Most of us would like to adopt a healthier eating program in order to lose weight, feel better, and reduce the likelihood of developing certain diseases and illnesses. However, eating healthier often means spending more money, which can make it difficult to stick with this type of eating plan. The majority of people think that eating healthy foods is expensive and eating poorly is cheap. This is probably because fast food is so inexpensive to purchase and high quality meats and fresh vegetables seem more expensive. This is not actually true. It is very possible to eat healthy foods and save money at the same time simply by cooking more meals at home!
Cooking Your Own Meals Can Save You Money
A lot of people think that is costs them less money per week to eat several meals at a fast food restaurant than it does to buy bulk foods at the grocery store. This is probably because you spend about five dollars per meal at a fast food restaurant and fifty (or more) dollars per week buying food from the grocery store.
The fact is that buying food in bulk actually ends up saving you money. You may spend five dollars on a single meal at a fast food restaurant, but you could get enough vegetables to use in a few meals for that same price from the grocery store. When you spend another five dollars the next day at a fast food restaurant, you could have also purchased some meat from the grocery store that could be used for one or two meals. If you take the time to add up the costs per meal when you eat out and when you buy food from the grocery store and cook it at home, you will clearly see that buying food in bulk is way more cost effective.
Cooking at Home Makes You Healthier
This concept is really a no-brainer. Cooking your own food at home will make you a healthier person because you will be able to control what you are eating. You can cook foods that contain the proper balance of good carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and lean proteins. You can control the amount of calories present in each meal. You can also use healthier cooking methods, such as steaming, and healthier additives such as Pam spray (instead of butter). These are things that you will not be able to control if you eat out often.
Tips to Eat Healthier and Save More Money
There are several things you can do eat healthier and save money at the same time. The most important of these things is to cook more meals at home. No matter how you do it, cooking at home will cost you less than eating out. Here are some more tips:
- Go grocery shopping later in the week. This ensures that you will have fresh, healthy foods in your home over the weekend, which will reduce your need and urge to go out to eat.
- Buy seasonally. You will be much more likely to stick to your healthy diet plan if the foods you are eating are delicious. Fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables will simply taste better and because they are in season, they will cost less too.
- Go to the local farmers market. Farmers markets often sell healthier, fresher and locally produced foods at lower costs. This can be a great way to save money and eat better. Just make sure that you pay attention to what you are buying and how much you are spending to prevent spending too much.
- Buy healthy foods in bulk whenever possible. It is a fact that buying food in bulk is a proven way to save money. Buying healthier foods in bulk means that you will have more healthy food options lying around the house, which increases the chances that each meal you eat at home will be a healthy one.
Eating healthy foods doesn’t have to be more expensive, as long as you make smart decisions about what to eat and how much to spend.
