The cheapest way to eat healthy is to swap the highest-priced foods on your grocery list for the most nutritious foods. Explore your protein options to replace expensive meats. Switch from store-bought bakery items and packaged foods to homemade bread and snacks. Making changes to your diet safely includes maintaining your nutritional balance as your substitute food sources. Knowing which nutrients you need, which foods provide them and the cheapest way to prepare them will keep your diet---and you---healthy, on a budget.
Choose Nutritious Foods
Food label nutrition facts will tell you which foods are nutrient-dense. These are items that are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. The cheapest way to obtain nutrient-dense foods is to buy fresh produce when it's in season. Fruits and vegetables may provide vitamins A, C and E, iron, potassium, dietary fiber and other nutrients.
To eat a healthy diet, the Mayo Clinic suggests getting more sweet potatoes, spinach, apples, broccoli and blueberries, all of which are nutritious foods with minimal calories and price tags. Year-round, canned cooked dry beans and bulk grains are great buys and sources of magnesium, fiber and B vitamins. Among milk products, low-fat yogurt is less expensive than milk or cheese and offers calcium and protein.
Choose Cheaper Foods
Look for quality as you look for the cheapest way to eat healthy. For example, the flavor and nutrient content of generic store brands of canned kidney beans is often equal to that of higher-priced labels. Cooked dry beans are also a protein source that you can substitute for more costly meat. Serve beans with a complementary protein source, such as cooked whole grains like barley or brown rice.
Other, lower-cost protein substitutes for meat include tofu, eggs, nuts canned fish and peanut butter. Scattering a handful of cooked beans, almonds, cashews or sunflower seeds on a salad adds a nutritional boost.
Do It Yourself
You don't have to be a gardener to eat healthy, although it helps. Freezing nutritious foods straight from the garden or produce stand is a money-saver. Grow, pick or buy bulk fruits; blueberries freeze well. Make your own salsa and soups, both of which can be frozen.
The freezer can help you switch from packaged snacks to home-baked ones, as well as from commercial to homemade bread. Get a bread machine from a thrift store for next to nothing, and you'll be able to bake bread for half price. The biggest price break you can give yourself is to drink water, and bring your own water bottle with you.
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