A person or family can save quite a bit of money cutting out the junk, processed, and pre-cooked food. These expensive foods are loaded with empty calories, fats, sugars, preservatives, additives and salt. We pay a premium price for the priveledge of eating unhealthy. If you want to save quite a bit of money on your food bill each week and eat healthier, read the following tips.
* Shop the perimeter of the supermarket. This is the area to find the freshest and healthiest food. Fresh produce, meat, dairy, or fish are found in the perimeter of a store and are usually the best bets for finding the healthiest choices to make a meal. Frozen foods are often in the perimeters too and they are healthy alternatives to fresh. Just check the labels to make sure no aditives, perservatives, or salt are added.
* Buy fresh produce in season. Out of season produce are trucked or flown in from thousands of miles away causing the prices to be high. The produce itself will have lost too many nutrients as they age in transit. Buying in-season foods may be more healthy for you as well as being cheaper. Note that many out-of-season foods are from other countries who do not regulate on how pesticides and additives are used on growing crops.
* Buy cooked or uncooked beans, brown rice, couscous, barley, and other whole grains. They not only are tasty and nutritious, but they add fiber and fill you up faster. They are also cheap and lower in calories.
* Buy and stock up on canned goods and frozen foods when they are on sale. Canned foods are processed at the peak of ripeness and are a good alternative to eating fresh as long as you avoid the ones with salt, additives and preservatives added in.
* Make a meat free dinner with beans, rice, potatoes, or other alternative protein sources a couple times a week. They are healthier for you and have less cholesterol and calories than meat. They are much cheaper to buy than meat too.
* Eat smaller protions of meat which are dense protiens and calories. A portion is the size of a deck of cards.
* Grow your own herb garden in a nice pot in a sunny window. Buying fresh herbs in the supermarket is expensive. When you grow your own, you know what goes into growing them and keeping them pest free. You cannot say that about the ones you buy. Also the potted herbs will brighten up the area and freshen up the air.
* Brew your own tea or coffee, it is a healthy and cheaper than the drinks you get at the specialty coffee houses and cafes, which are loaded with high calorie creams, milk and sugars. You won't be tempted to buy and eat fattening pasteries or donuts that these places sell too.
* Make your own sodas by mixing your favorite juices with seltzer or club soda. You can make your own sports drinks easily too. There are websites telling you how. Homemade drinks will not have the preservatives, additives, and colorings in them that store bought has. You can also control the amount of sugar added. Homemade cost little to make.
* Stay away from fast food restaurants and eat out less often. You will eat fewer calories and spend less money on food. If you want a treat and eat out, eat out at lunchtime at a nice restaurant that serves healthy tasty food. You will spend less for a lunch than for a dinner.
* Brown bag a healthy salad or leftovers to work. Go out with your co-workers for only special occasions.
* If you want to eat gourmet, learn to make your own special dishes by watching cooking shows, taking cooking classes, or buying a gourmet cookbook. YOu will save money and have fun doing so.
* Don't eat snack food especially if it is not homemade. Check the ingredients on the package and you will see how unhealthy the snacks are for you besides being very expensive. Considering most snacks are filled with empty calories you are paying to eat unhealthy food. When making your own snacks, substitute whole wheat flour for half of the white flour; honey for sugar or high fructose corn syrup; and good baking oil for trans fats and other unhealthy shortenings. Use reduced fat recipes, there are many delicious ones in cookbooks or on the Internet.
Eat healthy and save. You cannot go wrong with eating foods that are good for you. Control your portions of meat, but eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Stay away from foods loaded with sugar, salt and additives.