10 budget-friendly healthy eating hacks

Last week, I had an interesting conversation with a friend about healthy New Year goals, eating, fitness, tips – the usual year starter topics. As I wrote earlier, I try to stay away from commenting on how others eat or think about eating, but when we touched upon healthy eating essentials and she told me how difficult it is to eat healthy because it’s so expensive, I couldn’t really agree or not offer my opinion.

Because this is not the first time I’m hearing this.

On one hand, I get where this idea might come from. Anyone who has ever been to Whole Foods or a specialty store or watched a video of a health guru might get the impression that eating healthy is a really expensive privilege. Every week there’s a new superfood that is the best source of protein/fiber/vitamins etc, and coincidentally costs a fortune. And yes, some food items may be expensive, but they are not necessarily essential.

People led a healthy lifestyle before this craze of acai bowls and maca powders as well. We should never forget the power of marketing and how brands take advantage of even such positive concepts as health and well-being.

Related: The beginner’s guide to mindful eating

I’m probably on the healthier side of the eating spectrum, and while I am a fan of chia seeds, green smoothies, and hemp seeds, I don’t think healthy eating is (or should be) about the latest superfoods. I still think the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle are very easy and actually quite cheap – they just require a little preparation and attention.

10 budget-friendly healthy eating hacks

1 // Eat local and seasonal

This is probably my healthiest tip ever – and sadly often the most overlooked one. In my experience, people often don’t have the slightest idea of what fruits or vegetables are in season, just buy whatever they see in the store or fancy that day.

+ Why is it healthier? Imported, not seasonal or local food is usually picked unripe and treated with irradiation and ethylene gas to preserve it and ripen by the time it reaches the store. The nutritional value greatly deteriorates over time, so freshly-picked local produce is always the better option. Quality of flavor and the overall nutritional value is also the highest in the natural in-season produce.

+ Why is it cheaper? Because there’s usually an abundance of supply and they don’t have to be transported over a thousand miles.

+ Why is it more eco-friendly? No transportation costs, you support local farmers.

I love strawberries, zucchinis, and tomato, but in the winter I still choose apples, sauerkraut, or beetroots over them, because they are more nutritious and budget-friendly this time of the year.

Also, getting produce from the farmers market is a much better (and cheaper) option than getting pre-washed, pre-packaged versions from the supermarket. So, google your local seasonality chart and try to shop accordingly.

2 // Go back to basics – expensive is not always better

Gorgeous smoothies and acai bowls might look good on your Instagram, but they are not essentials for a healthy lifestyle. The healthiest and cheapest options may not be that fancy, but they totally serve the goal. My absolute favorite breakfast is still plain, regular oatmeal. And not the individually-packaged, pre-cooked ones, because they are usually much more expensive and may contain added sugar. Just simple oats, cooked in milk or water, seasoned with some honey, cinnamon, and peanut butter, and topped with the seasonally available fruits.

In the same spirit, you can use collard greens instead of kale, raspberries instead of goji berries, roasted chickpeas instead of nuts, lentils instead of quinoa, spinach instead of wheatgrass, hard-boiled eggs instead of protein bars, and simple or fruit-infused water instead of coconut water or Vitamin water.

I’m, too, often seduced by the many healthy superfoods in the store, but I also try to remind myself that marketing and milking the whole healthy lifestyle thing plays a big role in that. So I’m trying to go back to basics, and view these fancy health products as treats, rather than the norm.

Don’t believe the hype that a healthy lifestyle is necessarily an unaffordable one.

3 // Don’t buy if you don’t want to eat it

The cheapest healthy hack ever – simply don’t buy it if you want to avoid it. Reduce the daily temptation. I know that it’s easier for me to not buy than to not touch if they are already in my pantry. Also, in my experience, snacks, chocolate, cookies, and juices are often the main culprits for a higher grocery bill.

