16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap
Monday, 30th July 2007 (by J.D.)This article is about Food, Frugality, Health & Fitness
This is a guest post by Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com. If you enjoy this post, check out his site.
Eating healthy is important. Eating healthy:
- Lowers disease risks
- Increases productivity
- Gives you more energy
- Makes you stronger
You probably think eating healthy is expensive. I’ll be honest — it is. But there are tricks to keep it low cost. Here are sixteen ways to eat more healthy while keeping it cheap.
What is Healthy Food? Before we start, let’s define healthy food. It consists of:
- Protein. The building blocks of muscles, needed for strength.
- Fat. A balanced intake of omega 3, 6 & 9.
- Veggies. All kinds, especially green fibrous veggies.
- Fruit. Full of vitamins.
- Water. 1 liter per 1000 calories you expend.
- Whole grain food. Oats, rice, pasta, breads, …
On with the tips.
1. Switch to Water. I drank huge amounts of soda daily for more than 15 years. Then I started Strength Training and switched to water:
- It’s healthier
- It’s cheaper
Quit the soda & drink water. Take a bottle wherever you go.
2. Consume Tap Water. Check the price of water on your tap water bill. Now check the price of bottled water. Quit a difference, isn’t it? So why are you buying bottled water?
- Cleaner? Not necessarily.
- Better taste? No, simply a matter of Adaptation.
Bottled water companies get their supply from the same source you do: municipal water systems. It’s like selling ice to Eskimos. If you don’t trust the quality of tap water, filter it yourself. I use a Brita Pitcher. One $7 filter cleans 40 gallons water.
3. Eat Eggs. I always have eggs at breakfast:
- Full of vitamins
- High in proteins
- Low in price
Don’t believe the Eggs & Cholesterol myth. Dietary cholesterol is not bound to blood cholesterol. Want to make it cheaper? Buy a chicken.
4. Eat Fatty Meats. Fatty meats are cheaper & more tasty than lean meats. You think it’s not healthy? Check the Fat Myths:
- Fat doesn’t make you fat, excess calories do
- You need a balanced intake of fats: omega 3, 6 & 9
I’m on the Anabolic Diet, I buy beef chuck instead of sirloin.
5. Get Whey. The cheapest source of protein. 70$ for a 10lbs bag lasting 4 months. Nothing beats that. Use whey in your Post Workout Shake to help recovery.
6. Tuna Cans. Canned tuna is cheap & contains as much protein as meat. Alternate tuna with eggs, meat & whey. You’ll easily get to your daily amount of protein.
7. Buy Frozen Veggies. I mostly buy frozen veggies:
- Take less time to prepare
- You don’t waste money if not eaten in time
- Can be bought in bulk for discounts & stored in your freezer
If you can afford fresh veggies, then do it. I go frozen.
8. Use a Multivitamin. Pesticides lower the vitamin levels of your fruits & veggies. Two solutions:
- Buy organic food. Expensive.
- Use a multivitamin. $10 a month.
Choose what fits your wallet best. I take the multivitamin.
9. Fish Oil. Omega-3 is found in fish oil. Benefits of omega-3 consumption include:
- Lowered cholesterol levels
- Decreased body fat
- Reduced inflammation
You need to eat fatty fish 3 times a week to get these benefits. Time consuming & expensive, I know. Try Carlson’s Liquid Fish Oil with Lemon flavor. One teaspoon daily. You’ll be ok.
10. Buy Generic Food. The box might be less attractive, it’s certainly more attractive to your wallet. Brand-name food will always be more expensive. You’re paying for the name. Get real. Food is food. Go generic.
11. Buy in Bulk. Think long-term. Buying in bulk is more expensive at the cashier, but cheaper in the long run:
- Gets you discounts
- Saves time
- Saves car fuel
Invest in a big freezer. Buy meats & veggies in bulk and freeze them.
12. Go to One Grocery Store. This grocery store is cheaper for meat, that grocery store is cheaper for veggies, the other grocery store is cheaper for fish… How many grocery stores are you going to, trying to find the cheapest food? Think!
- Time is money. Stop losing a day shopping.
- Cars don’t run on water. Lower your fuel expenses.
I get all my food in a big grocery store near my place. It hasn’t the cheapest price for all foods, but it saves me time & fuel.
13. Make a Plan. A classic, but worth repeating. Everything starts with a plan.
- Make a list of what you need
- Eat a solid meal, don’t go hungry
- Go the grocery, get what’s on your list & get out
No need to take your partner or kids with you. This is not a recreational activity. Just get your food & get back home.
14. Take Food To Work. Ever counted how much money you throw away buying food at work daily? Start preparing your food for the day on waking up:
- Get up earlier
- Eat a solid breakfast (like Scrambled Eggs)
- Prepare your food for work in the meanwhile
Total time 30 minutes. No stress during the day about what you’ll be eating & you get healthy food while sparing money.
15. Eat Less. This one is obvious. The less you eat, the lower your grocery bill. If you’re overweight, get on a diet. Your health & bank account will thank you.
16. Don’t Buy Junk Food. The last one. Stop buying anything that comes out of a box, it’s:
- Unhealthy
- Expensive
If you actually find junk food that is cheaper than whole food, think long-term. Health implications.
Mehdi is author of StrongLifts.com, a blog about Strength Training, nutrition, lifestyle & attitude. His articles include the Anabolic Diet & the Beginner Strength Training Program. Join him at StrongLifts.com for the fascinating journey toward more strength, bigger muscles, low body fat & a better health.
Don’t pay 70 dollars for a 10 lb bag of Whey protein! You can get it for 50 from vendors on ebay. This is the ONLY way you should be buying way supplements because stores mark up the prices significantly.
Also, the best brand (taste, mixibility, nutritional content) is by far Optimum Nutrition. I love their double rich chocolate and I have been using it as a part of my diet forever. It can really help you build lean mass if you are trying to do strength training.
I would add that in addition to making a plan for shopping, that a plan should be made for (at least) the entire week for what you are going to eat. This will cut down on junk food binging and “quick stops” at fast food places.
easy simple advise. Portion control has two benefits (less weight gain metabolism slows as you age) cheaper. Watermelons over here are expensive, so we cut our portions in half and I now I buy half instead of a whole watermelon.
Portion control definately helps your food last longer. When I buy cereal, I keep a half-cup measure in the box so I only consume a single portion. This article has some good, basic points to get people started.
You said, “Pesticides lower the vitamin levels of your fruits & veggies.”
Can you please cite a reliable source for this information?
The only thing I’d add is, whenever possible grow your own vegetables. They taste better and cost even less than frozen. And you control what you put on them to keep the bugs off.
I agree with the comment about reliable sources. The strength-training world is full of its own myths based on pseudoscience or hearsay, and I would feel a lot more comfortable following diet recommendations and assertions made by a qualified nutritionist or doctor. That’s not to say that any of this stuff is wrong, I just don’t know how comfortable I feel in trusting it.
Please use caution when eating that kind of diet! Medhi is talking from the perspective of a very healthy guy who’s main goal is to strengthen. Remember, you also need to eat carbs for short-term energy, preferably complex carbs such as whole grains. Gets fiber into you as well.
Also, that kind of diet works really well when you’re actually working out. That much cholesterol and fat is BAD if all you’re doing is sitting and reading blogs all day.
All that protein isn’t very useful if you’re training for a long-distance run such as a half/full marathon. Everybody’s…erm, body is very different. Remember, what ever you do, the main point is to stay consistent!
See
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2004/NEW01038.html
for recommendations on limiting tuna consumption due to mercury levels.
Light tuna is better than albacore.
I find that putting tap water in the fridge makes it taste as good as bottled water. Cold water is good.
for veggies, try hitting farmers markets during your lunch break, if you work in a city that has them. (otherwise, visit them on the weekend–walk there for exercise?) You will be buying veggies in season, so the prices are very good. Buying in season also ensures variety in your diet. This is a sounder option than trying to use vitamins to compensate for pesticides in your food (not sure about that logic anyway). I say avoid the pesticides (and the health and enviro problems they cause) from the start, buying organic, in-season food from farmers you can meet and talk with.
