How to Eat Healthy on a Budget?
Michael Pollan asked a very interesting question, “Is it just a coincidence that as the portion of our income spent on food has declined, spending on health care has soared?” The biggest difficulty to eating real whole food, is that convenience is prioritized over everything else. I’m going to share some easy tips on how a bit of weekly planning will go a long way in stretching your money and essentially improving your overall health.
1. Plan your meals
Make planning your meals a weekly tradition. Personally I love to plan my weekly menu on a slow Saturday or Sunday evening.
I buy those crazy large calendars that stick to the kitchen wall and so that my weekly menu is visible. This allows me to create a detailed grocery list and stick to it. Planning your menu on Saturday allows for shopping on Sunday, just an idea ;)
2. Make a detailed shopping list
Dividing it by supermarket section (produce, dry goods, etc.) is often easiest. Not only does it cut down on shopping time and make eating healthy on a budget easier, but also it helps eliminate impulse buys. Not on the list? It stays out of the shopping cart.
3. Buy in Bulk
You can buy produce in bulk which can save you a surprising amount of money. I purchase raw nuts, seeds, grains, spices, and condiments and then store them in airtight containers in my pantry. When buying for your family I would also recommend buying fresh produce like organic vegetables and organic protein at Costco; I personally buy organic spinach, celery, frozen berries, strawberries, quinoa and chicken.
4. Use the Dirty Dozen list
If you can’t go completely organic, do as much good as you can by purchasing as much organic food on the Dirty Dozen list as possible. EWG’s list of the Dirty Dozen includes the produce you should do your best- given your budget- to buy organic because of the amount of pesticides sprayed on them. If I cant find all of the vegetables and fruits on the dirty dozen list organic, I soak them for at least half an hour with veggie wash, here in Guadalajara I can get grapefruit seed wash, and I add either diluted raw apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. This is one of the top tips I really recommend to clients because it helps remove pesticides.
5. Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season
When food is in season, it’s much cheaper and tastes better. It also encourages you to try fruits and vegetables you might not go for normally. Talk to your local farmers, they are always eager to help.
6. Grow your food when possible
If you have just a little bit of extra space: a garden, a balcony or even a rooftop, research on how to grow your own food, then choose vegetables that are on the dirty dozen list!
7. Cook at home
If you make a habit of creating a weekly menu and detailed shopping list, it becomes very easy to cook at home. You will know exactly what you’re going to make and will have the ingredients needed in your fridge and pantry. Eating at home is a whole lot cheaper and healthier then eating out!
8. Make larger portions to freeze and use your leftovers
If your job makes cooking at home more difficult I would recommend making larger batches and individually freezing meals. Also learn how to make different meals from the same batch of food. For example: from an organic chicken soup (caldo de pollo) you can make tostadas, corn tortilla burritos, chicken salad, etc.
