Good health does not necessarily have to cost you a bomb! To maintain your body and have a healthy lifestyle, you need to incorporate lots of nutritious foods into your diet. Fruits and green veggies for vitamins, minerals and fiber, proteins to build and maintain your muscle, and carbs for energy.
Thanks to the rising food prices every day, healthy foods can be expensive. And when you have a tight budget it’s difficult to maintain it. It’s all about meal planning and smart grocery shopping. It sure can be tricky, but it is not impossible! Here are a few useful tips that can help you eat healthily and on a budget!
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Plan and Prepare a Grocery List:
Planning is essential when it comes to saving money when you are at the grocery store. Plan your meals for the coming week before you prepare your list. Once you have smartly made a list of groceries after planning your meals, you should stick to it. If you do not prepare a list or don’t focus on it, it’s easy to get sidetracked. And you end up buying unintended and expensive products that you would regret later.
With a list, you try to remain in the store perimeter and make an attempt to fill your cart with only whole foods. Only buy what you are sure you will use. It would also help if you check what you already have and accordingly make a list.
Purchase Wholefoods:
That’s right when you are at the grocery store, look for unprocessed foods. They are mostly cheaper and tend to be more nutritious than processed food. Less processed foods are sold in more significant quantities and can yield more servings per package. So, you can buy whole foods in bulk, and it will last you much longer.
While going for whole foods, you can stock up on proteins like Frozen chicken pieces, tuna cans, plain yogurts, milk, eggs, cottage cheese, etc. And whereas for carbs the best picks in a more substantial quantity could be potatoes, beans, apples, bananas, broccoli, and other healthy goodness.
Buy Deep Frozen Fruits & Veggies:
Not all that is frozen is unhealthy. Did you know that frozen fruits and veggies contain more nutrients than fresh ones? It is cost friendly and also lasts longer than fresh ones. They save time as frozen fruits and veggies are pre-washed and pre-cut which saves you preparation time.
You can assure that these foods are healthy with more nutrients than fresh ones when they are frozen right at the best time. You can achieve infinite shelf life after keeping it in the freezer. Food grown in season tastes better and is cheaper, so next time during any season, stock up on fresh produce and freeze it so you can store it for longer.
Go for Generic Brand foods:
Many products are available in stores in various generic brands. And surprisingly most of them follow the same standards and quality as the expensive range as well. However, it doesn’t hurt to check your product’s quality before getting it.
When compared to national brands, even generic brands provide safe food, but the only difference is it’s less expensive. If you don’t care much for packaging or sharing then buying generic food like milk, pasty, eggs and milk, then its best to purchase this in advance. They are cheaper and make life easier.
Cut down Junk Food from your Diet:
By simply reducing junk food purchases you can retain better health and even save up on the money. We spend the most on junk like sodas, cookies, chips, crisps and packaged and processed foods. They may be delicious, but neither do they provide the body with nutrition nor do they come cheap.
Processed foods are bad for health and will barely last as their quantities are meager. By skipping the unhealthy and processed junk, you can instead spend your budget on healthy foods and higher quality food.
Shop in Bulk from Local Vendors:
You should always have a trusted vendor from whom you often make a purchase. That way you can get tastier and better-quality food. And being a regular customer, you can expect that they give you offers or discounts occasionally.
When you buy from a local vendor, you can stock up when it’s the time of sale, and that lets you save money for the future. Buy in bulk when it’s something you will regularly use, it will last a while, and you can trust the quality too.
Good health within budget is not impossible to get. Keep these tips in mind next time you go grocery shopping, and you can manage to eat healthy even if on a tight budget.
You can save up by cooking instead of eating out or cutting down on expensive junk. It comes down to making smart choices and keeping your health in mind. Because if you get sick, it would cost you much more. So rather eat healthily and keep the budget secondary.
Author bio: Reema Arora
Reema is a certified professional in Fashion Design and Styling. With an expertise in beauty, makeup, and hairstyles, she finds writing to be an ideal platform to connect with readers. She is a regular contributor to www.StyleCraze.com, and her articles are what most girls in love with makeup and hairstyles and self-care would swoon over.