Great comments.
Maitresse => It’s pretty common knowledge that pesticides lower the vitamin levels of fruits & veggies. Search google, you’ll find plenty of info.
Brad => Would you rather follow the advise of an overweight or out of shape doctor/nutritionist or an in shape strength training enthousiast? I prefer those who walk the talk.
The problem with doctors is that people tend to believe anything they say, just because they are doctors.
Him => Fiber is certainly needed in a balanced diet. (clean) Carbs are definitely needed for high-intensity activities.
I wouldn’t follow this advice for the average person. Most americans have in excess of twice the RDA of protein in their diets, for most people whey protein is a waste of money and added stress on the kidneys.
I eat very frugally and I think much more healthfully than the article suggests.
Fiber is a big concern for most americans. I would suggest beans and whole grains as an inexpensive source of Fiber as well as protein and a number of vitamins.
I agree that there is a certain amount of fat phobia but fatty meats tend to contain mostly saturated fats. I’d rather intake healthier oils like olive, flax and canola.
I personally won’t be following any of the nutrition tips in the article. I maintain a healthy weight, and energy level on a diet based on whole grains, veggies, beans, healthy oils, etc.
Iris - thanks for the link. This is what was concerning me the most, also.
I think the comment that this post needs to be taken in the context of being aimed at a healthy young-ish male is probably right - eg, I’m currently very interested in figuring out how to eat cheaply but healthfully, but from the perspective of a woman who plans to have kids in the very near future and is much more focused on trying to avoid heavy metals and make sure I know that the pesticide levels in my foods are low, so I think this post doesn’t apply to me quite as much as I’d hoped when I saw the title. Still an important topic, however!
Solid advice and clean, direct writing. Just make sure that bulk protein comes from a traceable source. Witness the recent problems with pet food.
Here’s an easy one: reduce (or stop) meat consumption. It’s expensive, and not particularly good for you.
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Um… #15 is a little too broad. Yes, if you eat a caloric equivalent of a full meal every 2 hours, then yes, eat less. But it’s good to keep your body fed every 2-3 hours with, obviously, healthy and small portioned snacks/meals.
I agree Elissa, very good advice to eat every 2-3 hours. With number #15 I meant the total calorie intake in one day. Thanks for correcting.
While I agree that nutrition information is best from a doctor/nutritionist, by extension financial advice is probably best professionally trained financial advisers, right? And yet here we all are.
I think this article is actually a very good summary of basic healthy eating, amalgamating quickly and clearly the nutritional advice that’s taken me a year to figure out. I have the benefit of having a naturopathic doctor and a professional dietitian amongst my closest friends who, as recent grads, are brimming with advice and curiosity. All that I’ve learned from them corroborates with this. I would add that, although not cheap, Walnuts are an excellent snack full of healthy fatty acids. My doctor recommended high-fiber toast and some sort of fat and protein (either an egg or almond butter) and noted that the fat is necessary to help break down the fiber.
Mehdi asked
No contest, I’d take the advice of the overweight doctor or nutritionist! Sure, there’s no reason to trust a doctor just because he/she is a doctor, but doctors and nutritionists are more likely than strength-training enthusiasts to base their advice on scientific evidence, clinical trials, and peer-reviewed research. The strength-training (and the exercise community in general) is well known for perpetuating dietary and exercise myths based on hearsay, word of mouth, or pseudoscience; read Gina Kolata’s excellent book “Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth About Health and Exercise” for an eye-opening look at this issue. Given the choice, I’d trust the advice of a doctor or nutritionist (no matter whether they’re in shape or out) over that of a personal trainer anytime.
A couple of these beliefs are seriously outdated. Coinciding with has been said, recommending 6 eggs a day for breakfast alone and claiming there’s no risk involved, I find it very irresponsible (I’m a woman, I don’t need to have my “testosterone levels” raised and my arteries clogged). The same goes with the tip on eating fatty meats, with animal grease intertwined in the fibers, when you could have replaced the fat intake with non-saturated vegetable oils instead.
Diets (or eating habits to achieve certain results) should not be posted as “one size fits all”, it should be customized according to your age, gender and taking into account preexisting ailments, if any.
And yes, Sir: I’d rather follow my doctor’s orders; you shouldn’t take 5 years of college studies and a solid degree so lightly in the first place, based solely on a physician’s weight excess. ¿Does it necessarily make him a bad professional?
Amen to the fish oil, it’s a life saver with joint pain.
Beware the Fatty Meat item. Fat is an important component in a healthy diet (it helps transport certain vitamins like Vitamin E, etc.) but watch which kinds of fats you’re consuming. Saturated and Trans fats aren’t the kind of fats you need to be consuming. Most Americans aren’t getting a shortage of fat in their diet.
Also while weight gain/loss is tied to calories not fat, fat has 2+ times the calories of protein and carbs (9 calories per gram versus 4).
I love this article. I found out during Lent that if you stay away from fast food, beer and soft drinks you can lose weight without really changing anything else. I also managed to fatten my wallet by staying away from these vices.
Great article, very well written.
I only have a few qualms:
2. Tap Water - not all bottled water companies get their water from MWS. Quite a few (typically more expensive) do get their water from lakes and mountain springs, etc.
7. Frozen Vegetables - frozen vegetables contain less nurtients than fresh.
Organic food, although it isn’t affected by pesticides, can be worse for you than regular food. Because of manure and other fertilizers, organic food is ridden with micro-organisms and bacteria that can’t be gotten rid of by just washing.
10. Generic Food - I have to disagree with this one. Yes, a lot of generic food is the same quality as brand name, but more often than not you get what you pay for. Brand name foods are better quality. Compare things like gravy, and pasta sauce, and dishwashing liquid and the differences are simple. However with raw produce like sugar and flour and pasta, they’re pretty much the same.
#16 - Isn’t it true that many vegetarians and vegans suffer major health problems after living long-term without meat? How many babies have died because their parents forced them to be vegan?
Just because meat is fatty, it doesn’t mean it’s all unhealthy. Research shows that humans need meat, and there is no real substitute for it.
This was a really great article. A lot of great tips. I really need to work on the getting up earlier thing. I already get up pretty early for work, but it’s definitely begrudgingly.
I’m a nutritionist, and I would never recommend this menu to anyone (except maybe a young super athlete who insisted on eating a meat-based diet).
To be healthy and low-cost eat a diet based on fruits, vegetables, grains, and vegetable-based protein…lentils, brown rice, quinoa, beans, oatmeal, tofu, raw nuts, and a wide range of fruits and vegetables. Cheap, easy, healthy. Drink primarily water. To save money and your health, reduce or eliminate all packaged stuff, junk food, soda, and other highly processed foods. If you are going to eat fish, do so sparingly and eat fish that have lower mercury levels (you can find lists of this online). Eat other meat and dairy sparingly, or work on cutting out whatever parts of it you can.
Brad,
I agree that the world of fitness & nutrition is full of myths & misinformation. And I do think that doctors & so called nutrition experts are no different.
If you want good advice, find a good chiropactor, accupunctirist, doctor in chinese medecine. They will give you solutions for the cause of your problems vs. solutions for your symptoms.
@Andrea: Absolutely - the body warms up the water after you’ve swallowed cold water so you use more calories than with room temperature water.
Yes….1,2,8,10,12,13
No……3,4,5,9
6…..Emphatically no, Tuna is meat, and unnecessary packaging and just bad for the overfishing of the oceans. Go canned chicken, less of an impact.
7…..No comparison, fresh is better then frozen.
11…..No need to buy in bulk. Fresh or not at all. Store’s only a half mile away.
14…..One good meal a day at home works for me.