4 // Grow your own herbs

Most of us do not have space (or the expertise) to create a whole farm with 20 different types of plants, but even tiny steps could make a big difference. Often packaged fresh herbs cost 2-3 dollars in health stores, only to be used once or twice. In contrast, you can get hundreds of seeds for that same money that can be used for months. And it’s also a great way to reduce your waste and trash.

My tiny herb garden on my balcony plays a huge role in my healthy lifestyle – and saves some money along the way. If the conditions are great, one tiny plant can basically cover my entire fresh herb needs in the spring and summer. Mint, chives, rosemary, oregano, coriander, sage, or marjoram are quite easy to care for and grow very fast. Here are some tips on how you can grow your own.

5 // Try store brands instead of big names

I’ll be honest, I’ve often looked at store brands with some suspicion. Why are they that much cheaper – surely the quality must be subpar? In reality, the lower cost is often due to the lack of huge marketing and advertising cost involved. No TV ads, no outlandish celebrity endorsements, no extra dollars you’re paying for the name itself.

I’m not saying I exclusively buy store brands, far from it. But I do read the labels, see what’s inside, try the product and the quality, and if everything checks, I go for store brands and thus save some money.

6 // Make your own

Avoid pre-packaged and processed food as much as you can, especially if you’re cooking for 2 or more persons (I find it’s quite difficult to keep the costs down if you’re cooking for one and it’s quite time-consuming as well.) Cooking from scratch is such a good way to maintain a healthy eating regimen. You know what’s inside the food. You know it’s fresh. And it’s probably cheaper as well.

What I find makes a huge difference is the fact that I’m not opposed to eating the same thing twice in a row, though I know a lot of people don’t agree. If I cook, it’s usually for 2 persons and at least for 2 days. Which makes it 4 servings at least – and at that quantity, cooking from scratch makes a lot more sense from a financial point of view.

I’m also much more likely to plan healthy options for the whole week ahead.

There are also things you can make instead of buying them at the food store: granola is one thing I like making ahead in bulk.

It’s OK to spend on take-outs, pre-made stuff, but don’t forget that it has its price and we’re basically spending money on convenience. Decide if and when it is worth it.

7 // Organize your healthy stash beautifully

I think styling can be such a useful psychological trick. A beautifully organized home, cute folders, a neat closet – if everything looks good and organized, I feel so much better, productive, and action-oriented. For me, the small details really make a lot of difference, that’s why I go to great lengths to find the perfect pieces.

The same with my healthy stash. In my dream apartment, a beautiful pantry would be one of the most important extra spaces, right after the closet. Sadly, I do not yet have space for either of them, so I work with what I have, and have created a little healthy corner in my kitchen.

All you need are simple glass jars from Ikea or somewhere cheap, some plain gift tags (I have a strange phobia of anything sticky, so no stickers for me), and some rustic strings, and voila, you have a much better-looking healthy stash than a dozen random boxes.

8 // Take advantage of the sales and freeze

I like buying some fruits and vegetables when they are in season and then freeze them for later. As the price is usually the lowest at that time (with the nutritional value at its the highest), this seems like the smartest option for me. Berries are typical candidates for freezing, along with some greens, or fresh beans.

9 // Meal planning may be boring, but it’s also incredibly useful

I noticed that I’m usually more likely to make less-than-perfect food choices when I don’t plan ahead. I’ll be honest, it’s a pain in the ass for me, as I usually can come up with at least 10 more interesting things to spend my time on than meal planning, but I usually still end up doing it, because on the long run it saves me time and money.

10 // Pick 3 surefire options to fall back on

My biggest problem with cooking is not the activity itself, but the planning part. I cannot really get excited about food by just reading a recipe so it takes me a long time to settle on something. That’s why I have a rotating list of safe options that I can always fall back upon if I really don’t have any patience for finding new recipes.

Make those safe options as simple, but healthy as possible. For breakfast, mine is oatmeal or overnight oats. I have 3-4 salad options for lunch or dinner, a couple of pasta and meat dishes that I already know by heart and can always count upon.

What are your favorite budget-friendly healthy eating hacks?

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