Many students enjoy snacking while studying, and although it may seem hard at first, these snacks can be healthy, when you know where to find them at the University of Saskatchewan.

Campus cafés: There are many options for quick snacks on campus, but most take the form of guilty pleasures like a Tim Hortons donut or an oat fudge bar from Starbucks. Two good places to start looking for healthier on-campus meals and snacks are the Arts Café and Agriculture Café, both of which feature a large variety of foods including healthy soup and bagel options.

Tim Hortons: Some Tim Hortons locations on campus also offer healthy snacks such as sandwiches, salads and vegetable cups prepared by Culinary Services. These are all healthy meal options, and the vegetable cups come with a mix of vegetables like carrots and celery and even include a little ranch dip.

The Tims on campus that carry these additional healthy options include the locations beside the campus Bookstore, in the Health Science E Wing and on the second floor of the Geology Building. With a wide spread of availability, these healthy eats are a good option for students who find themselves in any part of campus.

Convenience stores: Mac’s in Lower Place Riel, while featuring many unhealthy snacks, houses a few healthier options, such as granola bars, nuts and trail mix snacks. This is also true of the Tuck Shop in the Arts Building and both Starbucks on campus.

Food Centre: The U of S Students’ Union Food Centre in Place Riel serves as a depot for CHEP Good Food Boxes — containers of fruits and vegetables of varying sizes and prices available on a biweekly subscription basis. In addition to the boxes, the Food Centre also hosts a Fresh Food Market on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Place Riel, where healthy options are available.

U of S Campus Market: The Campus Market pops up monthly in the North Concourse of Upper Place Riel, with the dates posted to the Office of Sustainability’s website. This market offers local foods, which can be eaten fresh on the day of the market or used to stock up your cupboards.

Free campus group eats: If free food is more your style, then keep an eye out for campus groups running events that offer food free of charge. Not only is this a free option, but sometimes the food is quite healthy, and it could introduce you to an awesome campus group that you previously didn’t know about.

Homemade snacks: Preparing snacks at home is also a great way to save not only money but also time spent on campus. Even having the forethought to chop up some vegetables and throw them into a bag can be a quick fix snack.

Another snack that many students are likely to have already lying around is dry cereal. Cereals like Mini-Wheats, Cheerios and Life can make for a healthy and tasty snack right out of the bag. Fruit is another quick, healthy snack to bring from home — or buy on campus, if need be — and it generally requires little packaging, provided you make sure nothing bumps or squishes it.

While granola bars can just be bought at the store, for the ambitious, they are also fairly easy to make at home with a few simple ingredients and an oven. Energy bites are another option for students, and while recipes vary, bites like these are generally a bundle of carbohydrates and protein held together with something like peanut, soy or nut butter. Energy bites are easily modified for personal taste and do not require any special cooking tools, making them perfect for students living in dorms without access to an oven.

Students can also use Tupperware with separated compartments to prepare their own yogurt parfaits for school. However, if it has to sit in your bag for a long time, this may not be the best option.

Be it on campus or off, simple or complex, there are a ton of snack options for students that do not require any compromise to a healthy diet.

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Jack Thompson / Sports & Health Editor

Graphic: Lesia Karalash / Graphics Editor