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Someone just writes something on the internet and people believe it? This article is worthless, however Frozen veggies have been shown to contain more vitamins because they are harvested later rather than earlier because they don’t need to ripen during transportation.
Mehdi, “common knowledge” isn’t always correct.
I’m an ACSM certified personal trainer, and I’d appreciate a *reliable* source for the claim that pesticides reduce the vitamin and mineral content of foods.
As for those who are saying not to believe a personal trainer, I’d say it depends on the personal trainer. Ditto for doctor, chiropractor, or anyone else you consult. Ask them to back up their facts with reliable sources. Do they read peer-reviewed medical journals (or at least read the research on medpub or someplace similar), or do they tell you it’s “common knowledge” that you can find anywhere on the internet?
“Bottled water companies get their supply from the same source you do: municipal water systems.”
WTF… this is the most generic, stereotypic statement ive heard in a long time. Evian is municipal water? I certainly dont think so…. at least no in Canada. Some water is municipal water… Dasani, Aquafina are municipal water, but as far as I know - thats it. I buy spring water for the taste. Has nothing to do with me not trusting the cleanliness of public water… it just tastes like crap.
Municipal water is disgusting.
Maitresse, I agree that common knowledge is far from correct in lots of cases.
Feel free to forward me info you got on the topic. I’m open to new ideas.
Look forward to your reply.
A few things i’d like to touch on.
1) Whey protein is (to my knowledge)not harmful to the kidneys, but to the liver IF it is consumed in excess. Generally speaking that means no more than 20g per meal. Usually “exercise enthusiasts” would be the ones to take it in excess, craving that lean muscle to be made.
2) I dunno about pesticides, but I think that the veggies these days just don’t have the same nutrients based on what they’re able to absorb out of the soil whilst growing. Even if i’m wrong there (which is possible, i can admit that), nutrients are lost when prepared. IE: Boiled and such, because some of the nutrients end up in the water (which you dump out).
3) Nothing beats whole grains. They are epic win.
4) This is to Brad and the author: I trust myself and my research (initially based on books by Dr. Michael Colgan) for my dietary information. I had a cow when my mother returned home from her doctor and was told she should stop drinking milk(1%), stop eating pasta (omg scary carbs), strictly limit fruit, and go on this crack-pot diet with barely any nutritional sense. She’s a vegetarian anyways so she doesn’t eat meat and then the doctor cut out everything good that she was eating. I call shenanigans. Also don’t trust the FDA to make sure you’re eating right, the 100% daily value they say you should have of vitamin C is only enough to keep you from getting scurvey. Did you know that if you have MORE vitamin C combined with the full circle of anti-oxidents it actually stregthens your immune system and fights free radicals? Go figure. I learned this from Dr. Michael Colgan, feel free to look him up, here’s the first link I found talking about the amount of vitamin C http://www.nutros.com/nsr-02004.html Scroll almost all the way down to where it says “Amount.”
Mulitvitamins can harm some people. Studies found can actually increase chances of getting prostate cancer. If you eat healthy you shouldn’t need vitamins pills. Can overdose on some. If feeling crampy and just not as good stop taking the vitamins.
All boxed stuff is not bad. I prefer my crackers in boxes.
One thing I would like to add, is to cut the sweets. You don’t need to totally get rid of them, but replace them with something more wholesome. Instead of getting a box of double chocolate chunk chips ahoy, get a box of cinnamon graham crackers. Don’t eat a whole stack for desert.
Mehdi, “common knowledge” isn’t always correct.
I’m an ACSM certified personal trainer, and I’d appreciate a *reliable* source for the claim that pesticides reduce the vitamin and mineral content of foods.
As for those who are saying not to believe a personal trainer, I’d say it depends on the personal trainer. Ditto for doctor, chiropractor, or anyone else you consult. Ask them to back up their facts with reliable sources. Do they read peer-reviewed medical journals (or at least read the research on medpub or someplace similar), or do they tell you it’s “common knowledge” that you can find anywhere on the internet?
As for a meatless diet, you’ll find it impossible to meet all of your nutritional needs without supplements if you go all-out vegan. Be sure to figure those supplements into your budget if you choose that route, and read a lot to really know what you’re doing. I’ll just say it’s not for me.
Sorry for the double post. I got an error that said your server wasn’t working when I posted the first time.
Anyway, you made a statement and I asked you to back it up. In the rules of debate, you must now prove your point. You haven’t even attempted to do so, but wish to put the onus on me. One doesn’t prove a negative.
I’ll accept that you don’t have a reliable source for your statement that pesticides reduce the vitamin and mineral content of foods.
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Maitresse: Yes, for vegans a B12 supplement is important. This is really the only thing you can’t get from a good, varied vegan diet (unless it includes a lot of B12 fortified foods). The multivitamin I take (includes B12) works out to .25 a day, less than $8 a month.
In the original post, he’s already factored in a multivitamin in the first place.
However, I wasn’t even suggesting veganism in my original comment.
maitresse…..
pesticides are poison… most people know this… A simple google search for “pesticides” will give you plenty of results to read through. I believe that Mehdi is not giving you a link to a reliable source because he doesn’t know what you personally will consider reliable. So, look it up yourself and get some more information.
Wow..eat lots of eggs and fatty meats. Sound advice. I hope you save enough money with these tips to pay for impending medical bills due to heart disease and colon cancer.
For anybody looking to lose weight I have 2 simple pieces of advice. Watch your caloric intake over and above your consumption of fat, carbs, protein..etc. Second, get out there and go for a jog! Can’t jog, WALK! Theres no excuse to sit on the couch all evening. A 30 minute brisk walk can burn up to 400 calories
Lean cuts of meat. Portion should be no larger than the palm of your hand and no thicker than your finger.
Limit intake of red meats.
Green vegetables are your friends.
Fruit is your friend.
Metatosym protein is your friend… especially if you are building!!
Fructose is your friend.
Sucrose is your enemy.
Eat small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals.
1 tsp apple cider vinegar mixed in 16 ounces of water twice a day helps me with joint pain.(doesn’t taste too bad.)
Cheers!
http://streetjesus.blogspot.com
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[QUOTE]Bottled water companies get their supply from the same source you do: municipal water systems.[/QUOTE]
Wrong. A friend of mine owns a bottled water company. It is [i]source[/i] water, not tap water.
[QUOTE]Eat eggs. Want to make it cheaper? Buy a chicken.[/QUOTE]
That was the best part
A plant based diet can be as cheap/cheaper than the suggestion in the article above.
Aside from tastier, more varied food there is a good chance to save even more money by avoiding the medical costs associated with a diet high in animal products.
Something to consider since about 1/3 of Americans do not have health insurance.
The other side of the story:
http://tinyurl.com/3au294
One thing to consider is learning to use meats more as flavoring ingredients rather than as main ingredients. By most accounts, americans already consume way too much protein and saturated fats. There was also an article on how the huge amounts of livestock we raise to accommodate our lust for animal protein contributes more carbon to the atmosphere than a lot of other sources. It’s something to think about. Diets based on whole grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats with small amounts of meats have been shown to provide all of the nutrition needed for healthy living. Read “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy” by Walter Willett for an excellent source for nutritional information and diet guidance. Willett presents a good alternative to the USDA food pyramid.
Meat is important for health. For those fearing cholesterol, you should know that dietary cholesterol makes very little difference in serum cholesterol.
http://www.ravnskov.nu/myth3.htm
Bottled water is *sometimes* obtained from municipal sources, but this is certainly not always true. I drink bottled water when away from home, not only for the taste, but to avoid the consumption of chlorine and flouride. I’m fortunate to have a deep well at home, which provides me with safe, healthy drinking water.
Carrion==> I didn’t say pesticides aren’t poison. In fact, I made no claim at all. I asked for a reliable source for his claim that pesticides reduce the vitamin and mineral content of foods, specifically.
