Let's face it, most Americans don't eat healthy for two big reasons- Price and Accessibility.?
With this current economy, I have had to tighten my wallet as I'm sure many of you have had to, as well. Unfortunately, healthy food is much more expensive ?than a grabbing bag of potato chips or a frozen dinner. And much easier to prepare and consumer, to boot. Since I've been a so-called "Clean Eater," I have found myself in many tight spots when traveling or running errands - it's amazing how difficult it is in our society to get a quick, healthy meal on the go. Unless you have planned ahead and packed a lunch, it is often quite difficult to eat clean when there are fast food?restaurants?a-plenty.?
And not to mention the price of healthy foods.?
After a couple of years of being a clean eater myself and trying out different methods of price saving, along with taking advice and tips from friends, athletes, and online resources, I put together a list of tried-and-true tips for being Healthy while on a Budget.?
Plan Ahead: ? Make a grocery list for each week, planning your meals in advance. There is truth to the old adage, "Fail to Plan, then Plan to Fail." When you have a list going in, you avoid running the risk of grabbing impulse items and stick to your healthy habits. I personally keep a Word document open at my home office desk, and add or cross-off items as I need them. I am a creature of habit, so I generally have an idea of what my meals for work and home will be each week. Believe me, the extra 10-15 minutes you put into your meal planning will save you more money in the long run.?
In addition, when you make and have foods ahead of time you actually save yourself the expense of going out to eat at?restaurants. Not to mention avoiding the temptation of buying additional foods like appetizers, soups, desserts and alcohol. Preparing and eating your own homemade foods while on the go will always save you money and unnecessary calories.?
Cook in Bulk: A great method of cost saving (and time saving!) with healthy food is making large batches of a recipe that will last for 5-7 meals. Baking, slow cooking, preparing large batches of soups all fall into this category for buying and cooking smart.?
Buy in Bulk: When purchasing products like cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, go for the large containers rather than the individual serving size ones. Oats, rice, quinoa and barley also fall into this category. The larger containers tend to be a lot cheaper, especially if you buy the generic brands. If you get a chance to go to places like Costco, BJ'S Wholesale or Sam's Club, you can make a monthly trip to purchase usually expensive items in bulk for less, such as chicken, fish and nuts.?
Check out the Savings: I often make Sundays my grocery shopping day, and buy large quantities of reduced-price produce and meat.?Keep your eyes out for Manager's Specials. These items I either cook that day in a crock pot dish or bake as "veggie chips," that will last all week, or store away in my freezer for later. ?Stock up when canned fish goes on sale as well- just this week it was as cheap as 25 cents a can!
Frozen Veggies: Fresh fruit and veggies can be very expensive when your diet is relying on them. To keep prices down, I purchase large containers of mixed and regular frozen vegetables in the freezer aisle. You can seriously find some good deals here- plus frozen vegetables are easy to prepare and are already pre-washed and pre-cut. Most frozen items that are store brand only cost about 99 cents. All you have to do is throw them in a crock pot or stove top pan with some water, and voila! A very cheap, very filling, side dish.?
Did I miss anything? What are your thoughts? Let me know if you have any other helpful ideas and tips for saving money and your waistline!?
Source: http://www.kickstartfitnessnutrition.com/2013/01/eating-cleanon-budget.html
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