We all want to eat healthy, but the high cost of food can make it difficult.
Well, here’s the good news.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
But figuring out how to eat healthy without breaking the bank can be a challenge.
Karen Salmansohn may have said it best…
“Healthy does NOT mean starving yourself EVER. Healthy means eating the right food in the right amount.”
In this post, you’re going to learn 5 actionable tips that’ll help you to start eating better meals while also empowering you to save money in the process.
Let’s dive in!
1. Plan Meals Around Price Tags
Next time you go grocery shopping, look for foods that don’t cost an arm and a leg to buy in family-sized portions.
Some of my favorites include:
- Roma tomatoes
- Yellow onions
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Tuna
- Head lettuce
See, a lot of people get caught up in buying more expensive foods. Foods like avocados, nuts, and kale are awesome, but they do tend to cost a bit more.
Buy more of the foods with a lower price tag, and only splurge on the more expensive foods once in a while.
Meat is another category where prices differ.
As a general rule, chicken tends to be about half the price of beef.
Turkey is another healthy, cost effective option.
Using these ingredients will still give you the nutrients you need, while helping you to avoid spending more than you should.
2. Buy In Bulk
Some things can’t really be purchased in bulk.
For example, buying tomatoes in bulk will most likely leave you with a bag of spoiled tomatoes after a little while.
But frozen chicken, rice, dried beans, and other long-lasting foods can easily be obtained for less when you buy them in larger quantities.
3. Use More Spices
If you throw some chicken and onions into a pot and cook it five times per week, people are probably going to get a bit fed up with it.
But if you season that dish in 5 different ways, you actually create 5 different types of meals using the exact same ingredients.
On Monday, season your chicken with curry powder, and add some coconut milk.
On Tuesday, sprinkle green onions on top, make some brown gravy, and season it with some prepackaged slow-cooker seasoning.
These are the same foods (chicken and onions), but you can prepare them in vastly different ways just by using different spices. Plus, they won’t cost you any more to prepare either way.
4. Keep It Simple
If in doubt, keep things simple.
A portion of meat, two different vegetables, and a starch (rice, potatoes, sweet potato, etc.) has the makings of an awesome meal. And yet, it’s just four ingredients.
You don’t have to get fancy to have a delicious meal.
5. Cut Down On Dining Out
Eating out is far more expensive than cooking at home.
Consider cutting down on going out, and cooking more meals with fresh ingredients in your own kitchen.
Once you get the hang of it, it doesn’t even have to be that time consuming.
Throw a roast, some potatoes, and some carrots into a slow cooker with some seasoning. You’ll spend about 4x-8x less than you would at a restaurant, but still get high-quality food that’ll nourish your body.
Plus, it’ll be just as delicious.
In Conclusion
Hopefully, this post has helped you to understand that you can eat healthy for less.
It just takes a bit of time and effort to get into the habit, and learn what works best.
Now get out there and get started!
