Is healthy food really expensive?

“I want to eat healthily, but healthy food is so expensive!” I’m sure you either heard or said this phrase before. But is it true? Or is it a ‘cheap’ excuse?

How to eat healthy without breaking your piggy bank

I'm going to challenge you with this one. Try to be honest (for your own sake)! Does healthy food cost more than:

• A gym membership you never use? Maybe multiple memberships you don’t use?
• Pre-made juice cleanses?
• Packaged food?
• Fast food?
• Eating out and drinking every day?

If you don’t plan, any food is expensive. This is how I manage to eat healthy without burning through my money.

1. I’m (trying) to grow my own herbs and veggies

As long as you have sunlight and water - you can experiment with growing your own herbs and veggies. Don’t get me wrong, this one was the toughest for me as I don’t have a ‘green thumb’ at all.

Me and my friend Shevon used to joke, that plants come to our houses to die. I couldn’t grow anything, literally. I managed to kill a cactus!!!! So how? Well, a lot of patience! And now I have tomatoes and some green leafy veggies growing.

Small herb plants and veggie seeds are definitely cheaper than a packaged mixed green salad that remains unopened (and ends up in the trash anyway). Or google “community garden” in your neighborhood or city and et voila!

2. I’m not afraid of canned and frozen products

If you do some research, you’ll find out that canned and frozen products are picked at their prime time and immediately frozen, heated or pasteurized and packaged. It means that they can be as healthy as their fresh cousins. Besides, frozen veggies last much longer than the fresh ones.

Yes, I said they CAN BE. Especially with the canned fruits and veggies - pay attention to the fluid they are canned in with. Syrups and gravy can add the ‘unhealthy’ bits we don’t want.

Fact: Pre-cut vegetables and fruits are convenient, but also more expensive than cutting them yourself!

Pro-Tip: Don’t go grocery shopping when you are hungry. You will end up giving in to your cravings and start buying impulsively.

3. Meal preparation is a must

I can’t say it often enough. Many of your obstacles about weight management and well-being, can be removed (or lessened) by preparing your meals at home ahead of time.

When you know what are you going to make, you can shop accordingly to the plan = no or little waste. When you prep your meals, you know exactly what’s in it. If you need tips on how to get into the budget-conscious meal-prep habit - ask me.

5. Portion-Control

Meal preparation goes hand in hand with portion control. At least for me (and hundreds of my friends and clients).

I can hear you think - “I don’t have time to do all of that! I’m busy!” Well, we are all busy! I’m reading a very interesting book called “I’d Change My Life If I Had More Time": A Practical Guide to Making Dreams Come True” by Doreen Virtue.

There was this one simple sentence that just blew my mind. It said:

’We don’t find spare time; we create it’.

If something is your priority, you will create time for it. Your health should be your priority. Just sayin’.

Fact: If it is important, you’ll find the time. If it is not, you’ll find an excuse!

Let me ask you this. How much money do you spend when you go out for lunch every day with your colleagues? What do you usually order? How much do you eat? You do the math!

Sure, eating-out or ordering-in is easy and convenient. It became your habit. Good things about habits are that they can be broken. I’ll be here waiting for you once you decide you want to break your unhealthy habits and get new healthy habits.

I’m going to finish this blog with the wise words of my favorite fitness person in the whole world, ShaunT:

“Don’t be upset with the results you don’t get from the things you don’t do..”

• ShaunT-

P.S. Did I tell you that ShaunT is my favorite fitness person in the whole world?