Wow, you’re a genius. “If you’re overweight, go on a diet.” Because fat people can choose to diet and lose their excess weight anytime they feel like it right? It couldn’t have anything to do with self-esteem, emotional eating, lack of motivation, etc that cause other people to drink or shop or be permiscuous or smoke or do drugs…… They should all just stop too.
What vitamins are found in eggs bozo?!
Two, Poland Spring bottled water is bottled at several sources: Hollis, ME; Evergreen Spring, Fryeburg, ME; Garden Spring, Poland, ME and so on… The point is simple: not from a municipal water system. Fiji Water, clearly from Fiji. Anyone who drank huge amounts of soda for 15 years lacks intelligence.
i think people are being overly critical of these tips. The author is simply expressing what worked for him personally. I agree with most of the tips in the article except for the part about fatty meats. I eat nothing but healthy foods and im a 6′3″ 25 year old man that weighs 195 lbs . I find that its hard for my body to digest foods high in saturated fat such as pork and other cheaper fatty meats. If you want to spend half your day on the toilet then i guess go ahead and eat all the fatty meat you want. Also i dont think the average person really needs to consume whey protein. If one follows a healthy diet of eating turkey,whole grains and what not they should get more then enough protein, not to mention that the amount of protein that one can digest an hour is dependent on their sex and physical condition. They key to any diet is moderation and also figuring out a weight that you will be happy with and then just doing something about it. as long as you don’t sit around like a bum all day you should be fine. Maybe tomorrow morning instead of taking the elevator the stairs might be a good bet.
Tap water is more heavily regulated than bottled water.
Frozen veggies, if frozen right when picked, can/may actually contain *more* nutrients than fresh (or “fresh”, as they may be).
Most generic foods are “private label” items made by, you guessed it, the brand name items right beside them for much more money.
Each gram of fat has more calories than a gram of protein or carbs. Therefore, eating more fat *will* make you fatter, through the consumption of more calories.
Agree with all the comments re: tuna and mercury.
You talk of cheap and healthy, but fail to mention one of the best food sources on the planet… BEANS!!!
Great source of protien, carbs and fiber, and so cheap!
Many varieties and comes fresh, canned, frozen and dried.
Eat fatty meats? That’s disgusting.
Meat is important for health? The US is crazy for meat, consuming at a much higher rate than any other country.
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1626 (bottom)
Look at other countries, as well as into the past, and you’ll see that meat is not a necessity as you think. Also, check out The China Study for more information.
Mehdi, what credentials do you have that support your ability to give out dietary advice targeted to a general population?
JD, I think this post could have benefited from some oversight. I see *way* too many myths being presented as fact, and specific cases being presented as generalities, for this to be a wise addition to your site.
Cottser, look at the deteriorating health of the developing nations on that chart. Not many people in those countries can afford meat.
I definitely do agree that Americans eat too much meat.
I don’t know where you got the information that chemicals reduce vitamins in the food. Vitamins are reduced when the food is exposed to air (oxidation) or subjected to extreme temperatures. Freezing or cooking food reduces minerals and vitamins in the food.
Multivitamins are essential because the average person doesn’t get all the required minerals and vitamins from their diet. The problem is that the body doesn’t absorb the stuff in multivitamins very well. Labs are constantly looking to improve this; That’s why every few months, Centrum comes out with a “new enhanced formula” and the health food store carries a dozen sources of the same vitamin.
Vitamins also interact with one another, which has to be taken into account. For example, vitamin C helps iron absorption, and potassium can hinder vitamin B12 absorption causing a deficiency. Taking a multivitamin is necessary, but one should still incorporate at least five fresh fruit or vegetables in their diet everyday.
Animal fat (in excess) isn’t healthy. Fats are necessary for the brain and CNS to function at their peak, but should come from nuts/olive oil.
#58 Susan
Do you read tabloid magazines? Do you actually believe that generic food and brand name foods are made in the exact same factory, and that they just have different labels?
Go out and buy a few products from a generic line and a brand name line. Compare the quality, and the ingredients, and it’s more than likely that the brand name food will be better quality. Also, look at the manufacturer and owner of the brand - it’s simple.
As for your theory on frozen vegetables, can you provide a reputable source?
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap ? Get Rich Slowly (tags: health food diet fitness finance tips recipes) [...]
This article was interesting, but reminded me of one of my favourite quotes from The Simpsons… “You fatcats didn’t finish your plankton!”
BRITA is largely a cosmetic (taste-related) system and, for instance, removes neither chlorine byproducts–which occur when chlorine reacts with and kills bacteria–nor fluoride. Bottled municipal waters pass through rigorous reverse osmosis systems, removing just about everything. Fluoride, being so difficult to remove by even the most rigorous, professional systems is, true, still present in Pepsi’s RO signature “Aquafina” at the not insignificant level of 0.3 ppm.
BRITA municipal water tastes pretty fine, but healthwise it’s certainly inferior to the lousy-tasting RO-filtered muncipal waters.
Spring waters are a good best of both worlds if they are stored in more rigid plastics than is standard. Evian and Fiji containers leach less than do the frosty jugs common for distilled water and the very thin, flexible bottles used by Nestle and most others.
I knew this athlete who ate nothing but
-beans & rice
-eggs
-yogurt (plain)
-bananas
-tuna
-chicken
-calf liver
-oatmeal
+ fresh produce
He was in awesome shape and his food bill was dirt cheap
[...] how to get the most our of our food budget and eat healthy foods. Here’s some advice from 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping It Cheap: 4. Eat Fatty Meats. Fatty meats are cheaper & more tasty than lean meats. You think it’s [...]
#64 Michael
Fully agree with ingredient matching and checking manufactures. But its a common marketing strategy for brands to lower prices to compete and knock out lower price competitors to prevent cannibalization of their “quality” brands. Store brands can often be of equal quality, with basic packaging (cheaper), in house produced and distributed (cheaper), and placed on shelves to sell top shelve location to top brands, again cheaper.
Google line extensions, not all of its tabloids. And yes, try them out first.
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap ? Get Rich Slowly [...]
It’s important to remember that you can also save money by staying healthy, something which will likely result if these tips are followed. Of course every person is different and there’s no 1-size-fits-all model for diets, but it’s definitely a good start.
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap ? Get Rich Slowly [...]
Wow….Thanks mate.
[...] to my blog feed. Thanks for visiting!Get Rich Slowly featured an article by me last Monday: 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap. The article got plenty of [...]
#1 Water
Water has no nutritional value and a lot of nutrients cannot be completely absorbed from multivitamins. Just because your daily amount is in one doesn’t mean your body absorbs it all (like calcium, iron).
#3 Eating more than one egg every day for breakfast is an unnecessary high intake of cholesterol.
#4 Fatty meats are so much worse for you to eat, just cut the fat OFF of them! Eating fatty meats means you have to eat less of everything else so you don’t go over your calorie intake.
#5 Never heard of eating whey.
#6 Tuna is overfished and tuna fishing harms many other sea animals like sharks and dolphins.
#7 Frozen vegetables are MORE expensive because they are prewashed, cut, and packaged. Plus kept frozen.
#9 My mom has known about fish oil for years.
#11 Buying in bulk means things are more likely to go stale, moldy, or get freezer burn. Plus the expense of paying to freeze all of it.
What I was expecting on this list was stuff like
Make your own granola to save on buying cereal
Take healthy snacks to the movies
This is a good, healthy bulking diet for a young man. I saw some woman in here saying this isn’t right for the average person… well that’s fair to say. I wouldn’t expect many women to eat large amounts of protein. For a twenty year old man at 5′9″ 140lbs who is strength traning, this sounds just right though.
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap [...]
