Good morning! We have a guest post from Jay Mistri he is a freelance finance writer from Massachusetts who runs Tips From Jay, a personal finance blog geared towards frugal living and day to day money saving tips. Instagram and Facebook
In today’s society, unhealthy eating has become incredibly common and integrated itself into our everyday lives. If you ever find yourself perusing the organic section of your local supermarket or shopping at Whole Foods, you’ll find that the healthier foods typically cost more. I mean, what sounds better? A pound of apples or a cheeseburger and fries from Wendy’s for the same price?
First of all, it is important to note that regardless of the cost, healthy eating should be a top priority as it’ll save thousands of dollars in medical bills and save you plenty of physical and emotional pain down the road in life. But if you’re on a budget like me, just know that it’s still possible to eat healthy without breaking the bank. It’ll take a little bit of nutritional knowledge and some self discipline but here’s a few tips that will help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle.
Identify High Quality, Low Cost Foods
This should come as no surprise, but you’ll find some of the best vitamin rich foods in the produce section, which is where you should go first when you get to the supermarket. Besides the fact that fruits and vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet, shopping for them first will fill up a big portion of your cart or basket and may make you think twice about spending the extra $4 on the family sized bag of chips.
Now some produce can be quite expensive so here’s some of my favorites that I can usually pick up for very cheap:
Bananas – $0.50 per pound
Bell Peppers – $1.50 per pound
Potatoes – $0.79 per pound
Broccoli – $1.86 per pound
Kale – $1.67 per pound
Onions – $0.80 per pound
(These prices are based on the price at my local Stop & Shop. Costs may vary at your local supermarket)
Each of these food items is low in calories and loaded with plenty of essential vitamins. Typically a couple of pounds of each of these will last at least a week for a single person. Personally I buy 3 pounds of bananas, a 5 pound bag of potatoes, and a few crowns of broccoli for under $10 on a regular shopping day.
As for proteins, I like to stick with chicken because it’s lean and inexpensive. The cut doesn’t matter too much to me, I usually get whatever is on sale, although I mostly prefer chicken breast. Usually with meats I buy them in 5 pound packages or heavier because they cost less (per pound) than the smaller portions. Fish is another healthy source of protein but can be quite costly.
For grains and carbohydrates it’s hard to go wrong with brown rice or whole wheat pasta. These are both good sources of complex carbohydrates, which are our everyday supply of energy, and will probably be the cheapest thing on your grocery list (aside from bananas). HOWEVER, it is important to note that white rice is heavily processed and regular pasta is made with highly refined flour. Both of these are simple carbohydrates that serve as very short term energy before being stored as fat and should be avoided.
At this point in your grocery haul your cart should be pretty full with produce, protein, and grains with very little space left for junk food. And the best part? All of this usually costs me less than $20 every week.
Boxed Lunch Instead Of Takeout
There are two reasons why I bring my own lunch to work instead of going out to eat: it’s much cheaper and it’s much healthier. A takeout lunch can cost upwards of $10, which means dining out can cost over $200 every month. Not to mention the food at most chain restaurants is worse for you than you think.
Let’s take Chipotle for example. Sure at a glance the burrito with cheese, chicken, beans and veggies seems healthy but this is a deceptive image. Despite healthy base foods, the meats and beans are loaded with salt and several other preservatives. These alone can make a single burrito over 1000 calories and well over your daily limit for sodium. This surplus of salt can cause bloating by making you retain more water weight and also result in high blood pressure in the long run. On the other hand, making the same burrito or a taco salad at home allows you to control everything that goes into your meal with no hidden health consequences for a fraction of the price.
The Cost Of Snacking
Something I’ve noticed a lot from people who complain about the cost of healthy food is that they’re always filling their shopping cart with unhealthy snacks. Let me ask you this; how much does a pack of Oreos cost? The answer is $2.99, or the same as 2 pounds of apples. In other words, the cost of Oreos (which in my opinion is probably the worst food you can put in your body) is the same as a healthy alternative snack yet I see them or other cookies in shopping carts more than fruit.
Let’s look at another example. Chips and microwave popcorn cost about the same as a bag of unpopped popcorn kernels. Chips and microwave popcorn are filled with saturated and trans fat. Popcorn by itself (or a little salt) is actually a very healthy snack, being high in fiber and low in calories.
