Many people associate healthy eating with organic produce and expensive foods. But in reality, eating healthy doesn’t have to cost a fortune. It even can be a much better choice for those trying to cut costs. Regardless to which diet you decide to follow, once you take charge of your cooking and cut your dining costs, you may find it easier to stick to your budget.
There are many points to keep in mind, however, if your plans to follow a diet also have a financial goal. If these points are not overlooked, you may be able to hit two birds with one stone.
Shop right
If you’re introducing major changes to your diet, you probably will need to make changes to your grocery list, as well. You should have a clear plan for what you buy and how it will be used. For example, don’t load your cart with veggies that will go bad in a few days unless you’re sure you will be able to consume that.
In addition, special diets or regimes often involve a good amount of trials and errors. During that phase, try to minimize waste and reduce your temptation to try anything and everything. In particular, limit as much as possible your purchases of products that are pushed your way as healthy. Learn to read the nutrition facts and make your own decisions about whether these products fit your goals or not. Healthy-labeled foods typically come as a premium that is rarely worth what you pay for.
Similarly, although it may be easy to pick up the top-of-the-line products, researching the wide variety of products that are available in almost every grocery store can help you make economic decisions when it comes to selecting healthy options. For example, store brands can be at a fraction of the top brand prices, but still provide a pretty good value for the money. If organic produce is part of your new regime, find stores that specialize in organic foods, these may offer a bigger variety and more price options than regular markets.
Eat at home
As many may know, healthy options are scarce in most restaurants even when they are promoted as such. Take this dieting opportunity to cut down on dining out, which typically accumulates into a small fortune. Doing so will help you keep track of what you consume as well as how much you pay for it.
In addition, eating at home may help you develop good habits in terms of controlling waste, packing lunches, using leftovers, etc. All of these will help you enter a cycle of saving. Once you see the rewards in both your waistline and your bank account, you probably will be encouraged to continue on this path.
Get free resources
There are loads of free online resources for all sorts of diets. Before you hit the bookstore and shell out money on diet books, DVDs, etc., check out the local library and the internet and find out the resources that you need. Many of these resources also can save you a bunch because they may be reviewed by actual users who are able to share first-hand experience. So do your homework before you hit the stores.
Free apps are also available to monitor your progress, count calories and carbs and manage all aspects of your diet and workout. Again don’t be carried away by your enthusiasm to pursue a healthy lifestyle to buy anything unless you have to. It may also be helpful to do so only after you’ve established what diet or lifestyle you’re most comfortable with. By doing so, you’ll be sure that you’re investing your money in something that you will be using for a very long time.
Rania Oteify a former Gulf News Business Features Editor is a Seattle-based editor.
