How to eat healthy on a tight budget
Times are hard and we need to cut down on expenses. We may even need to tighten our belts and cut down on our food budget. But if we have to, then we should do so wisely, without compromising our family’s health and nutrition. Here are some tips on eating healthy on a slim budget.
- Stick to the essentials. Cut down on dessert but not on vegetables and fruit. Opt for the fresh vegetables instead of the pre-cut ones because the latter are usually more expensive. Go for food with lots of fibers. Beans are high in fibers. So are potatoes if you eat them with the skin on. Fibers are good for your health and filling for the stomach.
- Non-organic food may just be as good. Organic food is much more expensive than your normal fruit and vegetables. That doesn’t mean they are always better. Go organic if the budget allows it. If not, don’t feel too bad about it.
- Buy seasonal produce. Seasonal fruit and vegetables are always cheaper than out of season produce that needs to be imported from other countries. You can cut up vegetables and freeze them for leaner times.
- Go for smaller portions. Eat less meat. Make up the quantity instead with more vegetables and fruit which are definitely less fattening. If you have to stop by at Starbuck’s, then go for Tall instead of Grande.
- Prepare a food shopping list. Plan your shopping trips to the supermarket in advance and stick to your list. Avoid impulsive, spur-of-the-moment buys (even if they are on a discounted price!) that you actually do not or won’t need.
- Eat out less frequently. Eating out costs money. It can also be fattening because you feel compelled to finish up your plate for paying so much. When eating in a restaurant, go for one course less. You might skip the soup and the dessert and concentrate on the salad and the main course instead. Whenever we eat out, our 2 kids share one kiddie menu. I then order a large salad for the whole family, my husband and I would order one main each, but again one dessert for everybody. It’s less expensive, less wasteful and less fattening.
- Avoid take outs and deliveries. These may be very convenient but they end up being more expensive and they are not necessarily healthy.
- Prepare sandwiches. When traveling, I pack sandwiches and fruit for the whole family. This is not only cheaper, it also gives us more flexibility because we can have our meal anytime we want. And we don’t resort to fast food.
- Drink water. Water is the healthiest beverage you can ever hope for. If you are sure that your tap water is safe (check with your water supplier), then drink tap water. Bottled water isn’t necessarily better. If you have to drink juice, dilute it with water 50-50. I’ve trained my kids to do this long before the recession so that they can barely tolerate “pure” (supersweet) juice.
- Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is expensive, rich in calories, and according to recent studies, increases your risk for cancer.
Times are hard. But with the right strategies, tightening our belt may actually make us fitter than before.
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