These are just two examples of how unhealthy snacks can be replaced with healthy ones for the same cost but the list can go on and on.
Overall, healthy eating is more than possible on a tight budget but it does require some planning and better awareness of our eating habits. Don’t let the price tags at the supermarket scare you away from a healthy lifestyle, they’ll haunt you later in medical bills.
I will start off by saying that I have a weak spot for Oreos and we keep a pack around the house for most times. 2018 has been the year of ‘eating healthy’ for my wife and I. After getting some blood tests done at the doctor, I realized that I should probably start eating healthier. I have found that shopping around and looking for sales help save money. Eating healthier does take a little more prep time with meals but all in all I think it’s worth it – an investment in our health!
Hi Ben!
I am so happy to hear that you’re choosing to eat healthier this year! I’m in the same boat, I love Oreos but I have come to realize that high blood pressure runs in the family and that I should make some better decisions.
I entirely agree, eating healthier takes quite a bit more prep time but it’s an investment that pays out very quick. I feel a lot better about myself having some fresh chicken and veggies as opposed to getting fast food for lunch!
wow, your prices are really low!
I am in Europe, Belgium, and here the prices is going double if not triple. Even the prices are big, I can find local and season vegetables, local fresh diary products (milk, heavy cream, cheese) to make a healthy and a proper menu for us, so no one got sick for years in our family.
Avoiding snacks (maximum some apples, it is the full season) is the French recommendation here, and maybe for some people is great, but for us the snacks is not at all.
Hi Claudia!
That’s crazy to hear! But I bet that might be because the food there is much fresher than here in America. I’m happy to hear that despite costs you’re still able to keep making healthy meals! I agree, snacks have been my demise over the years but thankfully fruit (mostly bananas for me) has been my saving grace!
You’ve got to shop in your local markets as opposed to big supermarkets and only shop fresh. Fresh vegetables are cheap so there’s no excuse for not eating heathly cheaply.
That’s so true! Plus, shopping locally usually means you end up with higher quality food!
I recently switched to a more healthier diet due to some minor medical conditions, but it hasn’t cost me more than what I was paying prior. Of course, some things can be a bit costly, but local markets help and some of proportions that are made for multiple meals, actually save me some money too.
Hi Todd!
Glad to hear that you’ve made changes to improve your diet without paying extra! Local markets are great, and I usually find that they have better quality food than the big chain supermarkets (especially their eggs and veggies if you live near a farm!)
As a food fanatic it is sometimes hard to pass up the good eats for a more expensive price, however planning ahead is super beneficial. I appreciate all of the helpful tips for healthy eats vs unhealthy. Love that it is possible to have the same meal/snack but healthier, for cheaper! http://www.docupop.com
I totally agree! While I love to think with my wallet, I sometimes can’t help but spend the few extra dollars to buy meat from the butcher. The quality is worth it.
Hey, thanks for the tips. I’m inspired to skip all the junk food when doing groceries and buying fruit instead.
I just can’t agree more with the first point of setting realistic goal but in beginning normally we are too excited and even go to the extreme level but as the days pass it becomes very difficult to continue with the original plan if it too strict or boring.
Eating a healthy is really expensive, nowadays if you want to live happy and healthy then a good and nutritious diet is must. It helps to increase your metabolism, if you are fit then automatically increase your confidence + thinking level . i saw your prices list of healthy food diet i.e very low.
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I agree that eating healthy is as expensive as working out. However, it should really be practiced by people since they will be the ones who will benefit from it in the long run. Nonetheless, if one really wants to live a healthy life, opting to eat healthy and practice a healthy lifestyle should not be a problem. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this!
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It is indeed BETTER to spend your money to live healthily than spend it being on a hospital bed! It is true that it is quite expensive but I think healthy living should be considered as an investment.
great information.thanks for sharing
one of my favorite tip is that chew well & know yourself before you set goals. , eat that food which we love. I mean, take right food Like I’d love a margarita with my lettuce cup spicy tacos if I’m being honest. But really, when you need a chilled glass of rosé, you need a chilled glass of rosé not use the drink.
Thanks For sharing great knowledge. Taking the right food is more important than following wrong dieting schedule. I hope that it would make a difference and people will love to choose healthy food products.
I think so. Eating healthy is that much expensive.
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