I'm from Florida, going to college at Florida State University and studying English Literature in London in the fall. My study centre is on Great Russell St in the Bloomsbury neighborhood, where are some healthy (preferable cheap) places to eat or groceries around there? Any other advice would be fantastic as well!
I quite often pass through that area as my train from the North comes into Euston station. I tend to eat out (if I've finished all the food I've packed) as I'm travelling and may be just passing through London.
The British Library on Euston Road (you don't have to be a member). Quite good, filling 'knife and fork' food and you're surrounded by fascinating academics.
Occasionally, Pizza Express on Euston Road but I don't really like these pizza places.
Greens and Beans, a vegetarian place on Drummond Street which also has a number of cafes and restaurants. The Diwana Bhel Poori House is thought to be good and I've enjoyed it. Also at least one Indian grocer with interesting veg and other food.
Planet Organic, Torrington Place, just off Tottenham Court Road does eat-in food and has a (pricey) supermarket.
There must be a normal supermarket round there but I can't think of it at present. You could google Tesco or Sainsbury's Bloomsbury. There could be somewhere on Tottenham Court Road.
Anyway, have a great time! London's a great place to explore.
find your nearest tesco/asda/sainsbury's. some things you won't be able to find in the u.k. and some things are gonna be brand new to you! it's a lovely experience! those supermarkets always have a range of stuff from "normal" to "healthy living", i.e. they do normal mince, lean, extra lean, organic, lean organic etc, etc, they sometimes have great offers, and you're gonna have no problem continuing your eating plans over here.
I studied abroad in London in fall of 2008, and it was easily the best experience of my life! You'll have such a great time! I wasn't actively pursuing losing weight while I was there, but I think I still managed to lose about 10 lbs just because their food is better quality and they don't seem to put have the crap they do in american foods. I relied on Sainsbury's and found it to be the cheapest when grocery shopping and they have tons of healthy choices to choose from. Have a great time!
Be careful. I put on 30 lbs within my first month when I moved to London as I didn't have a gym, was eating a lot of roast dinners and drinking loads of wine. Just be mindful and you'll be alright.
For quick bites on the go, I find Pret A Manger and Eat to be good. These are chains that list the amount of calories in their prepared foods.
I love the Pizza Express salad 'Chicken Vedure' I get it without the bread sticks and with the dressing on the side, making it a 200 calorie meal (478 with all the trimmings). It's a yummy salad. Pizza Express also lists all their nutritional info online and they are working with Weight Watchers to create diet friendly meals/pizzas. And, you can get coupons to eat their from myvouchercodes.co.uk
There is also an Alara Wholefoods market right in that neighborhood which is a health food/ organic store and with a food bar.
Thanks everyone! I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity, the only other country I've been to is Canada, and culturally speaking, it's not exactly a huge leap from the US there and back lol.
All this stuff sounds great, I really like Planet Organic, they have weekly fruit and veg boxes that delivers to the study centre! I'm a vegetarian and I love Indian food, so no problems there. I'm so excited I can't stand it, the next 6 months are gonna be torture
Hey, you'll love doing a semester abroad over here! I'm from Canada but I live and study in the South of England. I'm in my fourth year now.
I find English supermarkets have similar healthy options but they are a lot harder to find if that makes sense. Obviously when you're in the store you just have to look for them, whereas I find in Canadian grocery stores they're more obvious. Anyway, all the weight I've lost has been here and it's completely possible to eat healthy while you're studying abroad. Look out for some of the ASDA "Good for You" choices - I find they are still not a particularly good option and while they may be a better choice than the full-fat variety, they still have a higher calorie content, especially the ready meals, than something from the Weight Watchers range etc.
Speaking of Indian food, things like Indian and Thai are much more popular here than at home where I find Chinese seems to be everywhere. There is a big aisle of international foods and spices right in all the main supermarkets.
The only other thing I can add really is that I find England has a much larger drinking culture than Canada/USA - I don't think this is a bad thing at all, in fact I love going to the pub and sitting around and spending a whole evening relaxing with my friends after a long week of uni. When we want to go out we go to the mall or for coffee (at least that's what I did when I met up with friends usually) at home but here it's going to the pub. I usually just have diet coke or rum and diet coke but nights out can really add to your waistline (and your wallet!).
Have a wonderful time! I completed my undergraduate degree and fell in love with England (and an Englishman) and decided to do another year to complete a masters. I wasn't ready to go home!
I'm incredibly excited about this opportunity, the only other country I've been to is Canada, and culturally speaking, it's not exactly a huge leap from the US there and back lol.
Heh, probably the first thing you'll see when you're walking through the airport is a Starbucks! But I think it's different in various ways in spite of some familiar sights.
Be warned that much of the Indian restaurant food in the UK is usually pretty high in calories as they put too much ghee in everything. On the bright side, I've heard that some of the south Indian stuff is better providing you don't overdo the coconut relish, and I remember some of the places around the aforementioned Drummond St being good for dosas. If you want a budget meal sometime try out the Indian YMCA in Fitzroy Square - they have a bit of a strange system where you pay in advance when you go in but it's good cheap food. You don't have to be a member (or Indian, for that matter) to eat there.
I find Japanese often is quite a safe bet for eating out and tend to have vegetarian sushi as I'm not keen on fish.
@freedomreins- I'm actually applying for grad school at the London Global University, haven't decided if I want to do my masters or go ahead and go for my doctorate, depends on how impressed I want people to be lol
@lora m- I wasn't sure how popular East Asian food was, but I love Japanese food and sushi! Well all my fears have pretty much been put to rest, looking so forward to it all!
I'm in the same boat! I went to University of Florida and now I'm in South England trying to eat healthy but the pound/dollar conversion is killing me! Besides I'm having a hard time not getting the same foods you can in the states like Fat-Free Ranch dressing
HAH Sainsburys is actually the most expensive of the 3 giants (ASDA, which is basically Walmart...Tesco and Sainsburys).
I shop at Sainsburys because I prefer their healthy living range and wider selection, but Tesco and Asda are cheaper, followed by Sainsburys. I was not trying to lose weight when I first moved over here, but I ended up losing anyways. I was constantly sick for the first 4-6 months
I find British food somewhat bland, if I'm honest. My mother sends me care packages with some of my favourites like Countrytime Lemonade and Sugar Free Jello Pudding. (you can bring these things with you, I also brought along a thingy of Season All seasoning salt and some other goodies like Rice-A-Roni and stuff for when I get homesick)
Its extremely expensive out here, especially in London. I know you'll have a great time anyways! Also, be prepared that things are COMPLETELY different study wise out here. In my first year at University I've had nearly 20,000 words worth of essays completed (and I'm not done yet!). You'll have very little "practical" work in a sense. lol
Semester abroad in London, advice?
How exciting, Gypsy! 
