7 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

 

 

The following are 7 Ways to Eat Good on a Budget. But the bottom line, always remember, is this: we can pay now or pay later (in suffering, doctor bills, etc.) when it comes to our dietary discipline and food choices.

 

1. Choose Produce Not Packages: People think eating healthy is about buying a lot of expensive boxes and packages of processed foods -- but that isn't the case at all. The cheapest, most nutrient-dense foods in a grocery store live in the produce aisle. Fresh vegetables and fresh fruits.

 

2. Cook Big and Save Some for Later: Cooking meals in large batches and freezing the leftovers for later in the week, or month, can save you a lot of time and money. Instead of buying fast food or eating out at restaurants, or even cooking a full meal every time you get hungry, it's way more cost effective, time-saving and healthy for you to pull something out of the freezer and warm it up than it is to wash/chop/slice/boil/bake/wait in line/wait to be served.

 

3. Soup Up Your Options: Large vegetable soups over brown rice or whole grain noodles pack in vitamins and nutrients, fill you up, and are easy to make and delicious. Add beans, canned tuna, etc... Going totally meatless a couple of times a week (or for good) also helps your budget and gives your palate a variety to enjoy. Frozen veggies, which are inexpensive, work great in soups.

 

4. Make a Plan and See Where The Values Are: Make eating healthy a priority in terms of how we spend the resources we have. Makes no sense to be fronting like a rich person on the outside, but being in poor health on the inside, right?

 

5. Season Your Food: Eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, that is! Otherwise you'll be paying a much higher price. Also, eating foods that are current in their natural growing season can help strengthen your immune system for that season. Seasonal fruits can be frozen and blended to smoothies. Frozen vegetables also can be used to make a stir fry. They're convenient and they don't spoil quickly like fresh fruits and veggies.

 

6. Join a Co-op or Local Community Garden: In exchange for your minimal volunteer work hours per month, you get your groceries at co-op members-only prices. Same thing goes for community gardens. And not only that you get to learn a WHOLE lot about nutrition and health being in that kind of environment.

 

7. Drink More Water: Many times when we think we are hungry, it may be actually a sign of thirst. Bottled water getting too expensive? Get a basic filter for your tap, some for as low as $20 bucks. We don't even know it, but when we are drinking enough water it curbs our appetite so we don't overeat. Drinking water also saves us money on all the sugary drinks on the market.

 

Summary

In summary, the main thing to remember for eating good on a budget is that it is doable!