Why does a healthy diet have to cost more than an unhealthy diet? Grabbing the first thing you see on the grocery store’s shelves may be the reason. Healthy eating, especially diets to lose weight, takes planning. Unhealthy diets are simply easier. When you’re trying to trim your waistline and improve your health, you will be confronted with a lot of choices, and making the right decisions takes information.
How is that possible? Prepackaged foods that stretch your budget are often higher in fat and sugars. Even though these less expensive foods seem the only alternative at first glance, you’ll be surprised to find just how many healthy foods there are that aren’t expensive.
It’s all about how you shop. Think about the alternatives. You can eat a nutritious meal, one that won’t take a lot of preparation or cost a lot of money, if you shop wisely. Your budget will stay intact and so will your diet. Let’s take a look at a few ways to stretch your food dollar and save your diet.
No More Junk Food – This is an instant budget saver and calorie saver. When you cut out the junk food you’ll instantly save money. Soft drinks, chips, and cookies all add empty calories to your diet and robs you of your hard earned money.
Portion Reduction – This is the secret to many diets. When you reduce portions, you reduce calories. The bonus is that reduced portions mean reduced groceries which decreases the grocery bill. Smaller portions equals less food purchased.
Beans, Peas, And Lentils – Eating these alternative sources of protein is a great money saver. Why? Because these alternatives are a lot less expensive than meat, chicken, or fish. The bonus is that they also serve as a vegetable serving and are packed with fiber. Plan two or three meals each week with these proteins and your budget will love you – and your diet will too.
Brown Rice And Whole Wheat Pasta – Plan meals to include these two filling foods and you’ll never go hungry on your diet. Stretching a meal is easy and inexpensive when you plan your menu around dishes that include rice and pasta. Avoid the prepackaged rice and pasta meals, however, to avoid that fat, salt, sugar, and money trap.
Vegetables And Fruit – Prices will jump around on fresh vegetables and fruit depending on what’s in season. You must include large amounts of these food items to meet your nutritional needs while you diet. When prices for fresh are not in line with your budget, choose frozen. Most experts agree that frozen vegetables and fruit are as good as fresh as they are frozen at peak times. Be sure, also, to buy produce in season and locally when you can. That helps keep the price down and nutritional value up. A bag of carrots, celery, apples, and oranges will fill you up and keep your budget intact.
Eggs Any Time – Find some good recipes for egg casseroles and skillet dishes and enjoy! Be creative and serve eggs in a variety of ways so you don’t lose interest or get tired of them. Eggs are inexpensive and nutritious so serving them one or two times a week for dinner is a good way to stay on your diet and save your budget. Look for strata recipes and rice dishes that use eggs and fresh ingredients to stretch your dollars.
Meat, Chicken, And Fish – Less expensive meat normally has more fat, but you can often trim most of it off. Instead of boneless chicken breasts, which can be very expensive, opt for whole chicken breasts or whole chickens and remove the skin. Fresh fish in season may not be as expensive as you may think. However, canned tuna and salmon is normally a very good value anytime. Fish is very nutrient-dense so you don’t have to serve large portions of fish to get a lot of nutrients, which also keeps the cost down.
Healthy food does not have to be expensive when you know how to shop. Avoiding junk food and prepackaged foods will immediately save you money, along with calories and fat. Shop wisely and save money while you diet. Your wallet, and waistline, will thank you.
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