Healthy Eating Made Simple – Money Saving Tips and Tricks

When you think of healthy eating, you probably think expensive, time-consuming, and bland. Well, this could not be further from the truth, especially using this simple guide. What is healthy eating though, and why even bother?

Health can be less time-consuming and affordable. Learn everything you need to know about nutrition, including how to save money, why it matters, and how healthy eating can still taste good today! 

What’s Healthy Eating Anyways

First and foremost, I think there is a big misconception about what healthy eating is and isn’t. When people think of healthy eating, they think of greens, oatmeal, bland food, and expensive fruit. This isn’t necessarily the case. While whole foods like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains are an important part of healthy meal plans, they aren’t the only part.

Healthy eating is about getting the vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates you need to thrive, to allow your body to have the building blocks it needs to be healthy. Everything in your body, from your cells to immune function, to breathing, relies on the nutrition it receives from food. 

To reiterate, this does not have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming. This guide will give you ways to make healthy eating less expensive with science-based tips and tricks to use.

Why Bother to Eat Healthy?

You may also think, food is food right? Between contradicting information, fad diets, differing suggestions, etc., it can get overwhelming to get into nutrition. As stated, food delivers needle nutrients and energy needed for you to live and for your body and mind to function well.

Convenient foods that are overly processed like fast foods, chips, and others tend to be linked to mental health issues, increased disease risk, and decreased longevity. Cereals, sodas, and fast foods, when compared to whole foods or foods with minimal processing, have less nutrition overall and are usually low in fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and more.

So, is there a specific way you have to eat? No! While there are little habits and changes you can make, like tips found in this guide on how to eat like you’re in a blue zone, you can gain health, improve wellbeing, and fuel yourself right.

Healthy Eating Money-Saving Tips

Here are some basic tips on eating healthy. This is not a breakdown of every micronutrient you need to eat, the percent of vitamins, which mineral, etc. Nor is this a specific eating pattern you need to follow. Everyone is different; some may feel good eating a low-carb diet, while others thrive off high protein, or others need high-carb meals to feel okay.

These tips are meant to make healthy eating more accessible, less expensive, and more practical. 

1. Frozen Fruits and Veggies For the Win

Freezing food is a type of minimal processing that conserves a majority of the nutrients in foods. Plus, frozen foods can be used for months after freezing, making them a convenient option. Look for vegetables and fruits with no added ingredients or salt for easy-to-grab additions to meals. For example, frozen spinach is ready to add to sauces or soups, frozen fruit bake well, and both can be added to a smoothie!

2. Make a Shopping List and Preplan

Try to make a shopping list of exactly what you need to keep you from buying other things you can do without. Plan out what you’re going to buy and take advantage of online shopping to compare prices and get the most bang for your buck! You can save time by doing the ever-so-popular grocery pick-up option as well.

3. Recycle Leftover 

Leftovers of meals you’ve made can easily be repurposed with a little imagination and creativity! Take that salmon you made for dinner and put it on top of a salad for lunch the next day or take that chicken roast and make a delicious sandwich. Leftovers can be a great way to save time and money on meals while still eating the things you put time into.

4. Cold Pressed Oils

Here’s a simple tip, the next time you’re looking for what oil to buy, try investing in cold-pressed olive oil or avocado oil. Cold-pressed means the oils are extracted naturally without high temperatures or added chemicals. This is particularly important for olive oil which cannot be used at high temperatures. Oils are healthy fats vital to wellbeing, as most of our cells are composed of a cell membrane made up of fat.

5. Meal Plan and Freeze

Plan out your meals for the week on one day to make your life easier. This can be as simple as making a bunch of rice and portioning it out for every meal. Make sure you add protein and vegetables to meals too! If you have too much left over, just freeze your meals! This becomes a homemade frozen dinner you can have whenever you crave! Another tip is to freeze any vegetables or fruit you notice wilting. This can become a smoothie you can have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any time of the week! 

Quick Basic Nutrition Tips

Here are some quick tips on healthy eating that are vital!

• Nutrient density – food includes calories but that shouldn’t be your focus. Instead, focus on nutrient-dense foods, meaning those that have a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and healthy fat. 
• Macros – macronutrients are fat, protein, and carbs. Look at ratios and adjust your diet based on that, balancing the three.
• Diversify – good stock portfolio advice too, but also diversify your food. Eat a rainbow of colors.
• Balance – processed foods like soda and flaming hot cheetos are delicious, but should not make up the majority of your food intake. It’s all about adding them to your meals with balance. Try an 80/20 mentality, in which 80% of the time you eat healthy, and 20% of the time is for treats!

The Takeaway

Healthy eating does not have to be expensive. With these money-saving tips, you can eat well easily, and save time and money in the process. Nutrition matters more than calories, so look at how full of fiber, protein, and healthy fats something is as opposed to calories. Meal prep and plan to save time and money in the longer term, and take advantage of freezing foods.

Remember that health comes from within, so eat well, exercise when you can, and care for your mental health. Good habits form building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.