A visit to a health food store can convince anyone that healthy eating is a luxury rather than an option. On the other hand, eating healthy doesn't mean having to buy the most sensational new food or a basket of exotic fruit. If you're willing to rethink your food choices and are willing to be creative in the kitchen, you can eat healthy and delicious food for less than some people have to pay. Read on for information on how to create a meal plan that fits your individual needs.
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Method 1 of 3: Creating a Budget for Healthy Eating
Step 1. Decide what foods are healthy for you
“Healthy” means different things to each person, but the goal is to get the vitamins and nutrients you need to give you energy, prevent disease, and help you live the kind of life you envision. Make a list of foods that match your personal definition of healthy, keeping the following factors in mind:
- Consider your physical needs. Do certain foods make you feel energized, while other foods make you weak? Try to figure out what foods are good for you.
- Do you have any food allergies or conditions that get worse by eating certain foods? Keep this in mind when you create a list.
- What do you like? Healthy food is something you should enjoy. Add your favorite foods to a personal list. Don't be afraid to leave food you don't want to eat. Healthy food should not be a burden.
Step 2. Rethink food ratios
The most expensive foods are often the ones we may not need to eat at every meal, or even every day.
- Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, are highly nutritious foods that can be purchased cheaply, and should be a large portion of your diet.
- Meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products are the most nutritious foods when they come from unshed, organic, or grass-fed livestock, which are widely available in grocery stores. If you treat these foods as side dishes or eat them every other day instead of being the focus of every meal of yours, you'll get more nutritional power for your money.
- Cheese, bread, desserts, and other processed foods tend to be expensive, and are also the least important food from a nutritional point of view. If you're trying to eat healthy on a budget, then it's best to limit these foods as much as possible.
Step 3. Prepare a budget
Now that you've listed the foods that make up your personal diet and prioritized them according to their nutritional value and cost, it's time to develop a detailed budget to help you plan your food purchases.
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How much money do you spend on food each month?
If you eat out, don't forget to count restaurant visits as part of your monthly food budget. Consider your morning coffee purchases, afternoon snacks, and other food purchases you make during the month. This will reduce the amount of money you have to spend when shopping for food
- Review the amount of your monthly food budget, determine how much money you spend when shopping.
- Divide your budget into food categories, and decide how much money you want to spend on those foods.
- If you already have a full budget for shopping, it's time to buy some food.
Method 2 of 3: Shop for Healthy Food on a Budget
Step 1. Find the food you need
Start by doing research. Find out how to get the best price for each type of food, and record that information in a spreadsheet or notebook.
- Consider shopping at more than one place. Instead of buying everything from the same grocery store, try using coupons or looking for sales from more than one place.
- Eat seasonal foods. When there is a harvest period for a particular food, the price will drop significantly. Pay attention to when the foods on your list are in season. Not only do you save money, but you also get to eat very fresh food.
- Foods purchased directly from farmers are very fresh produce, often organic produce at very affordable prices. Look for produce that can be purchased directly from your local farmers and make deals with them. They will often be happy to sell you at a discount if you buy regularly and in bulk.
Step 2. Go grocery shopping
It's time to put your budget into action. While reviewing the foods on the list, keep these money-saving tips in mind:
- Buy the cheapest variety of all kinds of food. Some foods come packaged frozen, seasoned, in cans, and dried in bags. Find out what forms of food on your list are the least expensive, and buy them.
- Spend a lot of time shopping. If you're shopping when you're in a rush, then you can grab the foods that are most easily accessible instead of spending time figuring out which foods have the best deals.
Step 3. Be open to trying new foods
You may have just started out at the market and come across strawberries that have dropped in price, but blueberries are on sale. Remember, your list is just a basic guide, and you don't have to go home with foods that actually match what you had in mind.
Method 3 of 3: Adopting Budget-Friendly Eating Habits
Step 1. Make your own processed food
Processed foods often cost more than fresh, whole foods. If possible, buy fresh food and prepare it yourself. For example:
- If you like baked beans, buy them raw in the bulk food section. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until warm and brown. These baked beans taste better than unroasted ones.
- Instead of buying packaged granola (ground oats mixed with nuts, honey, fruit, then baked) or cereal bars, buy raw ingredients and make your own at home.
- Buy fresh whole foods and cut them into small pieces, juice them, and freeze them.
- Make your own sauces, salad dressings, and seasonings instead of buying bottled ones.
Step 2. Provide food storage
If you have the right storage containers and space in the kitchen, you can buy fresh and dry foods in bulk and store them for a long time.
- Set up a dark, cool cellar or kitchen to store potatoes, apples, pumpkins, onions, and other produce.
- Prepare a large freezer for preserving meat and vegetables.
- Buy a barrel that you can use to store dry nuts and seeds.
Step 3. Don't eat out too often
There's no other way: eating out at restaurants is much more expensive than eating at home, and you don't really have much control over how healthy the food you eat is. Do eat out only for certain times.
- If you eat out, choose the simplest dishes on the menu, which are also often the cheapest.
- Eat only what is your portion, as most restaurant portions are larger than necessary. Bring leftovers home to eat later, and combine them with healthy, homemade side dishes.
Step 4. Learn to cook from scratch
Cooking from scratch is the cheapest way to eat, and often the healthiest.
- Instead of buying canned soup, learn to make soup in bulk. You can eat it for several days.
- Get into the habit of using leftovers. Arrange the refrigerator so that no food spoils. Eat it or use it as an ingredient in sauces, casseroles, or soups. For example, aged lettuce can be chopped and used in soups, aged salsa can be added to curries, and aged milk can be made into quiche, which is a pie filled with meat, vegetables, and cheese. (Of course, don't use anything that's really sour or stale!)
Step 5. Use more inexpensive ingredients than expensive ones when cooking
Use vitamin and mineral fortified rice or brown rice, whole grain pasta or bread, or cooked oats to make cheap, healthy meals in large quantities instead of tasty, more expensive meals.
- Use less meat in spicy recipes by halving the required amount of minced meat and adding water and instant plain oats. Make original creations and try different variations.
- In general, cut back on the amount of meat you eat. Meat is one of the most expensive foods you can buy, so by skipping meat once or twice a week, you can save a lot of money.
Tips
- Make your own snacks and take them with you wherever you go, along with a bottle of water.
- To save time, take one day a week and cook a large batch.
- Replace soft drinks with water. If you prefer, you can also buy an inexpensive water filter that can filter liters of water of the same quality as bottled water.
- Learn to use substitutes. Often home cooked dishes do not get cooked because some ingredients are not available. If you run out of butter, learn to use the right amount of water and use white butter. Save powdered milk for various cooking purposes or buy boxed milk that stays fresh on the refrigerator shelf.
- If food is packaged in metal boxes or bags, don't buy it.
