Frugal Diets & Weight Loss

Eating inexpensively doesn't have to mean eating high-fat, processed, unhealthy foods. In fact, you can create a heart-healthy, low-calorie eating plan that may cost significantly less than the diet you currently follow. Substituting ingredients and changing recipes can help you spend less while you lose more weight.

Proteins

Proteins, especially meat, fish and poultry, can eat up a large part of your shopping budget. Buy less expensive choices and use protein to complement other ingredients, rather than as standalone "main" dishes. Less expensive cuts of beef are less fatty than filets and strip steaks. Marinade flank steak and broil, rather than fry, sirloin to make it more tender. Salmon and tuna are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, but are also two of the more expensive fish, depending on where you live. Check the price of halibut, mackerel, trout, sardines and herring. Look for canned tuna. Use meat, fish and poultry in stir-fries, chilies, soups, stews and pasta sauces, rather than as the main food item on a plate.

Organics

Some advocates of organic fruits and vegetables claim these naturally grown foods are more nutritious, but the jury is still out on that claim, according to a review of research published on Washington State University's website. The review says a study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that organics contain no more vitamins or minerals than their commercially grown counterparts. If you're concerned about pesticides and chemical fertilizers, grow your own vegetables to get the benefit of natural foods without the high cost.

Snacking

You may eat less throughout the day if you eat more often, or at least decrease the long fasts between meals and the blood insulin response that leads to fat storage, overeating and weight gain, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. Eat three meals each day and a mid-morning and afternoon snack to help you keep portions small. Frugal snacks include seasonal fruits and vegetables, nuts, popcorn, homemade hummus and trail mix, granola bars and yogurt cups.

Eat in Courses

Eating more slowly allows your brain to get the message from your hormones that tell you you're full before you overeat, according to Dr. Theodore C. Friedman, writing at his website, Good Hormone Health. Start meals with a cup of low-fat soup. Follow that with a salad with fresh vegetables with a low-fat or fat-free dressing and nuts or seeds. By the time you get to your main course, you'll be less likely to overeat or want seconds. Penn State University researchers found that a study group who had a bowl of soup before their meal ate almost 20 percent fewer meal calories than those who didn't.