What nearly all of you fail to understand is that there is no one right way to eat for everyone, and sitting there sniffily dismissing item X or Y for no reason other than “I say so” isn’t helping. “don’t eat X!” “why?” “it’s bad for you!” “but why?” “durrr…” some of the fattest, most unhealthy people I’ve known are vegans. that isn’t saying that veganism is bad, but it is stating that it’s bad for THEM and they will not change whether out of ignorance or willfullness.
I am a 45 year old man who’s done the whole-grain-leafy-veg fruity low fat thing. my blood glucose and triglycerides are through the roof and I am insulin resistant. doing nothing meant type 2 diabetes before long. for years I did not eat any refined starches or sugars, no soda, nothing processed, everything whole and organic and blah blah blah but despite that my bloodwork is not good. about ten years ago I lost a bunch of weight on Atkins, so now I am lifting weights again and eating very-low-carb because I know FOR ME that a high-fat/protein very-low-carb menu works for me. for someone else maybe a diet of thistles and burrs is the cat’s ass. everyone’s metabolism is different. there are far too many variables involved esp. with the endocrine system to ensure any kind of uniformity.
Most Drs have about 10 minutes to see you in this fantastic for-profit health care system we have, and don’t know jack about nutrition in the first place other than what they read off the last batch of Big Pharma freebie flyers they got. my doctor SMOKES for chrissakes. so they are about the last ones I’d turn to for nutritional advice.
Just to throw some wood on the fire, here’s an article from a year or two ago, by Gary Taubes, a Pulitzer prize winning investigative journalist for the New York Times entitled “What if it’s All Been a Big Fat Lie?” It’s pretty interesting and does a decent job of questioning (whether you ultimately choose to believe it or not) the dietary advice we’ve been getting from doctors and the AMA for the past 30-40 years. It’s a long article (10 pages or so), and you may need to register to read it (it’s free).
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E2D61F3EF934A35754C0A9649C8B63&sec=health
Apparently what Taubes learned while writing this article was significant enough to get him to write a book which comes out in September sometime. It supposed to be very well researched and referenced and pretty damning of the AMA and medical establishment.
[...] 16 formas de comer saludablemente gastando poco (en inglés) [...]
Health articles that you may have missed…
In my daily surfing I run across a mass of great articles and thought I would share a few that I ran into today. These are all health related and great reads to teach you how to live a healthier lifestyle. The Perfect Road-Trip, Water Bottle - A 67 Yea…
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap: You probably think eating healthy is expensive. I’ll be honest — it is. But there are tricks to keep it low cost. [...]
16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap…
Link: 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it CheapMakes sense to me! This comes from a blog called Get Rich Slowly: Personal Finance that Makes Cents and I don’t know it, but the food advice is sound — for…
Most of these things are actually things you should NOT do. Fatty meat and dairy products are the worst things you can possibly put in your body!!! It has been scientifically proven that fatty meat consumption can lead to heart disease, cancer, and even impotence! Please Please go to http://www.goveg.com and find out the truth! You can still eat on the cheap and be healthy too!
[...] posted last Monday was a list of the 16 Ways to Keep Healthy While Keeping it Cheap on the Get Rich Slowly blog. Some of the gems on that list include recommendations to make a food [...]
[...] Eat healthy while keeping it cheap [...]
I want to add that Whey Protein is good and cheap, but some people can also become “whey intolerant” similar to lactose. A switch or start on Soy protein may be needed.
Some of the best cheap healthy foods are breads, pastas, tuna fish, eggs and even healthy choice hot dogs.
> Dave Says:
> July 31st, 2007 at 12:26 pm
> What vitamins are found in eggs bozo?!
Umm, p’raps it’d be nice to do a bit of research before slamming people.
Eggs have vitamin A, all 8 of the B group vitamins as well as vitamins D and E. Eggs also contain iron, zinc, iodine, phosphorus, potassium and small quantities of other minerals.
They do, however, also contain cholesterol, and this can raise the total serum cholesterol and adversely affect the cholesterol profile (i.e. LDLs to HDLs) but this isn’t a significant risk if the rest of the diet is low in saturated fats, and if eggs are eaten in moderation. They have also been shown to increase HDLs (the good cholesterol), and so may help protect against heart disease. Again, in moderation.
(Did someone ask for references?
* Lee A. Griffin B. Dietary cholesterol, eggs and coronary heart disease risk in perspective. Nutrition Bulletin. 2006 Mar; 31(1): 21-7.
* Weggemans RM. Zock PL. Katan MB. Dietary cholesterol from eggs increases the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in humans: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001 May; 73(5): 885-91.)
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap by J.D. Roth I always like to read practical tips on being healthy, especially if they do not cost much. This article does just that. Some of the tips: switch to water, eat eggs, buy frozen veggies, and don’t buy junk food. [...]
[...] was Stumbling and came across an article titled 16 ways to eat healthy while keeping it cheap. This article was fantastic! I’ve been having a hard time deciding what to buy, and how much [...]
fresh vegetables, accept no substitutes. in my experience, 80% of recipes that involve vegetables as something other than a garnish, are loathsome with frozen veggies, and of canned vegetables we shall not speak.
spend the extra money, and you will find yourself eating more vegetables, and much more VARIETY of vegetables.
most of the really excellent sources of protein have specific dietary “costs” associated with them. animal fat is the obvious problem, but fish, soy, and whey all have their issues too. be sure to diversify your protein intake!
Those are some excellent tips (over simplified but a great start for most).
A.J.
The New Self
so funny, trying to be healthy you really just killed all of the good shit in that food by freezing buying canned tuna?? come on mercury? at least your purifying your water… if your gonna do it dont do it half assed! if you want to do it cheap the best way is trader joes and costco, otherwise it aint cheap and it aint that healthy!
Personally, I think many people missed the entire point of this article, which is how to eat healthy and cheap. The two don’t always work together. I will name names to keep it simple, but this doesn’t mean these are the only bad companies in town.
Take for instance, the Wendy’s Junior Bacon Cheeseburger… about $1 (okay, 99 cents…sue me for a penny). The McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger, $1.00. The Burger King Whopper Jr (well, at least no cheese, unless you pay extra) $1.00.
Now, try to buy a large salad from any of these fast food places. Not a small, snack, side dish, but a meal salad. Can you get it for less than $4 or $5?
Many people also only have 30 minute lunches or have to run errands and lunch at the same time. Unless you take the time to prepare your food to take with you (and many people don’t have the spare time), we are stuck with what our fast food places offer…..bad food at low prices, or good food at higher prices.
P.S. Don’t ruin the whole salad with 2 or 3 servings of full-calorie dressing and call it “healthy”.
We need another chain that specializes in affordable and healthy fast food.
[...] your article 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap you recommended taking a multivitamin. The multi’s that I’ve found are either cheap, [...]
The whole Mercury tuna thing is really not as big of a deal as people make it out to be. What about the Japanese? Fish is a staple of their diet. And you dont hear about them dieing from mercury poisoning. Fish is good for you. And ALL fish has mercury in it.
[...] Check how to eat healthy while keeping it cheap. [...]
[...] 15 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap from Get Rich Slowly [...]
[...] Go for whole food. Use multi-vitamins & fish oil supplements if you want. It doesn’t need to be expensive, you can eat healthy while keeping it cheap. [...]
I mix soda water and 100% juice for a lighter healthier soda. I was a coke fanatic and always jonesed switching to water. This is great. I use the soda club system to carbonate my tap water too
Fish oil is toxic for you, think about it, you’re digesting the part of the fish that filters out all the toxins. I’d recommend buying some flax seed and grinding it in a coffee grinder and sprinkling a table spoonful on your cereal or whatever you want to put it on.
Most multivitamins are useless, most people just pass them right through their body because they’re made from chemical ingredients (including sewer sludge, which is commonly used as vitamin B-12).
Also I would recommend a reverse-osmosis water filter if you can afford it.
All in all the key is the closer to nature your food comes from the better it is for you, try going organic and avoid processed food if you can.
