Is It Actually Expensive to Eat Healthy?
You’ve waited until Sunday afternoon to grocery shop. You nearly got hit in the parking lot four times and then you almost hit someone yourself (ten points). It’s crowded. Carts are everywhere. Okay seriously, how many screaming children are in here? Your list is a daunting scramble of words that don’t seem to matter anymore. Healthy food is expensive anyway. Just grab some essentials and go. Looks like this will be another week of mac and cheese and frozen meals.
Grocery shopping can be the worst, especially with the rumor circulating that healthy food is expensive so you may as well just grab some cheap boxed and frozen food and call it a day.
However, eating healthy doesn’t need to be expensive. Sure, Whole Foods sells salads that reach well into the double digits and yes, buying organic can up your price as well — “Is that USDA organic or Oregon organic or Portland organic?” — but you can definitely eat healthy on a budget.
Fresh vegetables never cost more than a couple of dollars. The price also drops when you buy seasonal produce, which means prices will soon go down for foods like apples, asparagus, broccoli, and radishes. Buy seasonal veggies and freeze them so when you’re craving brussels sprouts in the summer, you’ve already got them on hand.
Speaking of frozen vegetables, they’re another good way to keep food cost low. Veggies destined for the frozen aisle are frozen just after being harvested so all the nutrients are there. Plus, because freezing preserves food — they don’t contain additives that other fresh veggies contain to ensure their shelf life. Just throw some bags in the microwave, toss it over rice (brown rice or quinoa if you’re feeling especially healthy), and you’ve got veggie-packed stir fry in just a few minutes.
Buying food from bulk bins can also be a great way to save a few bucks. If you only need a cup of wheat flour, instead of buying a pound of it, head to Sprouts so you can scoop out what you need. This also applies to grains and dried fruit and nuts which tend to come in huge packages for huge prices.
Meal-planning is another way to keep your prices low. Look for sales at the grocery store and plan your week’s meals accordingly. Planning out your meals will keep you from getting that sweaty, overwhelmed feeling at the grocery store that causes you to impulse buy whatever is most convenient.
Prepping meals like veggies for the week or meals for the next day will keep you from tossing in a frozen meal after a long day at work. It’ll also make grabbing some veggies for a snack at work just as easy as reaching for that candy bar. Plus, if you already cut everything up for dinner the night before, it’ll be just as easy to prepare that meal tonight as it would to toss in a frozen pizza.
Staying organized can also expand your culinary horizons. You made squash the night before and now you have a ton left over? Use that google machine and find something else to make with squash. Also, repurposing leftovers into an entirely new meal will keep you from getting bored eating the same meal a few days in a row and reduce waste.
Remember, the key to healthy eating on a budget is to stay organized. Plan your meals, prep beforehand, and look for seasonal produce. Now, go take on the grocery store.
