HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET
A GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET
There is a tendency to believe that eating healthy is more expensive than eating fast food. The fact is that processed foods are some of the priciest menu choices in the grocery store. They are lacking in essential nutrients and are usually loaded with calories, sugar (of some type… usually high fructose corn syrup), and chemicals. They provide you with no substance and leave you feeling unsatiated, hungry, tired, and possibly angry in a short period of time. This then causes you to eat more of the processed foods, which increases your caloric intake and leads to eventual weight gain.
In the long term, making healthy food choices may also save you money, as poor eating habits can lead to health problems like hormone imbalances, acne, type II diabetes, heart disease, and premature aging, which all lead to weighty medical bills.
Healthy eating is possible on a budget. Below are some guidelines on how to eat healthily without breaking the bank.
Create a plan for the store - Make a weekly meal plan and write out needed ingredients before heading out for groceries. This will save time and money while adding organization to your week. Limit yourself to only buying what is on your list to avoid impulse junk food purchases. Shop for items that go far such as big bunches of greens, bulk grains and legumes, and frozen fruit or vegetables. By doing a larger, planned out shop once a week, you will save all those extra trips to the store for forgotten items, which wastes time and money.
Create a meal plan and prep your food - As above, creating a meal plan for the week, as well as prepping food ahead of time, sets you up for healthy eating success and more money in your wallet. When food is not at the ready and hunger hits, drive-throughs at fast-food restaurants on the way to or from work can be very tempting.
If long commutes and/or sitting in traffic are part of your daily routine, have a container of raw nuts, a piece of fruit, a protein bar and plenty of water, ready in your car to avoid those emergency unhealthy stops.
At home, prep chopped veggies, dips like hummus and pesto, cooked grains, and other staples so that putting together a meal or snack is quick and easy.
Double your recipe - If there have been countless times you’ve made a delicious, nourishing meal only to have it eaten before you can go back and enjoy it a second time, start to double or triple the recipe. This will save time and money, and allow you to enjoy the meal a couple more times. Plus, food often tastes better when you do not have to put the effort in to cook it! If you tire of eating the same things several times in the same week, make meals that freeze well, like soups and stews, that you can pull out on a busy day later in the month.
Refer to my guide on batch cooking for some extra useful tips and recipe ideas!
Eat before you shop - Grocery shopping while hungry often results in succumbing to temptations and buying more processed, denatured foods, or simply buying more food in general, since you want to snack on everything you see. If you make sure to have a healthy snack or meal before shopping, it will make it much easier to stick to your list and not grab foods you and your wallet will regret later on.
Buy in bulk - Another great way to make healthy meal prep more affordable is to buy in bulk (if you have limited storage space or the foods do not last for long, you can also split the cost with a friend or family member - or better yet, make the food together to make it more enjoyable and fun).
Not only will buying in bulk save you money, it will also save you extra trips to the grocery store throughout the week. Try to plan several different recipes incorporating the same food item. Non-perishables are the best items to purchase in bulk - for example, whole grains, quinoa, brown rice pasta, oats, herbs and spices. Healthy soups, free-range eggs, and large packages of organic meat that can be divided, sealed, and frozen are also great options. It is important to always check for expiration dates, especially on bulk items. Costco now carries a good range of organic products in bulk sizes, like frozen berries for smoothies, eggs, nuts, and grains.
Keep it simple - Do not worry about buying expensive powders and superfoods right away. You can feed your body the essential nutrients even when you stick to the basics. Many of the standard items in your pantry or fridge are everyday superfoods themselves! Stock your pantry with high-quality products such as oats, quinoa, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, Himalayan sea salt, garlic, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar (ACV). When making a salad, simple dressings are often the best. Olive oil, lemon juice or ACV, a pinch of sea salt and some crushed garlic makes for a healthy and delicious dressing.
Shop at the farmers’ market - Buying fresh and local fruits, veggies, grains and other staples at the farmers’ market is a great way to get in-season produce and support local farmers. Talk to the vendors to gain a greater appreciation of how the food nourishing your body is grown. Save money and get to know who produced all the food you’re buying - there is nothing much better than that!
Markets are usually advertised on signs in the area, but if you do not know where your local farmers’ market is located, just hop online and do a Google search. They often occur at the same time and place on a weekly basis during the growing season.
Eat less meat - Meat products are usually the most expensive items on a grocery list, especially if you are buying high-quality meats (organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free, grass-fed, wild-caught fish, etc.). Making small changes, such as implementing “meatless Mondays”, can help reduce your weekly grocery bill. Experiment with other plant-based protein sources like tempeh, combined grains and legumes, or a hemp-based protein shake to create perfect protein combinations, which will leave you satiated and satisfied.
Stock your pantry smart - Stock your pantry with foods that can be used for multiple dishes. This is the same idea as buying in bulk. Pantry items are the best to buy in bulk because they are the least perishable. Legumes are a great example as you can use them in a breakfast dish or grain bowl and then also toss some in with a soup or salad or with vegetables at lunch or dinner.
Shop the perimeter of the store - When grocery shopping, try to avoid the centre aisles of the store. For the most part, all the most nutrient-dense, fresh or frozen foods are arranged along the outer edge of the store. The most processed, more expensive, and often impulse buys are in the center aisles.
Join a CSA - Similar to shopping at the farmers’ market, joining a CSA (community supported agriculture) means sourcing your items directly from the producer and therefore saving money. Often CSA programs will be offered at the farmers’ market, or if not, you can sign up for one online. As a CSA member, you pay upfront for your produce for the season, but will end up saving time and money overall. All that is required of you is to pick up your produce box on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on which option you choose (some CSAs also offer delivery). When you break down the cost paid upfront for your box, you will find it is less than what you would normally pay for groceries at a store. You will also be getting large quantities of seasonal and local produce, which should inspire you to eat more produce than usual and contribute to your overall health and well-being.