One of the biggest challenges people face when changing their dietary habits is the cost of food.
Eating healthy, nourishing foods can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. If you go chasing every new diet and buying up all of the trendy food, you are going to spend a fortune. But, eating a whole food, nutrient dense diet can actually be less expensive, when done right.
Here are my top tips for eating healthy on a budget!
Plan Your Meals
Before you go to the store, have a plan. Chances are if you are just wandering, you are going to end up spending way more than you planned.
It’s also important to make sure you are planning so that you don’t overbuy perishables and end up having to throw them away, or underbuy and end up having to go out for dinner.
Here is a meal planning template to help get you started.
Eat Seasonally
Buy produce that is in season (that means no strawberries in November unfortunately). A quick search online will give you lots of ideas about what’s in season in your area at any given time.
Look for a local CSA near you. This is a great way to get fresh, local produce at a great price.
Eating in season is not only beneficial for the budget, but also for us. For most of us, our diets don’t vary much. Eating seasonally allows us to eat a more nutritionally diverse diet, meaning we are getting more nutrients in, yes please!!
Buy In Bulk
Buying in bulk is usually quite a bit cheaper. Items that tend to be cheaper in bulk are oats, rice, nuts, seeds, and grains.
Buying meat in bulk can also save you a ton of money, call around to local farms and get on a list to buy ½ a cow or pig. You do have a large upfront cost, but the meat is almost always less expensive than what you would buy at the store.
Less Expensive Protein Sources
Eggs
Canned Tuna
Canned Salmon
Beans
Nut Butters
If you are still feeling like it is too expensive to eat healthy.
Look at how much you are spending on dining out or fast food, and compare that to the amount that you could have spent on fresh produce or a less expensive protein source.
Also, from a health perspective, it might be worth it to reallocate some funds to cover the cost of nourishing your body, your future self will thank you!
Lastly, it’s important to remember that small changes add up. Start changing one thing at a time and once you have that down, move on to the next. Start with a healthy breakfast (eggs and greens are pretty inexpensive and are full of all kinds of nourishing vitamins and minerals). Once you feel like you have breakfast down, tackle the next meal. Check out this blog post if you are needing some breakfast inspiration!
What would you add to this list?
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