With the new year upon us, many people are focused on improving their health and setting positive goals for their well-being. For those interested in building better eating habits, it can be helpful to learn about easy ways to get started and stay on track. Doing so can seem daunting, as feeding ourselves is something that has to be done every day.
Thankfully, there are lots of useful tips and tricks out there that we can use to achieve our nutritional goals. Eating healthy doesn’t have to cost a fortune or take significant amounts of planning and preparation. We wanted to share some of these helpful tips with our patients to make it a little easier to eat healthy meals on a regular basis. Keep reading to learn more!
Cooking Meals at Home
These days, it is quite normal to spend around $10-20 on a healthy meal when dining out. Although these meals are healthy and delicious, it is simply unaffordable for most people to eat such expensive meals on a regular basis. Although fast food can cost much less money, unfortunately, the same is generally not true for healthier options.
Fortunately, cooking meals at home is an excellent way to fight back against expensive healthy meals. Ingredients cost a lot less for those that choose to make their own food, and they are also able to identify exactly what went into their meal. Restaurants can often add tons of butter and oil to make their recipes tastier, but home cooks can easily cut down on these unhealthy ingredients.
Finding Substitutes for Meat
Meat can often be expensive, even for people cooking at home. Thankfully, there are plenty of lower-cost foods that can be eaten in the place of meat. This includes foods such as beans, legumes, tofu, eggs, and fish. In addition to being more affordable, each of these items brings a unique blend of nutritional benefits and helps contribute to a more varied and nutritious diet.
For meat lovers that still want to include this ingredient in their diets, it can be helpful to look for less expensive cuts of meat or to buy moderately priced cuts in bulk. These cuts can then be used for soups, stews, and other meals that generally require meat.
Shopping for Frozen Foods
Did you know that frozen fruits and vegetables are very nutritious? They are often picked at their peak nutritional state and then frozen to preserve their goodness for months. Frozen foods are also cheaper and very convenient to use when cooking meals at home. Sometimes fresh produce can go bad if not used in time, which can lead to food waste and loss of money.
Try shopping in the frozen section of your grocery store more often when looking for fruits and vegetables. Doing so can save you money and make it easier to have healthy ingredients on hand when preparing meals on your own. You can even buy them in bulk and store them without the worry of spoilage.
Buying Versatile Ingredients
Some ingredients at the grocery store can be used in a variety of ways and help people save both time and money. For example, eggs are loaded with nutrients and can be used for much more than your typical breakfast dish. They can be added to a lunchtime ramen dish or eaten as part of fried rice for dinner.
Potatoes are also very low cost and full of valuable vitamins and minerals. This versatile food can be turned into countless different meals no matter the time of day. Canned foods such as chickpeas and diced tomatoes are another cheap, healthy, and convenient option for people looking to eat healthy on a budget. Stocking up on these items and learning how to use them in different ways is a great way to build a healthy and affordable diet.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many great ways to eat a healthy diet that doesn’t break the bank. Start off by cooking at home more often and preparing meals that require inexpensive yet nutritious ingredients. Try to create a more varied diet by substituting meat with healthy and affordable options like tofu, beans, legumes, and fish. Finally, frequent the frozen food aisle and look for ingredients that can be used in a variety of ways throughout the week.