Nobody has mentioned hemp protein. It’s a far superior protein source than both whey and soy. And it’s relatively inexpensive. It has a nearly perfect ratio of both Omega 3 and Omega 6, and its protein content is higher than even most animal products. Plus, you alleviate all of those pesky health conditions that result from meat and dairy diets.
Also, the whole grain quinoa is exceptionally high in protein. It’s probably the healthiest grain you could consume, and it’s delicious. It can replace couscous, rice, pasta, or anything else as a side dish.
Let’s not forget the nutrional benefits of sea vegetables and algaes, as they can be added to almost any meal without changing its taste at all.
One other thing: smoothies rule. You can get a whole day’s worth of nutrition before you even get out the door in the morning by mixing everything up in a blender – including any supplements you might take.
Just my two cents.
Multivitamins raise the risk of prostate cancer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6657795.stm
It really makes you reconsider that pop when you realize that “It would take 27 minutes of walking to burn the 97 calories” !!!! And that is just to be even again. It really pays to keep track of those calories and what it takes to burn them!
Karen
I was a smoker for about eight years. Recently I suddenly just “didn’t feel like it” anymore. Then I “didn’t feel like” eating much fast food, greasy food or drinking soda and stopped a lot of that.
To those saying that “overweight people” can not just stop and go on a diet. Please. Just like smokers can’t “just stop” cold turkey. I’ve done it. I’ve done it twice. The first time I quit for an entire year without another cigarette. That is cold turkey. I was very much an addict.
Don’t feed us your BS, just because you care too much about eating what you want or smoking that you just won’t take the time to put it down and stop. That is ridiculous.
I realize that this post is old, but in case anyone is wondering, the answer to Michael’s (comment #28) question about “#16 - How many babies have died because their parents forced them to be vegan?” is ONE. And that baby died because the parents were IDIOTS, and decided that the “vegan” way to feed their new baby was soy MILK. (No breastmilk, no formula, just soy milk and water)
For the record, I’m a meat eater + agree that long-term veganism will cause nutritional problems. I just hate it when people use fear-mongering in arguments.
Farmer’s Markets and fresh veggies. Of all the corrections needed to this post, that is the biggest. I buy a weeksworth of vegetables for $10 at the farmer’s market. (And, duh, you don’t have to drive there,if you’re so into strength building try using that energy to get to the store) I hate to think of all these people going to the frozen isle to buy pre-packaged frozen vegetables. You said yourself leave the packaging behind. Same applies. The best way to enjoy dishes with veggies is to eat them in season and fresh.
Pleaspleaseplease don’t let people think frozen is the way to go.
“Do you actually believe that generic food and brand name foods are made in the exact same factory, and that they just have different labels?”
In same cases it’s true. My father had a grocery shop and often had to choose between 2 products which were the same stuff by the same producer - difference was indeed famous brand, advertising, packaging vs generic.
[...] Get Rich Slowly blog, I think two posts he has up on this topic are almost irresponsible. This 16 ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap really should be taken down, or just put somewhere else with the title “how to body build [...]
[...] 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap [...]
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88746746&ft=1&f=1053
Not terribly healthy-sounding, but I found it amusing.
I don’t particularly agree with with all the information. Considering that the advice is advocating eating chicken, fatty red-meat, and eggs. Most of this information is contradictory to the American Heart Associations guidelines on a healthy diet. Some of those chuck steaks have more fat in one steak than a person is supposed to consume in a day. Eggs are good if you have only a couple a week, and the saturated fats are not good for the body. But, other than that, it’s all sound advice.
Hmmm; this is interesting. I read these comments hoping to see more ways to save money while eating healthy, but I was extremely disappointed. Eat organic? Sorry, I can’t afford it; I’m a grad student making about $12,000 a year. Buy all fresh veggies? Sorry, I can only do frozen and canned. They’re cheaper; they last a hell of a lot longer; they’re faster and easier to cook; and they still have a lot of nutrients and fiber in them. Read the labels if you don’t believe me. Don’t buy generic/store-brand cause the name brand is better quality? I buy store-brand almost everything (Diet Coke, veggies, oil, tomato sauce, tomato paste, whole-wheat pasta, etc.), and I never notice a difference except when I pay for the groceries.
So, that being said, here’s some of the frugal stuff I do when at the grocery store:
1. Go in with a list.
2. If I can, I buy generic. However, I will get name-brand soup (gotta love Progresso) and pasta sauce (Prego!).
3. Plain old brown rice is my friend.
4. I always pick up some canned peas and some frozen veggies.
5. Canned chicken is good too. I mix it with brown rice, frozen veggies, and soy sauce.
6. I buy apples individually, and I do try to get organic with that since I eat the skin. (Is it better to buy individually? I don’t like to buy an entire bag cause some of them go to waste.)
7. If I get celery or bananas, I pull a couple of them off the bunch. No need to buy the whole thing when it goes to waste.
8. Getting ready to learn how to make pinto/soup beans. Those are a staple where I’m from, and they are absolutely delicious with cornbread (something else I need to learn how to make!)
I recently read a NY Times article (Link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/) on the expense of healthy eating. According to some study, a junk-food diet that consists of 2,000 calories costs $3.52 while a healthy diet that consists of the same number of calories costs $36.32. These numbers were derived by basing food cost on how energy-dense the food wa (i.e., how many calories it contained). I thought the whole thing was bogus, but a large number of the people commenting there agree. Has anyone else seen this article?
Sorry for the long post. Love your site JD! As a 22-year-old grad student, I need all the financial advice I can get!
I like the comment that said to “use meat as a flavor enhancer”
Also I see alot of poeple using fish oil, why not just eat fish? Probably because we sell most of our fish caught is Alaska to Asia (Japan-China) I am sure some goes to America’s rich and famous, but how much is going to our school children’s lunch plate. I live in Michigan and I can’t even find Alaskan fish (except for canned salmon) I fished in Ak.
Watch “who killed the electric car” and find out why we keep the rich*rich!! Where were the mercury in tuna warning labels when I was eating it.. well where is our country heading into the abyss
I can go on ,but will stop here.. live long and prosper
[...] a blog in the same niche, easy. If it’s a blog in a different niche: think outside the box (Example). Write a how-to post, your best one. Include relevant, non spammy back links to your own site, [...]
I totally agree with the tap water thing. Not only to save money but it is fortified with fluoride which helps teeth which bottled water does not have. Adaptation most definitely occurs rapidly.
I kind of disagree on the eggs thing… I live in San Francisco and a dozen of eggs is 4 dollars at safeway. I remember when it was 99 cents.
Whoever said that many babies die because they are forced to be vegan is just absolutely insane. Babies die because parents dont feed them at all (not because they are vegan!)
I’ve been vegan for 2 years and vegetarian for most of my life. I have no health problems. I was a three sport varsity athlete in highschool and i did it all without meat.
I dont care what you decide to do with your life but don’t tell me that my decision is wrong. The fact is, veganism and vegetarianism are both able to be extremely healthy, and cheap, diets.
you do what you want…
and for the record, B12 actually can be found in sea vegetables though most of us get it from fortified cereals. it is basically everywhere.
Interesting post. I agree with some of what you are saying. I can say I don’t agree with the part about eating fatty meats. However water is defiantly better then soda.
To Your Health
I always buy my fruit in bulk when its on sale and freeze it, i always have a few big ziploc baggies of 15-20 kinds of fruit cut up for a cheap smoothie (literally about 25 cents per serving).
I do the same with beans and rice, cook off huge pots of pintos, black beans, lentils, brown rice, barley - the big 10-20 lb bags are dirt cheap, and you can freeze them for months on end! So much cheaper to do that then to buy canned, and easy to control portions when you use sandwich ziplog baggies.
I eat lots of beans and lentils, I find it saves money because beans are typically cheaper than meat and have lots of vitamins. You can easily make a batch of beans and rice and it’ll last you for several meals, and you can always throw in other veggies and spices for variety.
