Eat Healthy and Cheap was created with the intent of encouraging others to consume healthier and less expensive foods. This blog shares tips on how to eat healthy on a budget and offers many recipes to help you achieve your goals.
Our diet is one of the most important aspects of our health. There is a famous saying that we are what we eat. If we eat balanced meals at the right intervals throughout the day, we have enough energy to focus on important tasks.
An unhealthy diet reflects on our habits, our moods, and the type of decisions we make throughout the day. In children, a proper diet acts as a repellent for chronic diseases and ensures proper growth and development. In adults, it reduces the risks of various heart diseases, obesity, and certain cancers and ensures a long quality of life.
There is often a misconception that eating healthy is expensive and requires a lot of investment. That is not necessarily true; eating healthy does not need to put a strain on your wallet.
After all, the proper definition of ‘eating healthy is that your diet needs to be both sustainable and affordable. So you can eat these foods for lengthy periods and not in bursts of periods when your wallet can support it.
how can I eat healthy and cheap?
There are many Benefit of Eating Healthy Food. Better methods are ease to know eat healthy and cheap does not need to be a financial burden. Here is how to eat healthy and cheap for you
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 Improving Shopping Habits
- Â Making a shopping list
Making decisions about what to eat starts at the grocery store. While you are shopping at the market for what to eat, it is not wise to go into it unprepared. Make a shopping list detailing all the things you need for your meals and stick to it. Make habit of making eat healthy and cheap grocery list for your daily life .
This is how you are not lost when you are shopping and buying unnecessary add-ons that only increase your costs. It is recommended to follow recipes by dieticians and dietary professionals who have plenty of information online on what to deviate from in a shopping mall and what you need to buy.
- Avoiding Pre-packaged Foods
Pre-packaged goods like canned food, frozen foods, and other junk foods are not only unhealthy, they are costly. Avoid expensive manufacturing labels and stick to organic, whole foods. For example, instead of buying a whole package of frozen fries, you can simply buy potatoes that you can make fries from. Instead of buying canned tomatoes, buy fresh tomatoes.
Stay away from sugary cereal like Chocos or Fruit Loops and instead opt for more whole foods like oats. They are not the way to eat healthy and cheap. Buying fresh fruits and veggies will alleviate the burden on your health as well as your wallet.
 Choosing Cheap, Healthy Super Foods
- Â Eggs
 Not many things can be as simple and versatile as eggs. They are easily accessible and come with loads of benefits. There is a common misconception that eating eggs increases cholesterol and causes problems. But, research has instead shown that eating eggs promotes weight loss.
In a study where researchers took 21 men and compared the effects of eating bread vs eggs in the morning. The results showed that men who ate eggs in the mornings felt more full, were more satisfied, and were less likely to eat a heavier next meal. Their hormone and blood sugar levels were also reported to be lower. Eggs can be a great and affordable part of a healthy diet.
- Oatmeal
 Swap your sugary cornflakes or your children’s chocos with oatmeal. Oatmeal can be bland at first glance but if prepared correctly, it can be very versatile and a huge saver on your budget. It should be one of the staple foods of many different households.
It is a great source of protein and fiber which is also beneficial for losing weight. A study comparing subjects eating oatmeal for breakfast and their normal cereal reported that those who ate oatmeal were more full and also reduced their food intake in the next meal compared to those who ate cereal.
Mixing nuts, honey, fruits, and even sometimes peanut butter in your oatmeal can be very healthy as well as cheaper than pre-packaged cereal.
- Beans and Chickpeas
 There is so much variety of beans available in the market. Beans, chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, and other such foods can be considered a type of superfood, loaded with fiber and proteins, which is somewhat similar to oatmeal. It is one of the best foods to eat healthy and cheap way. They also help slow down digestion so the body has more time to absorb the food and provides with necessary nutrients to the good bacteria in our guts. They help prevent diabetes and some cancers.
Countless delicious recipes can be made with beans. In Nepal, it can be easy to combine beans in daal and curry. They can easily be integrated into our diet as they are cheap and easily accessible.
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Replacing Your Snacks
- Â Replace juice with Real Fruits
Instead of spending money on fruit juice that has been processed up to the nines, instead buy simpler, healthier fruit versions. Stay away from packaged juices as most often they are mostly sugar and preservatives. Juicing fruits takes out the sugar from them but eliminates all fiber.
They are also digested much more quickly than fruits so you would feel less full when drinking juice. Chewing something sends signals to your body that you have eaten something substantial so you are full for longer.
- Yogurt instead of Sauces
 Yogurt is a great alternative for sauces and dressings. They are easily accessible in any dairy store and are much lower in calories than any store-bought sauce or dressing. Even if you are eating a salad, much of the calories can come from store-bought salad dressing. By mixing Greek yogurt with spices and a dash of lemon, you can create your own healthy, easy sauce.
Yogurt is loaded with nutrients like calcium, vitamins, and proteins. They can strengthen bones and teeth and the probiotics in them are wonderful for digestion. Regular consumption on your daily life make yourself healthy in cheap and economic way. It can also soothe stomach aches.
- Â Nuts instead of Chips
 Fried foods are notoriously unhealthy due to their high sodium content and saturated fats. Pre-packaged chips have been fired in the oil that’s been reused for several batches. Instead of munching on some chips that will not keep you full for even an hour, instead opt for a variety of nuts.
Best and the most common ones are almonds, cashews, and walnuts. Nuts can be wondrous for your weight loss and can improve cholesterol and blood sugar. They are a great mid-meal snack. Next time grab a handful of nuts instead of crisps.
The last lines
Eat healthy and cheap does not need to be a financial burden. You can look after your health even with a strict budget. You just need to be smart about your choices and whether you are getting the most nutrient items for the money you are spending. Learning this you will know to save money and eat healthy foods on a budget.
