There seem to be two major concerns battling for superiority when it comes to the subject of eating well. Firstly, everyone can agree that eating healthfully is important, but at the same time, with the increasing cost of food prices, there is a strong emphasis being put on saving money on your grocery bill. Is there a way to be able to reconcile the two?
In spite of the astronomical rise in food prices (especially in fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy) there is a way to ensure that you are not only able to eat well but to spend less doing so.
Guidelines to Eating Well for Less
Cut out Convenience Foods: We are an incredibly busy society, and to help ourselves out we’ve created (and have come to depend on) ‘convenience’ foods; things that can just be popped into the microwave or that only take a few minutes to fix on the stove top. The problem is, convenience foods may be quick and easy, but they are usually quite expensive and are definitely not good for you; the list of additives and preservatives in even the most basic of ‘convenience’ foods should be enough to make anyone sick just looking at them.
Cooking from Scratch: Choosing to cook from scratch is important if you are looking to eat well. If you cook from scratch you get to choose all of the ingredients that will be in your food including seasonings and so you don’t have to worry about chemical additives or questionable food preparation methods. Cooking from scratch may seem like a daunting proposition, but it is really not as difficult as it may seem. Yes, it is going to take longer to prepare the food, but on the plus side, you will know exactly what has gone into the food you have prepared and can take pride in the dishes that you have prepared.
Prepare Ahead: One of the biggest things about convenience foods is that they are ready NOW. You can take away the sting of removing convenience foods from your diet by preparing food ahead of time. There are many dishes that can be prepared from scratch in advance and then frozen in smaller sized containers to be re-heated when a quick meal is needed. This will prevent you running out for fast food or a quick convenience food when the urge hits you.
Buy Locally: Purchasing locally grown foods can not only cut down on your grocery bill, but also on your concern as to the quality of merchandise that is being purchased. When you buy food at a large chain grocery store; even fresh foods; you really have no idea where the food came from or how long it has been on the road. Purchasing as much fresh food locally as possible can go a long ways towards your peace of mind when it comes to the quality of your food and will also help to encourage a closer sense of community between neighbors.
While there are plenty of other things that can be done to ensure that you can eat well and actually spend less money doing so, these simple guidelines can go miles toward ensuring that you can start eating better now, and actually save money in the process.
How do you save some green while still making sure you eat healthy foods?
Great suggestions! The most difficult for me is planning ahead. I love to cook and so does my husband and we make many things from scratch. But the planning, or lack thereof, gets in the way. I think we need to make a weekly schedule….never thought I would need to do that!
Great article. I definitely agree that you can still eat well even on a tight budget. You just need to make use of every resources you have and plan, plan, plan!
This post comes at a great time for me because my grandmother and I have been having conversations about the cost of organic food. She said that I have helped her to think more about what she eats, but she lives solely on her skimpy social security check and she can’t afford the organic prices. It pains me so bad to see people choosing unhealthy options because they are cheaper. Also, some people think that organics are more expensive without really doing a price check. I just bought a big container of local, organic blueberries at the farmer’s market this past weekend. They were $5.50 a box, which seemed kind of expensive, but then I thought about the organic blueberries I get from Kroger and they are $3 a box for 1/3 of that size. And, even if something organic/healthy is more expensive, you are voting with your dollar. Not only are you buying food, but you are also paying farmers to take care of their land without chemicals.
Audrey loves to go to the farmers markets. We have gotten close to many of the farmers and it has helped us recognize great deals.
I go to the store every two to three days. That way I know what I am going to cook and I can use the fresh veggies that I pick out and not waste them. I also make everything from scratch, I have been doing that for years. I only shop on the outside lanes of the grocery store. And even with that you still have to be careful. My next step is start buying more produce from the local farmers. Thank you so much for such a great and encouraging article….