I don’t mind the advice given in this post for frugal eating if you were a weight trainer or such. I’m not a nutritionist, so I really can’t comment. Though I would like to discredit the author’s suggestion that you need meat in your diet to stay healthy.
I’ve been a vegetarian for over ten years, and a near vegan for much of it. Dairy, eggs, are junk food to me. I weight trained on an exclusively vegan diet without any complications. I don’t weight train any more (just me being lazy), but I cycle daily… commuting and mountain biking. I never needed meat to look and feel healthy.
And saying that babies die on vegan diets seems extremely ignorant. Babies die when they are starved… or alternatively they can also die when fed high fat, high calorie diets that lead to obesity which in turn leads to other awful childhood diseases.
I know this is an old post, but I couldn’t let the ignorance about vegetarianism/veganism go by.
I purchased a Brita filter for the tap — cheaper than bottled and tastes better than unfiltered tap water.
I also prefer using filter water rather than using bottled water as it helps me to save a lot of $ which i can utilize in some other healthy activities.
I think this is a great article, and I was surprised by all of the anal bitching from the unhealthy & retarded “vegan” lifestylers. It is a scientific FACT that humans are OMNIVORES; we are not supposed to live off of vegetables, nuts @ fruits alone.
Regarding frozen vegetables: They are certainly cheaper, and I eat them most of the time. Fresh produce goes bad on me quickly, plus it takes forever to prepare (chopping, seeding, etc.). For all of the nitpickers who claim that they are less nutritious, this is just an overly obsessive rant. Eating frozen veggies is better than eating none (which is what I used to do; eat almost none). I dump them into a microwave steaming bag… and they turn out great. The only thing I buy fresh is sweet potatoes & spinach.
Back to the unfair war on meat…
Ever notice how carnivorous animals look so much more muscular & fit than herbivores? What would YOU rather look like? A cow or a cheetah? I pick the latter.
Meat doesn’t cause cancer. The so-called experts think just about everything causes cancer and they really don’t have a damn clue, either way. I don’t trust doctors; remember, they make their money off of the sick & diseased. If nobody ever got sick, they would be out of a job… so, they really don’t have our best interest in mind.
Some of these drones really need to pull their heads out of their asses, and stop trusting every word that falls from the lips of the “professionals”.
And what is up with the idea that women’s protein intake should be much less than men’s? Well, only if you want to be a flabby/anorexic sickling. Most of the women who think they are fit, are actually nothing more than skinny fat people. Glad I’m not one of them. : ) You can’t get a lean body with carrot sticks & crackers, oh ignorant ones. You’ll be thin… but not fit. Just slim & flabby.
Anyhow, very good post… from somebody who is walking, breathing proof that he knows what he’s talking about.
MEAT RULES!
I’m surprised that this post is focused so much on meat. By far the best way to be healthy & save money is to decrease the amount of meat you eat. You can get the same proteins from beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan (wheat gluten) that you can from meats & if you’re taking that multi-vitamin anyway there’s no need to worry about balancing B12 and other stuff. No need to go vegetarian, either. Switch one meal a week to meat-free and you’ll save $20 a month. Once you see how yummy it is, you’ll probably start doing it more than once a week.
(I’m not a vegetarian, btw. Just eat like one! I started the once a week thing a few years ago. Haven’t bought meat since. And find myself looking seriously at the vegetarian options at restaurants, even if I still go for the meat selection.)
Funny, I thought the article was about saving money while trying to eat healthy.
What?? –eat food with pesticides, even though it ‘lowers the vitamin content’ but then take a multivitamin to counteract that?? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Great,, then you end up with CANCER. And that’s the most expensive thing of all! I would rather pay a few extra bucks buying from the health food store or farmers market- better yet, from a CSA membership (where you avoid paying extra $ for packaging, storage, long-distance shipping, and food handling costs)- and I know the food is JUST picked, high in vit/min content, grown in GOOD organic, healthy soil, full of life and pesticide free. You can’t beat that and no pill can give you the same benefits.
ALSO- when bought straight from the farm, produce usually LASTS LONGER because it isn’t already weeks old, it isn’t picked green, then artificially gassed to ripen quickly. Plus, in our house, fruit & vegs aren’t around very long anyway because I USE THEM! If you think you have too much all at once, just make a big pot of soup that will last all week. As for fruit, once again- buy from the farm, buy in season, etc.- it’s cheaper & better. Fruit shipped from another state or country is usually worthless- a total waste of money.
Frozen fruit & veggies are OK in a pinch though.
The rest of this is all good advice though… thanks!
While we are talking about cheap protein–someone else mentioned quinoa. Quinoa is the only known food that contains all the essential AMINO acids your body needs (why just the emphasis in this discussion on fatty acids??) I bought a pound for $1 at whole foods recently. It cooks up like cous cous and I have used it as a basis for cold salads, or serve a stir fried vegetables over it. delicious, healthy, cheap, easy to store, and cooks up quickly. Give it a try.
Some interesting articles regarding vitamin content of frozen vegetables, for all those who think you should buy fresh.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/frozen-vegetables-are-hot
http://www.nutrition.com.sg/atd/atdcooking.asp
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11190845 — According to this, frozen veggies should not be thawed before cooking, that is what causes Vitamin C loss.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2902223.stm
Quote: A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency told the BBC that it did not matter for these purposes whether the portion was fresh or frozen vegetables.
She said: “The longer fresh fruit and vegetables are stored, the more nutrients degrade.
“The fresher the food, the better.”
Where I live, you get charged for having extra garbage every week. That’s my insentive to never buy pre-packaged food or frozen veggies etc. It’s cheaper for me to buy everything fresh with minimal packaging so I don’t get a fine.
Here’s a humorous way of looking at eating healthy… Haha - it’s hilarious!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8lkQv4sfFQ
fish ARE meat!
sorry, had to rant!
[...] Get Rich Slowly suggest comparing the price of water on your tap water bill, to that of bottled water for a reality check. You’ll probably notice quite a difference in favour of tap water! If you don’t like the taste of tap water, invest in a filtration system, such as Brita. [...]
Thanks for that tip with tap water… I never trust my tap water
I disagree with the “shop at one grocery store” point. Many times, drug stores like Walgreen’s or CVS have MUCH lower prices on household items such as laundry soap, dishwasher detergent, and toilet paper or toiletries such as shampoo and soap. Most stores have their weekly fliers online; you can swing by on your trip to the grocery store. With “register rewards” and “reward bucks” you often can get your whole purchase for FREE.
ran across this site while surfing around. Pretty good info. I could not help but notice Amanda (april29) must have misread some of the info on this page. It was not suggested to eat fresh veggies
frozen is just as good and much cheaper. However, farmers markets are great if you have one near you.
Something else mentioned was regarding items other than groceries and this article was only about groceries. Personally, i find Dollar General suits my needs for the HBA items (ie shampoo and such). Cheaper and easy to get in and out.
thanks for a great site:)
If you want to buy vegetables at a cheaper price try visiting farmers markets or your local fresh fruit and veg stall at the weekly local market in your town.
You could also try growing your own. It doesn’t need to take up to much of your time and even if you don’t have a large garden you can still grow tomatoes in pots and keep fresh herbs on your windowsill.
A really great book I have read about the fundamentals of eating healthy is called ‘The Abs Diet’ by David Zinczenko. Althought I did not actively participate in the exercise the book recommends (in fact, I rather ignored it - i have lots of trouble sticking to an exercise program), I found the fundamental diet tips to be extremely sensible and the building blocks of a healthy diet. The book focused on what the main building blocks of a diet should be, including
whole grains, such as oatmeal and whole-wheat pasta or bread
good fats, from nuts, certain oils like olive oil, fish, etc.
lean proteins like turkey or lean ground beef
low fat dairy products such as milk or low-fat yogurt or low-fat cheese, and eggs
legumes (beans)
and fresh produce.
