Healthy food does not have to be expensive. While it is true that organic costs more you can still eat well without breaking the bank. It all depends on the choices you make and what you buy.
Eating on a budget is possible and in the article I’ll help you discover how.
Always buy seasonal produce
Eating what is in season is always cheaper. All produce that is imported will be more expensive.
Check local markets for cheaper produce
Markets are cheaper than supermarkets so it is definitely worth looking. Try to go at the weekend so you can do your shopping for the week.
You don’t have to always go organic with fruit and vegetables
Organic is always best when it comes to fruit and vegetables. However, it’s important to eat your greens, so if you cannot afford to buy organic, that’s ok.
You can wash your vegetables with bicarbonate of soda or white vinegar, this helps to really wash them well.
You can also have a look at the dirty dozen. This is a list that comes out every year and it highlights the fruit and vegetables that are higher in pesticides. So you may think about only buying organic from that list.
Frozen fruit & vegetables are cheaper
Frozen fruit and vegetables are by far cheaper than fresh and are still packed full of nutrients so you can stock up your freezer. I often buy frozen peas and broccoli for soups and berries for my smoothies.
Limit fish & meat
Fish and meat will be more expensive so you could think about limiting these to once or twice a week.
I will stress that when it comes to meat it must always be organic. I can never stress this enough. All non-organic meat is injected with hormones and antibiotics. Cheapest meat is chicken and the cheapest fish is salmon.
Cheaper food options
Oats, brown rice, beans, lentils, chickpeas and eggs are all cheap and good for you.
I always have porridge in winter with fruit and in the warmer months I will put the oats in my smoothie.
You can substitute meat and fish for plant based protein like beans.
Buy food in bulk
You can buy large bags of oats and nuts online. I do a lot of my shopping online at amazon. You can pretty much find anything and it is much cheaper.
You do not have to buy superfoods
If you cannot afford to buy superfoods it is not the end of the world. Maybe start with just one but honestly the most important thing is that you include plenty of greens in your diet. Just by increasing your intake of vegetables is good.
Cook in large batches
You can cook large quantities of foods like soups and curries and freeze them so you have plenty for the weeks ahead.
Plan your meals ahead
Eating on a Budget is all about planning. It’s useful to sit down and plan your meals for the week ahead so you can plan your food shopping and not get distracted by expensive convenience foods.
Take advantage of sale offers
When you see your favourite foods on sale take advantage and stock up so you have plenty to last you for a while.
I hope that you have found this article about eating on a budget of use. Please sign up to my mailing list or follow me on Facebook for more useful posts.