By EMILY BAXTER

A nutritious diet is crucial to the many activities students undertake, from studying to part-time work and exercising.

For many students, though, finding the time to cook and eat healthy meals can be the first thing to go when schedules become too full.

Australian students should be eating a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables, protein, dairy, grains and cereals.

But the 2011-12 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) found that more than 30 per cent of the food Australians consumed was discretionary food.

Discretionary foods are those that have low nutritional value, and should be consumed in small amounts, according to Monash University lecturer and accredited dietician Dr Claire Palermo.

“They’re foods we don’t actually need for good health,” Dr Palermo said.

“So they’re foods that are high in fat, sugar, salt or alcohol.”

Students are particularly at risk of eating an unbalanced diet, with a 2014 Queensland University of Technology study revealing one in four Australian tertiary students are "food insecure".

Food insecurity occurs when people are unable to access adequate amounts of nutritious food, and is more common in low-income groups such as students.

A 2012 Universities Australia study found the average income of full-time undergraduate students was just over $18,500. With a weekly income of under $400, it means many students are living below the poverty line, making it hard to afford nutritious food.

But Dr Palermo said healthy food did not have to cost more. Buying fruit and vegetables in bulk from local markets can be a cost-effective way of buying healthy food.

Effects of nutrition choices

Eating a balanced diet had positive effects both in the short-term and long-term, Dr Palermo said.

“Particularly for students, in the short term, eating well will support learning … it will allow you to think and function throughout the day,” she said.

“It may seem a long way away … but eating well now will prevent many diseases from occurring later in life, and can keep you at a healthy weight.”

The negative effects of eating unhealthily stretch far past not being able to focus in class.

“They are quite serious, and nutrition is one of the most important preventable risk factors for much of the disease we see in Australia,” Dr Palermo said.

A poor diet can lead to chronic diseases that are difficult and expensive to treat, such as high blood pressure, obesity, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

Monash University food assistance

Monash Caulfield’s student association MONSU is aware some students struggle to put food on the table.

They run a number of regular programs to help students access food, including the MONSU Pantry and mid-week meet, according to MONSU president Andrew Ware.

“We’re very big on welfare: we don’t want people to struggle through bad living conditions just because they’re students,” he said.

“One of the biggest things we do is the MONSU Pantry.”

MONSU also provides free meals twice a week: breakfast on Tuesday mornings, and a barbecue on Wednesdays.

MONSU welfare officer Caitlin Costello said the MONSU Pantry provided emergency food relief to students who otherwise were not able to feed themselves.

“Through the Pantry we provide struggling students with basic food items to make simple and nutritious meals,” Ms Costello said.

Dr Palermo said she believed Monash University could be doing more to help students eat nutritiously, by providing cheap and healthy food options on campus.

“With the new Monash residential halls and refurbishments occurring, now is the perfect time to advocate for potential change,” Dr Palermo said.

“There needs to be more healthy food options on campus for students to choose, and they need to be as cheap, if not cheaper, than other options.”