I may be forgetting one or two, but you get the idea.
The whole idea of the ‘diet’ is that you can eat as much as you’d like as long as you try to include at least 2-3 of the food ‘groups’ in each meal or snack. For example, your breakfast could look like this:
peanut butter on whole wheat toast and a glass of skim or 1% milk
or like this:
a smoothie with berries and low-fat yogurt and scrambled eggs (2 whites per yolk)
Or dinner could be whole-wheat pasta with marinara sauce and chicken with some low-fat cheese on top and veggies on the side.
I really found this book to make a lot of sense to me in regards to healthy eating. My father, who has never read the book but has extremely healthy eating and exercise habits already eats exactly the way this book explains - and it just makes a lot of sense. You don’t deprive yourself, you just eat healthy and balanced meals and snacks and don’t stuff yourself with junk food or excess calories.
this just fits in perfectly and it’s fun to watch:
HOW TO EAT CHEAPLY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzMToClReuE
I’m surprised that I didn’t see my number one tip for eating healthy - 5 ingredients or less. If whatever you’re buying had more than 5 ingredients, and if you can’t pronounce them, you shouldn’t buy it. Especially if one of those ingredients is High Fructose Corn Syrup. There are some items, like Apple Sauce and Peanut Butter, for which the price difference between the “corn” version and the “real” version is nominal.
I agree with avoiding branded foods where part of the price is to support the brand. SO what if you’ve never heard of it? Doesn’t mean it’s not good food.
In Greece most people drink bottled water, but it’s often possible to get free spring water as many places provide outlets for this. You just take your bottles along and fill up. And it doesn’t run dry even through the hot summer, although it takes longer to fill the bottles.
But both this and the standard tap water is very hard - kettles scale up within a few days and take an effort (and cost) to descale, so sometimes bottled may be cheaper.
For those who claim that eating meat makes a man impotent I have found the oppisite to be true. My boyfriend dosent like most meat and for a while stopped eating it. For a couple of weeks he was ok then bam no erection, not even alone when he masterbated. This continued for months untill I convinced him to start eating meat again and about a month later bam the big boy was back. Protien is essential for our bodies to perform and some people cannot get what they need from plant protine. Just because a lot of vegan have no trouble with out it does not mean it is not essential yes I said essential for others. Dont believe me, study aruvetics which actually touches on the subject of diffrent body types needing diffrent diets for optimal health.
The larger the fish the more mercury stored in their meat…and Tuna is one big fish. Its still good in moderation and should be extrememly limited to women who are pregnant (can cause miscarriage or birth defects). The main thing I wanted to suggest is to spend the little amount more on tuna that comes in the pouch. Any food that comes in a can has to go through heat treatment to be sure that C. botulinum is not present and will not grow. Heating the food packaging/product causes deteriation in the benifits of the product (vitamins and minerals) and the point of why we eat it, it also deminishes the quality. With that said try to buy in alternatives, pouches, frozen, and fresh with any food stuffs that you purchase
I am a bit late to the party with these comments, but this site is exactly what I needed. We recently got huge (hopefully temporary) salary cuts at work in order to avoid actual layoffs, and I was just planning what to buy at the store for the week…I’d fallen back on the old canned soup, frozen hungry man, top ramen snacks of my bachelor living days. Now I’m still a bachelor but I have been eating healthy for a while and I had to stop myself, thinking, “Is this REALLY the only answer?” Of course not. It’s all about planning better and purchasing smarter. This article is a good guide to doing that.
Wow that was a landmine of information. Sweet:) I also found this meal replacer to be helpful. It rounds out to be under $4 a meal and I’m embarrassed to admit but sometimes I just use it for all three meals, lol. It’s tastes that good.
Also Mambo Sprouts is a great resource for online coupons for healthy food. And if you can make it to Farmer’s Markets, you can haggle the price down on 100% organic fruits and vegetables…
Cheers:)
This advice has a pretty small target group, and probably doesn’t apply to most people.
Points 1 and 2, and 13 to 16 are all very good advice that anyone could and should follow to eat healthily and cheaply. The rest may apply to people trying to gain strength or muscle mass, but is otherwise questionable.
For starters the definition of healthy food can’t be simplified that much, and you can’t replace a healthy balanced diet of fresh food with supplements (that’s why they’re “supplements”). Using frozen vegetables (which aren’t as nutritional as fresh) and then taking multivitamins may be cheaper, but certainly isn’t as healthy.
As for buying from one store to save time and fuel, that is dependent very much on where you live. For some the individual shops are close by each other and quite a lot less expensive than the supermarket. You can also get better produce.
And lastly, instead of trying to save fuel by driving around less, try to save fuel by not driving at all. Much cheaper, and healthier.
Ok you would have to be an idiot to take diet or nutrition advice from you doctor. Do you know how many credit hours an M.D. is required to take during all of his or her schooling? LESS THAN 4 HOURS!!! CLOSER TO 2 HOURS!
I agree with avoiding branded foods where part of the price is to support the brand. SO what if you’ve never heard of it? Doesn’t mean it’s not good food.
In Greece most people drink bottled water, but it’s often possible to get free spring water as many places provide outlets for this. You just take your bottles along and fill up. And it doesn’t run dry even through the hot summer, although it takes longer to fill the bottles.
But both this and the standard tap water is very hard - kettles scale up within a few days and take an effort (and cost) to descale, so sometimes bottled may be cheaper.
more:http://www.foodsdieting.com
Though this point may be true for many readers, it is not true for all. Where I (usually) live in Canada, the tap water is beyond reproach. Where we currently live (in Asia) this could not be further from the truth. It’s a regional thing, indeed. Along the same vein, filtration systems vary wildly in both price and availability depending on one’s whereabouts.
Also, heads up, “Eskimo” is actually considered by many to be a racial slur…”Inuit” is far more appropriate
The quote I was commenting on was excluded from my post…it was,
“2. Consume Tap Water. Check the price of water on your tap water bill. Now check the price of bottled water. Quit a difference, isn’t it? So why are you buying bottled water?
Cleaner? Not necessarily.
Better taste? No, simply a matter of Adaptation.
Bottled water companies get their supply from the same source you do: municipal water systems. It’s like selling ice to Eskimos. If you don’t trust the quality of tap water, filter it yourself. I use a Brita Pitcher. One $7 filter cleans 40 gallons water.”
I would just like to make a correction on rule #2. Your body cannot “adapt” to the change in taste of water. Adaptation is a form of evolution by natural selection, which takes a very long time and acts on populations, not individuals. Though, one could acclimate to the change in taste, which is an individual’s response and does not take millions of years. I think this just goes to show Mendhi may not know exactly what he’s talking about. And I’d think twice before eating chuck over sirloin on a regular basis. It’s been proven red meat=cholesterol. So if you’re gonna eat red meat, I’d go for the leaner option. And eat foods with lots of antioxidants, because they counter free radicals which are unbalanced electrons in your body and are not good (i.e: cigarette smoke, smoked meats/cheeses) . Google that Mendhi.
I highly disagree with the cooment that if you’re overweight you should get on a diet. Diet’s don’t work in the long run. if you’re going to eat healthy, eat healthy, but what overweight people need is exercise and healthy meals, NOT to diet. You might lose weight during a diet, but as soon as you go off of the diet, you gain all of the weight back. Also. Please don’t just tell people to eat less. At LEAST add that they should do so in moderation. It’s never good to go hungry or just stop eating because they want to save money and think they’ll lose weight.
Eating healthy isn’t expensive. Spreading this misinformation is not encouraging anyone to switch to a healthier lifestyle.
And like 133.Allen wondered, what part of a fish isn’t meat? Don’t eat tuna anyway, they’re overfished, and contain mercury because they are toward the top of the ocean food chain. It’s like eating a wolf, which we don’t do. Eat low on the food chain for lower mercury. Sardines, anchovies, mackerel.