Eating Healthy On a Budget

Eating healthy is one of the most crucial components of overall well being. This said, there are numerous challenges towards eating healthy on a regular basis. Having to maintain a budget is certainly a major factor.
An effective diet will drastically effect your mental, physical, and spiritual well being, by eating healthy you will have positive impacts on all these things.

Your personal health and the health of your family is something that should always take priority. Eating healthy can drastically change your life, why would anyone ever try to go cheap?

Eating right doesn't mean that you need to sacrifice material things to save money. It does mean that you need to be aware of what your intake looks like and pay attention to your body when it is needing additional healthy foods.

Most of us don't have the resources to buy all organic, grass fed, vegan gluten free, fancy health foods. It reality, this isn't necessary. Again, the importance is focused on being aware of your food, this includes how your food actually works.

There are certain items like tomatoes, berries, and peppers that have softer, more porous skin that makes it easier for pesticides to be absorbed into the produce. Things like melons, avocados, and bananas have a harder skin or rind. Because of the differences in the skin of some produce, spending a few extra dollars on organic for these types of fruits and vegetables is well worth the extra cost.

We recently came across an article from Thrive Market that has some great insights as to how to eat healthy on a budget.

To make it easy, we got straight to the point here for you.

How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

   1. Plan your meals ahead of time and make sure you have all the ingredients, make a list. This is crucial to staying on track.

   2. Shop smart. Don't shop hungry and stick to the perimeter of the store not the aisles. Grocery stores usually house all the less healthy options in the isles.

   3. Eat out less. Make eating out a special treat not a regular occurrence. This way you can control where the food comes from and how it is prepared.

   4. Find ways to utilize leftovers. Save leftovers for the next day's lunch, this not only saves on prep time, but also takes some of the brain power out of the mundane and lets you focus on more important things.

   5. Learn to master different cuts of meat. Not only can you save a ton by opening up to more affordable options, such as canned and frozen beef and pork, but is often the same quality that you find at butcher.

   6. Shop for in-season produce. By buying in bulk and freezing produce for later use, it's cheaper in season. This is also applicable to beef and pork. If you have space, look into buying beef in bulk and freezing it.

   7. Watch for sales. Again, this is part of being aware of your food. Just by getting to know the stores around you and learning when things go on sale you can shop the best prices year round.

   8. Become a regular at your local farmer's market, or look into getting a CSA farm box. For those of you that happen to live in a food desert, look into subscription boxes from any one of over a dozen options.  Subscription boxes from the likes of Blue Apron, Freshly, and Graze are all good options.

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