We all know how important it is to eat a healthy diet, but there are many people who say they can’t because they don’t think they can’t afford healthy food. In reality, one could actually save money by switching to a healthy diet, and they don’t have to sacrifice flavor either. Here are a few tips you could use to save money while improving your health.
• Cut down on protein or buy cheaper versions. You only need one gram of protein for every pound you weigh if you want to build and maintain muscle, but if you are simply trying to be healthy, you don’t need nearly that much. You can either decide to buy less meat that is higher quality, or buy eggs, milk, whey, frozen chicken breasts, cottage cheese, or other low cost proteins to fill your diet.
• Use frozen fruits and veggies when they are less expensive than fresh. They will last much longer and all you have to do is defrost them. Frozen produce will also hold their nutritional value if they are flash frozen (frozen right after they are picked), so you don’t have to sacrifice nutrition for savings.
• Find promotions and coupons to save you money whenever possible. It’s difficult to find coupons for fresh produce, but when you do, use them. Stock up on other healthy foods when you can save money on them, but only if they will keep in the pantry or the freezer for a while.
There are many online sources available to find grocery coupons.
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• Buy produce when it is in season. Fruits and veggies get more expensive when they aren’t in season, so try to use root vegetables in the winter, apples and different kinds of squash in the fall, and asparagus and berries in the summer.
• Drink water from your tap. If you don’t like tap water, get a pitcher that will filter the water for you. It’s much cheaper to use your own bottled water than to buy it from a store, and water is much better for you than juice or soda filled with sugar.
• Avoid impulse purchases. You may not realize you are doing this, but when you are able to recognize the strategies stores use to get you to buy specific items you can avoid spending money on something you don’t need. Many stores put expensive candy bars, snacks, and sodas by their registers. This is because the store owners know that you will have to stop and wait in line to make your purchase. As you wait, you will look around at all the delicious or useful small items around you and think “I could use that.” The fact is that if you were to go look for that same item elsewhere in the store, it would be a lot less expensive based on the unit price. There are many other ways stores get customers to buy more (i.e. small aisles forcing customers to stop and wait for other customers, big sale signs over items that have a very small or no discount at all, etc.). Make sure you do your homework and avoid these tricks.
• Eat out less often. This one is very obvious, but it deserves to be mentioned. While you may think that buying a salad at a restaurant may be good for you, the fact is that it may have less nutrition and more calories than a cheeseburger. When you do go out to eat, make sure you know the nutritional facts first, but if you make the effort to make your own meals, you can control exactly what you put into your body.
• Start your own garden. When you grow your own produce, you can control what chemicals are on the food you eat. While this may take a little time, it will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Occasionally I allow guest bloggers to share their knowledge with my readers. Guest posters are unpaid and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of this blog. If you are interested in submitting a guest post, let me know via the contact form. Guest post pitches that are overly salesly or do not offer value to my readers will be ignored.
The above is a guest article from Vanessa Lang, an author who writes guest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuses on educating readers about payday loans.
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