Eating Healthy On a Budget

Jul 29, 2011

by TLS

Whether you are actually on a diet or not, you are most likely aware of how important healthy eating is, and what a challenge it has actually become. From the documentaries Supersize Me and Food Inc., and books like Fast Food Nation, we’ve all been made aware of the dietary dangers posed by mass-produced, highly processed foods.

We’ve been informed, often in the simplest of terms, how to shop : take your cart around the outside of the grocery store and avoid the center aisles, buy locally from Farmer’s Markets whenever possible, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, free-range chicken and grass-fed beef. Anyone who’s ever looked into buying these items, however, has surely noticed a difference in their bottom line.

The sad fact is that healthy eating wasn’t in great demand for much of the 20^th century, so the supply dwindled. Now, in the early 21^st, things have swung fully the other way—huge demand and short supply.
Until production picks up, don’t worry: healthy eating on a budget can be done. The following are 7 easy-to-follow tips that will set you on the right track:
 

1. Buy Whole Foods in Large Quantities-Processed, boxed foods may seem more convenient, but the truth is they represent an unhealthy false economy. Unprocessed foods are cheaper and more nutritious, and always have been.
2. Protein: Go after ground beef, chicken breast, eggs and canned tuna—these are generally the cheapest-per-gram proteins available. Always keep an eye out for discounted meats—they can go right in the freezer!
3. Carbohydrates: For non-grain sources, go after beans first, then fruit, then vegetables. For grains, oatmeal, then whole-grain rice or pasta—these are extremely easy to stockpile, and if you buy in quantity during a sale, odds are good you’ll have enough to last you until the next sale.
4. Fats: It’s not likely you’ll need many fat sources on their own after factoring in the meat and eggs, but olive oil is great as a condiment and to cook with, and it need not be “extra virgin” to reap the health benefits. All forms of nuts are great too, especially as snacks, even though they are among the priciest of what’s been named so far.
5. Buy Generic Foods & House Brands– the less ingredients there are in a given product, the healthier it tends to be, and the less difference between so-called “house” brands and name brands. Ask yourself: how different, really, can two brands of oatmeal be? Read the labels, but know: Pure and simple foods lead to pure and simple shopping.
6. Buy Frozen Fruits and Vegetables – in short, this will:
7. Save Money: You can often pay roughly half the price for the same quantity. Contrary to popular belief, modern freezing techniques make frozen foods just about equivalent to fresh from a nutritional standpoint.
8. Save Time: Frozen foods are pre-washed and pre-cut—time is money too.
9. Save Shopping: as with the grains example above, a stockpile of frozen produce can carry you quite a way.
10. Drink Tap Water – but consider purchasing a filter—as investments go, this ranks pretty highly. The most basic counter-top units will filter 90 gallons of water—roughly 3 months worth for one person. By contrast, bottled water averages about $2.00, for what amounts to a single serving.
11. Try for a One-Stop Shop Every Time – While sales are great, running around town for different discounts on items are often penny-wise and dollar foolish. Remember: gas prices are high, and your time is valuable too.
12. Prepare Your Own Food – we live in an economy of convenience, but for the most part, the conversion rate is pretty high. Whenever you can, avoid buying “outside” (non-grocery) food—this saves money AND helps ensure you always know what you’re eating. Pack your lunch for work, eat before going out and bring your own protein shake in your gym bag.
13. Supplement – at first, this may not seem to make sense, but basic supplements—like a vitamin/mineral multipack—are actually relatively inexpensive, are effective at balancing out any deficiencies in diet and will prove invaluable when going through a financially “lean” period, when beans and rice may be on the menu for a while.

And finally, a Bonus Tip: everyone thinks of their food budget in terms of money, but how many think about it in terms of food? In other words, how much should you be eating, really?

Asking this one question prevents the need to ask many others. A suggested figure is about 12 calories per pound of bodyweight—meaning a 200 lb person requires only 2400 calories, and that number goes down if you weigh less than that, if you’re carrying more fat than you’d like, or are getting less exercise than you should. Food for thought, definitely, and maybe for action too.
But that is for another article.