Eating Clean on a Budget

By Megan Melone

In this time of economic hardship for many people, it’s important to consider ways to keep the costs of eating clean down in an effort to keep ourselves healthy. Not too long ago, I was grocery shopping with my sister. A little bit about her: she used to weigh over 200 lbs and is now a figure athlete—quite a turn around. While we were checking out, the overweight checker scanned all of her veggies, chicken, fruits and commented, “I can’t afford to eat this healthy”. My sister, without hesitation, responded “I can’t afford NOT to”.

Sadly, it is much less expensive to eat fat laden fast food, or pre-packaged food, rich in preservatives and sodium, than healthy nutritious food. Eating clean can be costly, but there are a few tips that will help your wallet.

1. When possible, shop local! Local farmers, farmer’s markets, and local farm stands, are far less expensive than large grocery stores. The produce is fresh and helping local farmers is a great way to help your community.

2. Cook from scratch. Yes, cooking from scratch takes time and planning, but it’s cheaper and healthier than buying prepackaged meals. When you buy prepackaged foods, you’re only paying for convenience; however, if you want to save money, your time will be well spent planning and making your own meals. Also, If you are making your own meals, you are able to control sodium, sugar, fat and other factors that can help assist your health and weight loss.

3. Buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen produce holds the same nutritional value as fresh and is usually FAR cheaper than buying fresh.

4. Buy in Bulk. Many stores such as Sam’s Club and Costco have made bulk shopping much more economical. For example, I get about 5 times as much Oatmeal for the same price when I buy in bulk.

5. Plan your meals and use a list. This will prevent you from impulse buying. Stick to the list and you will not spend a fortune at the store.

6. Read the circular. Finding out which grocery stores are having sales on things you buy most often is a great way to save money. Know where you are going to save the most and shop there.

7. Cut the coupons. Enough said…use those things! Eating clean does not have to be rough on your pocket book. With just a few tips and some simple planning, eating clean can be very economical.

Megan is a Nutrition Consultant with TheDiet Doc Chicago (TheDietDocChicago.com).