Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can save you quite a bit of money in the long run. I’ve come up with five tips to help you eat better without breaking the bank. 

1. Meal Planning. Meal planning can make the world of a difference on your health journey. Simply set aside one day a week to research and plan meals, compile a list of ingredients you’ll need for the week, then take that list into action at the grocery store. There’s plenty of apps out there that help organize meals and shopping lists, making it easier than ever to meal plan. I know It’s a lot easier said than done but imagine the money you’ll save by making the equivalent of a $15 restaurant meal at home for only $5.
2. Organic vs non-organic. It’s not necessary to buy everything organic; do your research on the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen. According to the Environmental Working Group, the top three foods to buy organic in 2020 are strawberries, kale, and spinach. These foods were found to have the highest amount of pesticide residue, so if you can, I would opt for the organic option. On the other hand, the top three cleanest foods are avocados, sweet corn, and pineapples. These products had the least amount of pesticide residue; therefore, no need to spend the extra money on these organic items.
3. Embrace frozen fruits and vegetables! Frozen foods are a much more affordable way to get fruits and veggies in your diet without compromising quality. Fruits and vegetables are harvested at peak ripeness, then frozen within hours to maintain flavor and nutrients. Freezing preserves nutrients, so in some cases frozen foods are more nutritionally dense than fresh produce, since they’re able to retain their vitamin and mineral content longer. Be sure to read the label of the frozen produce to make sure there aren’t any added fats, sugars, or salts. The ingredients list should only contain the fruit or vegetable with no added sauces or flavors.
4. Buy protein in bulk. If there’s one part of your diet to splurge on, it’s your meat, fish, and eggs. Always make sure you’re buying the highest quality grass-fed meat, wild-caught fish, and pasture-raised eggs. My personal favorite way to do this is Butcher Box. Butcher Box is a subscription-based service that mails you high quality frozen meats in bulk every month; it doesn’t get much easier than that. You can plan your meals around the meats that are sent to you each month, plus it’s frozen so you don’t have to worry about spoiled meat. Meat can be repurposed in several ways as well, so that’s something to keep in mind.
5. Eliminate junk food. You’d be surprised by how much money you can blindly spend on soda, cookies, and other processed foods. Not only are these foods packed with unhealthy ingredients, but they offer very little nutrition. Instead, spend that money on nutritionally dense whole foods that will make you feel and look good. Go for the guacamole and carrots instead of chips and dip, or apples and peanut butter instead of apple pie. Every now and then it’s okay to have a cheat day, just don’t make that cheat day a cheat week, then month, then year. Invest in your health now or pay the price later.