Frozen pizzas — ramen noodles — the dollar menu at McDonald's — rice — eggs — peanut butter and jelly. For college students, inexpensive foods are a necessity, but not all foods are created equal. Many are high in fat, sodium and calories.

One packet of chicken flavored ramen noodles, roughly 3 ounces, has 380 calories and a whopping 14 grams of fat.

By comparison, one cup of cooked spaghetti (8 ounces) has just 200 calories and 1 gram of fat. Adding one half cup of traditional spaghetti sauce adds 8 grams of protein but less than 100 calories and only 2.5 grams of fat. Even a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese (one tablespoon) adds just 22 tiny calories and 1.9 grams of fat. Shop smart and that satisfying serving of spaghetti can cost just pennies more than ramen noodles.

Here's a convenient, quick cook tip. On a day when you have more time, cook a pound or two of spaghetti. Stop the cooking process and drain the noodles when they are firm, but not hard. Measure multiple 8 oz,. servings into reusable plastic containers and pop them in the freezer. When you want a quick meal, simply transfer to a plate, top the frozen noodles with one half cup of sauce and microwave.

As this little example indicates, the key to eating healthy and cheaply is planning.

"I eat like a refuge," reported Chris, a sophomore at MSU, whose dietary staples include rice, potatoes, cabbage, eggs and ham. "If you watch the sales, you can get a small ham for less than $10 and it will last for weeks. Ham and rice, ham and eggs, cabbage and ham, beans and ham, ham sandwiches. It's versatile."

Three ounces of lean ham (about one-third of a cup) has only 100 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, yet it provides a full 16 grams of protein.

"You can cook potatoes quickly in the microwave and top them with all sorts of things, including ham," Chris said. "Potatoes are really filling."

They're good for you, too. A 3- to 4-inch spud has roughly 275 calories and next to no fat.

"And they're cheap," Chris said.

Not into spuds, college graduate Vicki suggested that every college student should have "a big old bag of rice. Not the fast-cooking kind (too expensive), just the regular long-cooking kind. You can add anything to that: meat, poultry, herbs and spices, cheese, a can of soup or veggies, whatever." She also agreed that "you have to have eggs — 12 servings of protein and iron for $1.50! You can't beat that."

Here are a few additional tips to help you eat well at school.

Eat fresh ... or frozen. In season fruit and produce provide satisfying nutrition and genuine health benefits at a relatively low price per piece. When fresh produce is not in season, frozen veggies offer a healthy and cheap alternative.

Cook in bulk. Make a big pot of chili, soup or stew and freeze individual servings for later use. Same goes with casseroles. This is where a slow cooker can really come in handy. Let it do the work safely and efficiently while you study or sleep.

Skip the drive-thru. Fast food may sound like a good idea, but how many greenbacks do you spend dining off the dollar menu? And how much nutrition are you really getting compared to each item's unhealthy sodium and fat content (see chart below).

Go generic. "Don't sneer at store brands or generic labels," advised Richard Koss of Gradspot.com. "Give the house mayonnaise a shot and if it sucks use it for engine grease. Nothing keeps that motor running like whipped egg and oil." (We're kidding, of course!)

Eat like a kid. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with two tablespoons of peanut butter, one tablespoon of jelly and two slices of wheat bread has 370 calories, 13 grams of protein and 18 grams of fat. True, it's high in fat, but most of its fat is the heart-healthy, unsaturated kind. Save calories and add fiber by eating peanut butter on celery sticks or apple wedges.