How To Eat Healthy amid rising cost of living.

In an era of rising living costs, prioritizing a nutritious diet can feel like a hard task. However, with a strategic approach and some change in choices, it’s entirely possible to uphold your health goals without breaking the bank.

Here, we’ll explore practical tips and tricks for navigating the challenge of eating healthy amidst a rising cost of living.

Here are the 6 Easiest Tips;

1. Plan your meals

Creating a meal plan is an effective way to ensure you eat healthily while managing expenses. Start by listing meals for the week, considering ingredients you already have and those that are on sale. Incorporate versatile staples like grains, beans, and seasonal produce to stretch your budget. Batch cooking can also save time and money – prepare large portions and freeze leftovers for future meals. Be flexible and willing to adjust your plan based on sales and discounts to make the most of your budget.

Meal planning is also a crucial part when trying to keep your sugar levels and blood pressure within the normal range.

Importance of meal planning 

• It promotes healthier eating habits by allowing you to intentionally select nutritious ingredients and balanced meals. With a plan in place, you’re less likely to resort to unhealthy fast food or convenience options.
• Meal planning saves time and reduces stress throughout the week since you already know what you’ll be cooking.
• It also minimizes food waste by helping you buy only what you need and use ingredients efficiently.
• Overall, meal planning empowers you to take control of your diet, budget, and time, leading to better overall health and well-being.

2. Cook at home

Embracing home cooking is a cornerstone of healthy living amidst rising living costs. When you cook at home, you have full control over the ingredients you use, allowing you to prioritize nutritious options while minimizing additives and preservatives often found in processed foods.

Additionally, home-cooked meals tend to be more cost-effective than dining out, as you can leverage bulk purchases, leftovers, and seasonal ingredients to stretch your budget. Moreover, cooking at home fosters creativity in the kitchen, enabling you to experiment with flavors, cuisines, and cooking techniques.

Not to mention, it’s a wonderful way to bond with family and friends over delicious, wholesome meals. By making home cooking a regular part of your routine, you’ll not only enhance your health but also your culinary skills and financial well-being.

Imagine how much money you would save if you started cooking at home, besides

• You get to choose a healthy cooking method.
• You can control your portion size.

3. Cut off junk food

Maybe it will get to a time when we will finally get over this junk food addiction. 

One, two, three times and you suddenly cannot stop eating foods without the company of soda, you suddenly can not go a day without a plate of chips. 

This is undoubtedly a bad addiction and when we are going into obesity, and overweight we are having too many health problems as we know that junk foods are never heart-friendly because of the too much fat, sodium, and sugar added to them.

Also, soda, crisps/chips, and biscuits are readily available but are they affordable? most of them are expensive and when we get into the habit of buying them often then we are going to get into a very serious addiction. This too is a good meal planning strategy.

What if you stopped buying these junk foods often, how much money will you save? A lot, in addition

• Junk foods are a health problem in waiting.
• also, junk foods create unnecessary weight gain, a potential risk factor for heart problems, diabetes, and hypertension.

4. Cook larger portions

Preparing large food portions is a smart strategy for eating healthily amid increasing living costs. By cooking in bulk, you can capitalize on economies of scale and save both time and money.

Batch cooking allows you to make the most of ingredients by purchasing in larger quantities, often at lower prices per unit. It also reduces the need for frequent grocery trips, cutting down on transportation costs and impulse purchases.

Additionally, cooking in bulk enables you to portion out meals ahead of time, making it easier to control portion sizes and resist the temptation of unhealthy takeout options. With large food portions prepared and stored, you’ll have convenient, nutritious meals readily available throughout the week, promoting healthier eating habits while staying within your budget.

• Save money and time

5. Replace animal proteins with plant proteins.

A good example is meat and beans. If you are working with a very tight budget you will immediately realize that beef is quite expensive and what you didn’t know is that both of these foods provide essential nutrients that your body requires, only beans are the better option here as it is cheaper and healthier as they come with additional fiber that tags along phytochemicals. Eat meat less often. 

Besides it not being pocket-friendly it also saves you from unnecessary weight gain as you know red meat contains too much saturated fat. 

Saturated fat always gets stored in our blood vessels clogging them and hence may lead to hypertension, heart attacks, and even stroke.

• Save yourself some cardiovascular diseases as you save some money too.

6. Make a kitchen garden

Seeds are quite affordable, if you have space, even if small, try making your kitchen garden, and plant some fruits and vegetables. 

Most people have already started embracing this idea of having vegetables grow so close to the kitchen because;

• They taste better.
• You don’t have to buy any more.

I have been keeping a close eye on my budget for food lately. I’ve realized that by planning ahead and being more mindful while grocery shopping, I can save quite a bit of money. I’ve been making a lot of meals from scratch and buying in bulk when possible. It takes a little more effort, but the savings are worth it in the end. I’ve also been trying to limit eating out and opting for home-cooked meals instead. It’s been a bit of an adjustment, but it’s definitely helped me stay within my budget.