Making budget-wise choices can make healthy eating cheaper than you might think possible
Photo by Monika Grabkowska/Unsplash
Eating healthy is easier said than done. Sometimes, it’s not even the practice itself that’s hard but rather being able to afford it. Quinoa and all those other healthy alternatives aren’t exactly the most accessible food options out there. However, there are little things we can do to take a step in the right direction.
Store excess vegetables
When you’re chopping vegetables, it leaves a lot of scraps that we often just throw away. Those excess leaves, roots, peels, ends, and stalks might not be useful for what you initially planned to cook, but you could still use them for something else. Instead of throwing them away, store and use them to make a simple vegetable broth. Some of them give a lot of flavor even if they’re just a few scraps, so if it’s still looking fresh, you can store them in your fridge. When you want to use them, just boil them in water with some light seasoning.
Fruits, not junk foods, for snacks
In the Philippines, it’s easy to be fooled into buying cheap junk food. A good way to shift into healthy eating is to replace junk foods with fruits for snacks. If you look at it, what you can buy for a bag of chips can be switched for an apple or a pear in a supermarket, so why not pick the healthier option?
Shop in farmer’s, weekend, or wet markets
If you want fresh ingredients, go to your neighborhood market. There’s a reason why many people, even restaurants, shop at these markets. Compared to supermarkets, fruits and vegetables are cheaper here. You can even haggle or compare prices from different vendors. Also, a lot of wet markets get their supplies delivered to them directly by growers from provinces, so you’re sure to find some fresher ingredients here.
Buy in bulk and portion
When you’re grocery shopping, plan everything you’re going to get and buy them at the same time. You can store foods in the freezer and it would still retain its nutrients and freshness. If you go to the grocery without any idea of what you’re getting, you might buy last-minute items that you may not even need.
Starting a healthy diet doesn’t necessarily mean switching everything you eat. It doesn’t mean getting the most expensive items, too. Even just a small shift on where to invest your food money is a step in the right direction.