooking.
"Drinking alcohol such as red wine is believed to be good for your heart, this is best taken with a meal. If you're going out for the night and know you'll drink more than normal, eat a decent meal first," advises Sally Ann McGrath.
To keep within your budget, use your common sense. "Don't go shopping when you are hungry - you'll only end up with lots of snack food which you wouldn't normally buy. Share fruit and vegetable shopping with other people in your house as buying in larger quantities is often cheaper. Shop in a large supermarket for your weekly groceries as it is a lot less expensive than your corner shop," she notes. It is also useful to bear in mind that for essentials like toothpaste, loo roll or tins of soup, you should do a raid if you go home at weekends.
Finally, buy, or ask for a present of, a decent cookbook before you leave home. For example More Grub on less Grant and Vegetarian Grub on a Grant by Cas Clarke or The Survival Guide to Cooking in the Student Kitchen by Susan Crook (available from bookstores).
The National Dairy Council (01 661 9599) and the Eastern Regional Health Board (01 670 7987) provide free leaflets with healthy and budget recipes.
