9 Tips to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Eating healthy is so expensive! Or is it? 9 key life-hacking tips to save big and help your health and your wealth.We all know we have to eat healthy to be healthy. But eating healthy is so expensive. Right?! Truth is some of the best foods are good for the body and the pocket. here's 9 tips to eat healthy and cheap.How much would food cost using all of these tips? Get ready for some major savingstip #1- Be flexible. If kale is too expensive, don’t eat it. Eat your local greens and save. I eat the local cabbage, it's dirt cheapThe famous blue zones with the centenarians vary in the details but the pattern is similar across. Lots of unprocessed plants. focus on the big picture and save.tip #2-legumes. at around a dollar a pound, they’re a dirt cheap source of protein. Some people want to eat healthier but not eliminate meat. doable. Diet is not all or nothing.What about prices? Average cost of a pound of beans/lentils in the US is $1.45. Matching for protein, red meat is ~4-5x more expensive than beans.Veggie burgers and processed soy can cost as much or more than meat. Beans and lentils deliver the biggest health bang for your buckLet’s lower those prices more. tip #3: bulk. Lentils at 72 cents if you buy in bulk. Red lentils, 64cents/lb. Barley, 87cents/lb. dirt cheap. oats for 90cents/lb. that’s 22cents/cup. breakfast of champs for 22 cents. flaxseed at a dollar a lb. $27 dollars for a bag that’ll last you for years. 1 tbspoon = less than 2 cents. with the 22 cents for the oatmeal that’s a 24 cent breakfast. Pay a quarter, still get changeWho said healthy food is expensive?Why buy at whole foods and leave your paycheck there when you can get it almost for free.tip #4: frozen vegetables aren’t worse than fresh. frozen mixed veggies, $1/lb. broccoli, $1.30/lb, corn $1, spinach $1.30/lbit’s even cheaper since there’s no waste. No money wastedtip #5: choosing where we shop saves big bucks. I can find fruit for 3x price difference. In LA, hispanic supermarkets are very cheap. Local farmer’s markets or fairs are cheaptip #6: forget organic. organic has a reputation for being healthier, but is it?jury is still out on whether organic provides any actual health benefit. if money is a problem, don’t sweat it, organic is probably not a huge factorBenefits of plant foods far outweigh any potential concern of pesticides and organictip #7: water. Americans spend more money on soft drinks than any other food item. $850/y for average householdYou can buy cheap chemical tests for common tap water contaminants. Home filter probably pays for itself in weeks or months with what you save from water bottles.Bottled water: an insane business model. You're selling something that’s essentially free. tip #8: make your own milk. soak, grind, filter. almond milk is $2-4 bucks in the US, if you buy almonds in bulk you can make it for $1.50oatmilk can be even cheapertip #9: batch cooking. buy in bulk, batch cook and freeze. Saves money and time. The habit to cook more at home saves big cash and does wonders for your health. Eating out of restaurants on a daily basis can be really rough on the health and the wealthHow cheap can we go for a healthy meal?Bulk Lentils 72cents/lb, that’s 18cents for 1 cup, spinach 1.30/lb so a cup would be 33cents. Sweet potato is less than a dollar a pound so 30cents per item. So we’re at 81cents per person. Let’s say condiments double the price, that’s $1.62 per person. Family of 4 dines for $6.48. healthy foods are expensive?!?Connect with me:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrGilCarvalho/Twitter: https://twitter.com/NutritionMadeS3Animations: Even Topland @toplandmediaReferences:https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2014228avg price data: https://www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic/data/averageretailfoodandenergyprices_usandmidwest_table.htmbulk food: https://www.ifsbulk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices