For many of us, staying healthy and spending a lot of money go hand in hand. Thanks to the rise of conscientious eating trends and plant based diets, we are coming under increasing pressure to take care of the things we put into our bodies, despite the effect they might have on our wallets. And while eating right is one of the most important things we can do, it doesn’t have to come at a great cost. Although faddy diets and superfoods can take a chunk out of our pay packets, there are a great deal more alternative foods which cost a fraction of the price. If you want to look good without the extra stress, you just need to shop a little more smartly; healthy food can really be for everyone.
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Make A Calculated List
As much as each of us aim to stick to our grocery list, more often than not, we come out with a bag or two more than we initially intended. Getting tempted by offers and treats inside a supermarket can all but destroy your willpower and over a period of time, it’s easy for the numbers to add up. Thanks to online shopping, it is now incredibly easy to browse your food shop on the internet before you leave, meaning that you will have the opportunity to work out roughly how much you will spend. Try adding up the total and bringing only sufficient cash for what you really need. Without the ability to splurge on sweet treats, they won’t find their way into your shopping basket.
Choose Alternative Products
It is essential to stick to a balanced diet in order to eat healthily but in some cases, you can look to cheaper alternatives within certain food groups. If you want to cut down on the dollars, you can try substituting meat products with alternative sources of protein like lentils or chickpeas. Buying dried ingredients like this in bulk is also a great way of cutting costs and ensuring that you have plenty to eat into the future. While you can still eat meat whenever you like, looking to other foods from time to time will really help you to keep a hold of your purse strings.
Use Your Freezer
When you’re on a budget, your freezer can be your best friends. Not only can you prepare bulk meals in advance and contain them within individually sized boxes but also, you can stock up on frozen healthy foods that will last a long time. Nutritionally speaking, frozen fruits and vegetables contain almost exactly the same amount of nutrients as fresh produce and what’s more, they won’t go off before you can finish them. Alternatively, you can also look to the reduced food aisles and freeze products that are going to go out of date soon. That way, you can cut down on costs and ensure that you have plenty of meals in stock.
Experiment With Your Leftovers
Once cooked and never eaten, many perfectly good ingredients find their way to the garbage can for no reason whatsoever. The next time you make too much food, try repurposing the ingredients the next day to make them go further. Ensuring that you have a good selection of storage boxes is key if you want to keep things for the future; storing ingredients in loosely covered bowls means that they might go off more quickly. If you’re bored of the same old stir fry recipe, try looking to salads, stews and soups to reuse cooked foods; there are plenty of options right at your fingertips.
Know What Is In Season
One of the best ways to ensure that you’re going to eat as well as possible for the least amount of money is knowing what foods are in season, when. Looking to local sellers in favor of bigger supermarkets when buying seasonal foods can also help to cut costs; with larger supplies of certain foods to get rid of, smaller sellers are more likely to sell them at reduced prices. You can also try browsing your local supermarket’s website before you shop to take a look at any sales or markdowns on seasonal goods. The fresher the produce, the better it is for your health!
If you shop smartly, then eating healthily can be a real breeze. Tackling your shopping list as an important task will ensure that you come out only holding exactly what you intended, with no nasty surprises. The sooner that you change your shopping habits, the more healthy and happy that you can become!