Eating Well on the Cheap

In the current economy, many of us are living on a budget and looking for ways to reduce food expenses while still enjoying tasty, nutritious meals. With the right tips and a little planning, it is possible to enjoy healthy food on the cheap. The more you focus on purchasing local, unprocessed food and preparing meals at home, the healthier and tastier your meals will be, the better you’ll feel, and the more money you’ll save.

You can save money and still enjoy healthy, delicious food

Making smart choices saves money. Evaluate how you spend your money on food. What unnecessary items do you purchase? Do you eat out often? The first way to save money on food is to limit or cut out unnecessary food spending. Some specific ways to do this:

• Cut the junk. Evaluate how much money you are spending on items such as soda (regular or diet), cookies, crackers, prepackaged meals, processed foods, etc. Limit or completely cut out these unhealthy foods. Your wallet and your body will thank you.
• Eat out less. Even just reducing your meals out by 1 or 2 times per week can save you about $15 – $25 per week. This is an easy way to save money and even have some extra to spend on higher quality foods.
• Stick to your grocery list. The more prepared you are when you get to the store the less impulse purchases you will make. So write out a grocery list and stick to it!
• Shop the perimeter of the store first. This way you will fill your cart with healthy whole foods like fresh produce and meat, leaving less room for the "junk food fillers" and thus saving money.
• Cook large portions. It saves time to cook once and eat multiple times. One idea is to make a big pot of soup at the beginning of the week or whenever you go food shopping. When you don't feel like cooking, help yourself to a hearty bowlful along with a green salad. This makes a nutritious but inexpensive lunch or dinner anytime.
• Beware of hidden sugars. Many packaged or processed foods contain high levels of hidden sugar. They may be easy to prepare and fill your family up for cheap, but too much sugar causes rapid swings in energy and blood sugar, and can contribute to many serious health problems. Hidden sugar may be listed as corn syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup, cane juice, fructose, dextrose, or maltose. Avoid foods such as instant mashed potatoes, white bread, canned soups and vegetables, refined pasta, and sugary cereals. Satisfy your sweet tooth with naturally sweet food such as fruit, peppers, and sweet potatoes.

Purchasing the healthiest food possible

When eating on the cheap it is still important to think about the quality/purity of the food you purchase. How foods are grown or raised has an impact on their quality and an impact your health. Organically grown food reduces the potential health and environmental hazards posed by pesticides, genetically modified food, irradiation, and additives. An investment in your food now could save you money on health bills later.
Here are a few ways to stretch your money when purchasing high quality, organic foods:

• Buy the highest quality possible for the foods you eat the most. This way you reduce your exposure to things such as pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics, while increasing the nutritional value of your food. Organic foods have higher levels of antioxidants and various vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, and iron.
• Use excess food money to buy higher quality food. If possible, focus on purchasing organic/grass-fed/free-range sources of meat and dairy in order to avoid the possibility of high concentrations of antibiotics and hormones being passed on to you.
• Educate yourself. When you know which fruits and vegetables have the most chemical residue (and which have the least) you can choose to buy certain things organic (or from local farmers who do not use chemicals), and others conventionally grown.