How do I eat healthy on a budget?

I often hear people saying ” I would love to eat healthier but I can’t afford it”. We have all made the decision to “go on a diet” and gone to the grocery store to buy only healthy foods and walked out spending twice as much as we normally would have. This is not a very good positive reinforcement to start a healthy lifestyle. Although many “health foods” tend to be more expensive than packaged processed foods (i.e. Chef Boyardee, box Mac n Cheese, etc.) , you do not need to spend a lot of money to greatly improve the quality of foods you are eating. Instead of going through your kitchen and throwing out all of the unhealthy foods and vowing from this day forward you will only eat healthy foods, I strongly suggest taking small steps to change your eating patterns. I will go into detail on what exactly a healthy diet should look like in another blog but I wanted to give you some suggestions on how to purchase healthy foods at a low cost first so you are more prepared to make the transition in the future.

1. Buy items that are on sale.- One of your best investments should be a large freezer. When you are shopping, look for items that are on sale that are easily freezable. This includes low fat meats, breads, frozen vegetables and some fresh produce that can be frozen with a little preparation beforehand. Frozen produce believe it or not has the same nutrients as fresh because it was frozen when the item was in season. So if the item you are looking for is not on sale I suggest buying it frozen if you can. If you are really ambitious check the sales flyers before you go to the store. This will give you a great idea on what products are on sale that week so you have a plan before you even enter the store.
2. Buy in bulk- Try and limit the amount of packaging you are paying for. Items are often cheaper per serving if you buy in large amounts. This works well with grains, pasta, meats and frozen vegetables. Be careful not to purchase large amounts of products that expire quickly and cannot be frozen, such as dairy, eggs and some produce.
3. Buy generic when it makes sense. This is where you will want to read the labels to see if there really is a difference between the Brand name item and the generic item. There are many other things on a label that are very important but I will go into that as well in another blog.
4. Buy in season and buy local whenever you can. This will save you from spending money on the costs of shipping the item to your store and keep money in your local economy. There are a few reasons why you should try and buy foods that are in season. One has to do with the amount of nutrients in the food that is in season compared to a food that has been “altered” to be available when you want it to be. Another reason to buy and eat foods that are in season, is that our bodies are designed to best digest foods during the time that they are in season. This goes back to when our ancestor’s did not have the convenience of a freezer or a grocery store and had to live off of the foods that were available at that time.
5. Make sure you eat all of what you buy. People often throw out at least 25% of the food that they purchase. This can be a Huge savings to you if you are one of those people. Learn to enjoy leftovers. You can use the leftovers for a different meal if you want to get creative. If you really hate eating leftovers than make sure you are cooking small amounts so there is just one serving per person that is dining with you. I am not advising that you have triple servings of a meal just so that the food doesn’t get thrown out.
6. Eat out on a budget. If you can, plan your dining out experience for lunch instead of supper. Most restaurants offer less expensive lunch options that are still plenty large enough. Even though you are eating this meal at lunchtime it should be your large meal of the day. So plan on having a light meal later on when you would have typically had supper. Another way to save money is to split an entrée with someone and order a small salad to go along with it or order an appetizer as your entrée.

This is a general list of ways that you can save a lot of money in the long run and still incorporate a healthy diet. Be aware that if you are loading up on items that are on sale and buying many items in bulk than your bill will be quite higher to begin. I suggest starting small if you do not have it in your budget to lay out a large amount of money. You can still build up quite a pantry by just buying a couple of items in bulk during each trip. Just be sure to know what you already have before heading out to the store.