A few friends and I were talking about food and cooking the other weekend when one friend mentioned that healthy eating is expensive. If you’ve ever tried to eat healthier, you may have heard or even said this before. This can certainly hold true if you’re stocking up on all organic items, specialty flours or exclusively shopping at health food stores. But it doesn’t have to be true if you plan ahead. Here are tips to make healthy eating work for your waistline and your wallet.
Don’t shop for one recipe. Have you ever wanted to try a new recipe and found yourself spending extra on specialty ingredients for that one recipe? Case in point, I currently have a year-old bag of coconut flour in my pantry that I’ve used only once. Focus instead on stocking up on staples that you can turn into multiple meals. For example, if chicken breast or fish is on sale, buy extra and freeze for later use. If you purchase items such as corn tortillas, rice and whole-wheat pasta you can enjoy chicken tacos, stir-fry’s and pasta dishes throughout the month.
Buy in-season. When produce is in season and is available in abundance, the cost will go down. TOPS members can find a list of when certain fruits and vegetables are in season on page 91 of Real Life: The Hands-on Pounds-off Guide.
Don’t forget about frozen. Buying generic frozen vegetables is an inexpensive and convenient way to quickly healthify just about any meal. For example, are you strapped for time and ready to heat up a frozen entrée? A quick and easy way to add fiber and vitamins to this meal is to add frozen veggies like broccoli.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does take extra planning and time. TOPS members can find helpful Easy Meal Planners on pages 28-29 of the February/March issue of TOPS News and pages 36-37 of the April/May issue. Do you have any budget-friendly nutrition tips? Share them in the comments section below!
TOPS Leaders and Web Designates, you can find a budget-friendly chapter program titled “Eating Healthy Makes Dollars and Sense” in the Leaders corner of tops.org under Programs & Meeting Ideas, Nutrition.
Thanks for the good information, Maggie! Here’s a tip or maybe more of an observation: When I’m practicing portion control and measuring ingredients, I have more leftovers to use for another meal. Grocery costs go down and I feel like I’m using my food resources wisely.
Thank you for sharing, Nadeen!
Thanks for sharing, Nadeen. If you are single and living alone, frozen veggies are the way to go. Just measure out enough for 1 portion and close up the bag and put it back on the freezer. More more economical.