How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

If you’re getting started with a fitness program, these tips for eating healthy on a budget will help you to eat well and stay fueled for your workouts. Whether you are working out to lose weight or are exercising for other health and fitness reasons, eating healthy is half of the equation for improving your fitness level. Sometimes buying organic and eating healthy seems too expensive, but the good news is that with some planning, you can eat healthy on a budget.

These tips will help you save money while still eating a variety of nutritious, delicious foods:

1. Prepare food at home. Eating out is generally more expensive than eating at home, and eating healthy food when you go out can cost a lot. Save money by preparing your meals at home, even if you take them with you to work and other places.

2.  Plan Meals. Meal planning will help you make the most of the food you have and make smart decisions when you shop for groceries. You can eat healthy on a budget by planning out what you will make each week, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

3. Take stock of what you have before shopping. How many times have you bought foods you already have at home without realizing it? Save yourself the money and make sure you only buy what you need.

4. Make a grocery list. Once you have a meal plan, list out the foods you need to make your meals. Your grocery list will help you stay on track with your budget when you’re at the store or placing your online order.

5. Choose vegetarian proteins. Meat and animal-based protein foods are generally more expensive than plant proteins like lentils, beans, quinoa, nuts, and chia seeds. You don’t have to become a vegetarian but adding more non-animal-based proteins to your diet will save you money.

6. Skip non-filling snack foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. You can eat healthy on a budget by cutting out unnecessary snack foods like soda, chips, sugary juice drinks, and desserts that are low in nutrients and leave you still feeling hungry.

7. Choose nutrient-rich snacks. Skipping processed snacks doesn’t mean you have to go hungry between meals. Stock up on nutritious, filling snacks like nuts, fruits, edamame, yogurt, hummus, guacamole, popcorn, and hard-boiled eggs.

8. Eat before you shop. Going to the grocery store with an empty stomach is a recipe for a spending spree. Eat before you head to the store and it will be easier to stick to your grocery list and avoid impulse food buying.

9. Buy whole foods. Many processed snack foods are low in nutrients and will just cost you money while leaving you hungry. Choose real, whole foods like avocados, nuts, fruit, cheese, oatmeal, and whole-grain bread, and you’ll be able to eat healthy on a budget while feeling full.

10. Buy produce in season. Fruits and vegetables that are in season in your area will be cheaper than ones that are transported from distant places. Shop seasonal fruits and veggies and you’ll enjoy the savings while getting fresh food.

11. Look for sales. Once you have your grocery list, you can look for sales and coupons at your local stores to find the best deals on the foods you need.

12. Cook large servings so you can eat your meals more than once. This is a time saver and also will cut costs from having to buy ingredients for lots of different recipes.

13. Eat leftovers. Don’t skip out on your leftovers. Warm them up and eat as is or repurpose them and add some side dishes or toppings to mix things up. Get creative and use what you have on hand and you will save money and resources by not wasting food.

14. Plan some quick meals because busy days inevitably come up. It’s good to have some quick, easy meals that you can throw together on days that you may otherwise be tempted to eat out and break your budget.

15. Buy generic brands. Big-name brands don’t mean higher quality, and you can eat healthy on a budget by going for store brands.

16. Buy a mix of fresh, frozen, and non-perishables. Not all processed foods are bad for you, and you can stock up on canned goods and frozen foods that don’t have added sugars and salts and save money. Frozen fruits and vegetables, canned beans, and canned fish can be nutritious and budget-friendly.

17. Purchase nonperishables in bulk. Save money by stocking up on canned foods and other non-perishables in bulk. Buying large sizes of oatmeal, rice, quinoa, canned goods, and other nonperishables will save you money in the long run.

18. Only buy what you can eat. When it comes to perishable foods, only get what you can eat in a week. Fresh herbs and fresh fruits and vegetables can deteriorate quickly so be sure to only get the amount you need.

19. Grow your own produce. You can save a lot of money by growing some of your herbs and vegetables. Some popular items that are easy to grow at home include tomatoes, sprouts, herbs, and onions.

20. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Fresh produce can spoil quickly and go out of season fast. Buy frozen fruits and veggies and you will still get in your nutrients while being able to preserve what you don’t eat in the freezer.