There used to be a time when being heavier was a sign of wealth and prosperity. But nowadays it is the exact opposite. If you want to eat all natural, organic food, you can expect to pay a lot more. Because of things like 64 ounce sodas and McDonald's dollar menu, we have begun to see a rise in obesity among those in poverty, even the homeless in some places. So, how can one stay trim and avoid all that high fructose corn syrup when the unhealthy alternative is so cheap and convenient? Well, I am by no means a rich man, but I am able to eat healthy and really cheap. The key for me is to cook all of my own meals, to cook in large batches and to be creative with leftovers. The Staples that I buy are things like beans, rice, frozen spinach, eggs, bread, milk, oatmeal (a must have), yogurt, peanut butter, tuna fish, tofu, frozen peas, carrots, onions, garlic, etc. As for meat, I typically base my protein choice on what is on sale or cheaper when I go to the store. I like to get bone-in chicken breasts and thighs so that I can make my own chicken stock. And although I eat mostly chicken, I will buy a pork shoulder or bottom round roast when the price is right. The most expensive thing I purchase is a variety of spices and seasoning. I cook a lot of Mexican, Asian and some Italian food. They can be very cheap and healthy if you prepare the right dishes. And you can transform the leftovers. For example, I will make Cuban black beans and rice, but turn the leftovers into refried beans for tortillas. I might make a Thai dish one night, and have leftover rice. I will combine that with leftover vegetables and meats from the weeks meals to make fried rice. The trick is to be creative, so you can work from the same palette of cheap ingredients, but never get bored with your food. What do you guys do to save money and eat healthy?
We have an article on our blog about how to save money on healthy food: http://www.dontpayfull.com/blog/how-to-save-on-healthy-food
Oh, okay, I didn't realize that. Thanks for the article, I really enjoyed it. But seeing as to how your's was the only response to this thread, should I not have posted it? I didn't know there was an article on this sunject. Should we not post threads if there are related articles?
I don't think there's anything wrong with posting a thread. To find out if a similar thread has been posted you can do a search on the forum. If you don't find the information you're looking for then you can post a thread. Should there be an article or similar thread on the forum, then naturally, someone will provide the link. Or members will answer your question.
I tend to eat things like yogurt & salad to ensure I'm eating healthy. I agree with you, one doesn't need to spend large amounts of money to accommodate a healthy diet. I think the main problem is nowadays people are eating more for taste instead of health. The sugar free aspect is huge these days as well. The ingredients mono sodium glutamate & aspartame is killing us. Probiotics is a huge element to balancing a normal diet & very essential to good digesting. Bad foods can be like an addictive drug to the brain.
You're absolutely right, bad foods can by like an addictive drug to the brain, particularly sugary and fatty foods. I actually know someone who is in Over-eaters anonymous, and unlike other 12 step programs which focus on complete abstinence from the addictive behavior, one can not simply give up food. So they focus on abstaining from sugar and fatty foods, and some even try to avoid carbs altogether. There is so much sugar and HFCS in so much of our food, people just really need to be educated on the subject.
Those rotisserie chickens at Costco are a huge bargain. They are much larger than what you would get at a typical grocery store, and they are only $5. If you simply buy those vs. fresh chicken, you are already saving a bunch. A whole fresh chicken at those sizes runs about $8-$9 where I live, so not only am I saving money, I am saving time not having to cook it. One of my other tricks to shopping cheap is to keep an eye out for certain neighborhoods near you which may have a predominantly latin population, or italian population, chinese, etc... Their local grocery stores often carry ingredients popular to their cooking at better prices. For example, I would normally pay about $2.00 or more for a bundle of fresh cilantro or $4 per pound for fresh jalapeno peppers at my nearby chain grocery store. But if I drive a few minutes further to another local grocery store in an area with a lot of latino folks, they will sell fresh cilantro for 50 cents a bundle, and large packs of fresh jalapenos for like $1.50. If I want fresh escarole, I will travel a bit further to another grocery store that's in a neighborhood full of italians - they have ton's of it on the produce shelves and at a great price. Whereas the big chain store that's closest to me only has one or two giant heads at any given time, and they often look wilted and old and are way more expensive. For more exotic spices, keep an eye out for any middle eastern themed ethnic specialty shops (sorry if that's not the proper way to describe them, I wasn't sure what to call them). The one near me sells giant bags of spices, which range anywhere from 1/2lb to almost a pound, for like $3-$4 each. I would pay more than that for a tiny bottle of it off the shelves of a regular grocery store. The trick is to make sure you properly store them and use them up though, so don't buy giant bags of stuff like star anise or corriander seeds if you aren't going to use them up. I know I should definitely be eating more oatmeal, but I love eggs too much, and have them pretty much every morning. Omelettes are a great way to use up leftovers as well, if you are getting tired of all the fried rice. Saute up some leftover veggies and throw them in as a filling. Even when I am down to my last slice or two in a pack of lunch meat - it's not really enough to make a sandwich, but it goes great in an omelette along with some cheese and other veggies. For stuff like beans, get an electric pressure cooker, and buy the beans dried in bulk. You can cook up a huge batch of beans in the pressure cooker then portion them off into freezer bags and freeze them. One bag of beans costs about as much as a can of beans, but makes several cans of beans worth when cooked. So you are paying a fraction of the cost for those beans, and they are fresher tasting with no preservatives or other chemicals. You can also keep the salt levels down.
Yes, eating healthy and shopping cheap is getting harder and harder each year. You really have to be creative and plan out your shopping before hitting the grocery store. Otherwise, you spend a whole lot more than anticipated for a nutritious lean meal. For this reason, I spread out the days I pick up vegetables and fruits. I don't want to waste anything.
Colored (not Russet or white potatoes) are a great way to stretch meals. Sweet potatoes have been the rage for the past few years but blue and purple potatoes provide antioxidants and nutrients not found in regular potatoes. Colored potatoes, though filling, are also easier to digest because they are not as starchy. My cheap and healthy (and sometimes quick) meals are - Black bean casserole (with vegetables, brown rice and topped with pepper jack cheese) Instant brown rice and salsa Veggie quesadillas Spicy chicken and vegetable stew
All good advice in this thread. I wish grocery stores would run more promotions on produce and fresh items more often. But looking for those sort of deals, coupon clipping and eating out as little as possible can all do a lot to a lot to extend your food budget further. Safeway tends to have a lot of good deals if you have their rewards card and Winco Foods is always generally really cheap all the time.
