Everyone wants to enjoy the benefits of healthier eating, but it’s not always easy to do. There is a notion that many people hold that healthy eating is prohibitively expensive and that their reliance on lower-quality options is a consequence of their economic situation.

While there can be some truth to these statements, it’s not impossible to start eating healthier when you have a limited budget – you just need to want to commit to it.

Let’s take a look at some tips you can follow to start eating healthier on a budget.

Optimise Your Shopping List

If you want to start eating healthier on a budget, then the first thing you should examine is what your weekly shopping list looks like. If you don’t even have a shopping list to begin with and tend just to browse the supermarket aisles arbitrarily, then you will be more likely to make impulsive purchase decisions and fail to find the cheapest and healthiest options.

Spending time weighing up the quality and cost of the groceries you buy and going into the supermarket with a shopping list will help you save time and money. Also, you should try to research affordable healthy recipes and then shop for their specific ingredients, being aware of portion sizes so that you minimise waste when you cook.

Keep in mind; you’re going to shop more impulsively if you go to the grocery store when you’re hungry. If you want to give yourself the best chance of staying vigilant and avoiding poor choices, make sure you don’t visit the supermarket on an empty stomach!

Find Some Budget Health Food Blogs to Follow

There’s no shortage of food blogs out there, with thousands explicitly dedicated to healthy eating. There are also many blogs written by people who also don’t have an enormous budget to spend, and while they may not be as polished as other blogs, they will be writing about tips, tricks and recipes that are far more relevant to you.

These types of blogs can also be really entertaining if you know where to look, with wacky creations like Pokémon-themed burgers helping to break up the monotony. If some of the more outlandish recipes aren’t very healthy; you can always swap out ingredients for healthier alternatives so that you can still participate (for example, you could use almond milk instead of full cream milk).

Not only will engaging with these types of blogs help you gain information and get practical advice, but they will also motivate you to stick to your goal of eating healthier on a budget. It’s no secret that sticking to and achieving a goal is much easier when you leverage resources designed to help keep you focused and avoid common pitfalls that might derail your achievements.

Look For Savings Every Time You Eat

Eating healthier on a budget isn’t just about finding cheaper alternatives; it’s also about changing some of your behaviours around food so you can stretch your dollar further. For example, if you enjoy a particular dish and don’t find it hard to make big batches of it, then you could cook a week’s worth of healthy work lunches in one sitting and stick them in the fridge to reheat later on.

Invest in some portable microwaveable tubs so you can take portions with you to the office and save money you would have otherwise spent on something quick and unhealthy during your lunch break. When you have something healthy from home that you didn’t need to spend a lot of money to make, you’ll get to spend more time relaxing during your lunch break and won’t feel guilty about giving into cravings.