You Can Eat Healthy on a Budget

 

New York City fruit stand, Evaristo E. Mitchell ©2006

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. ~Epictetus

Just because you're on a budget doesn't mean that you can't eat healthily to feel your best. In fact, if you have hit hard times and are budgeting strictly, it's even more important that you treat yourself well to have the strength to lift yourself out. You'll do it, but being unhealthy will slow you down.

There are two keys to eating healthily - fortunately, they are both budget friendly. 

1. Eat real food instead of processed food. It takes a little more time and preparation, but pound for pound, you will get more nutrition for your dollar and feel better.
2. Eat more produce (vegetables and fruit). This is also budget friendly since produce is cheaper than meat.

What to do: Plan and Shop Healthy

1. Menu plan. You have to plan. Sit down and figure out what your food needs are for the upcoming week - meals and snacks. Write out your plan, and create the grocery list from the meals. Now go to the grocery store and stick to the list. This will save you a lot of money. Learn how with the Mindful Battle Plan.
2. Stock up on produce, beans, grains. Base your meal plan on these three items. They are healthy and budget-friendly. Beans and brown rice make a complete protein, which is cheaper than meat. Use meat as a flavoring rather than the main course. Grains such as barley, brown rice, millet and quinoa stretch a meal out and are good for you as cents per serving. This diet is also known as the Mediterranean Diet, which is considered heart-healthy. 
3. Shop the sales. Check and see what produce is on sale at the grocery store and put it in your menu plan. It's often on sale because it's in season and abundant - a good thing. You will also add new food to your rotation that way - that's how I found Swiss chard. My mother (the ultimate deal maven) shops multiple grocery stores in a week for the sale items.
4. Stick to the outside aisles of grocery stores and the frozen, canned, and grains sections. Avoid the processed food in boxes and bags - you are buying less nutrition, empty calories, and unhealthy expensive prepared meals. Real food is in the outside lanes (produce, meat, dairy). Frozen and canned vegetables and fruits are great too (make sure there are no additives), and often cheaper. Dried beans are always cheaper than canned. 
5. Use coupons and sign up for the grocery store rewards program. You can save a lot of money by looking through flyers (and it will help you menu plan). Also sign up for the grocery store rewards program - you earn discounts for the money you would spend anyway.
6. Go to the local farmer's market. The farmer's market usually has lower prices and higher quality food since you are buying direct from the grower rather than a retailer.
7. Frequent fruit/vegetable stands and wholesalers.If you live in a city, you have probably seen the fruit and vegetable stands on the sidewalk. They sell ripe produce at a discount - it doesn't have the shelf life that grocery stores want. This food is good! Since it is ripe, it is ready to eat now (don't expect it to last for days). If you can find a wholesaler, you can get a great cash only deal. For NYC'ers, Manhattan Fruit Exchange in Chelsea Market is a phenomenal deal.
8. Grow your own. Supplement store-bought veggies with your own - nothing is more budget-friendly. Home grown vegetables are delicious, and you will know exactly what went into them. It's spring - pick up some seedlings or seeds and plant them for delicious bounty in the summer.  
9. Buy organics smartly. If there is room for limited organics in your budget, make it milk and dairy. Then move on to the Dirty Dozen.  
10. Go to food pantries that offer produce. More food pantries now offer choice - you can choose and "shop" rather than receiving a box. If you are visiting a food pantry, don't be embarrassed. You are working on getting to a place so you don't need a pantry (you will get there), and eating healthy will help you get there faster.
11. Use food stamps for produce. Many grocery stores and other retailers participate in the food stamp program - check around and find out which ones do. Follow all the above rules. 

PS - Check out Mindful Eats on OneHealthyGirl.com

What I ate: 1 latte, 2 cups coffee, 2 bananas, 2 oz. macadamia nuts, Korean dried squid (crazy spicy), 1 cup barley, roasted eggplant + squash + mushrooms, 2T ground flax seeds, 1 apple, 4 squares dark chocolate, 10 sunflower seeds, cheddar cheese, a few pumpkin seeds, udon noodles + 1 cup spinach + 2 eggs + shitaake mushrooms, 1/4 cup baked tofu, 1 hot chocolate, 60 oz. water

Exercise: 15 min bike + 45 min whole body weights