If you worry that eating healthy costs a lot of money, I’ve got good news: it doesn’t have to.
It’s a persistent idea that low-income families can’t afford healthy foods, and in this post you’re going to see that it’s not true.
Although you can find pre-packaged foods with a lower sticker price, this can be a false economy. And not just because of the longer term costs for your health, but also because you can end up buying, and consuming, more foods until you feel full.
Why buying healthy food doesn’t have to be expensive
Here are four reasons why healthy food is more affordable than you may think:
1. You start feeling fuller for longer
It’s certainly true that low-quality foods can be purchased cheap. However, consider the fact that processed food has minimal nutritional value, which means it doesn’t fill you up. You therefore need to eat more of it, requiring you to spend more money.
When people change their diet and eat more whole foods, they’re often amazed at how little they want to eat. That’s because good quality food is packed with the macro and micronutrients that our bodies need, which satisfies our hunger. On the other hand, processed foods are high in calories and low in nutrition – so our bodies crave more food to get adequate nutrition, meaning we eat more and more calories while starving ourselves of the goodness we need.
2. You stop buying expensive processed food
It’s also worth considering the fact that there are entire items you stop buying when you commit to eating healthy. For example, sodas may be relatively inexpensive, but a healthy diet doesn’t include them. Tea and coffee are allowed but incredibly cheap, and water will be your main drink.
Similarly, the chips and chocolate bars won’t be necessary. By eating quality ingredients, you’re unlikely to feel hunger between meals. And if you do, it can be satisfied with simple and inexpensive foods like bananas, yogurt, healthy nut butters, or jerky.
3. You can adjust the intensity as needed
It’s also important to remember that your diet doesn’t need to be all or nothing. It’s a process and the objective is to make improvements. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if it’s not perfect you should give up.
Imagine a sliding scale. At one end are suboptimal foods, consisting of fast food, cookies, sweets, cereals, microwave meals, margarine, sodas, and seed oils.
The other end of this scale has ideal foods, such as grass-fed meat, organic dairy, and locally grown produce.
There’s a lot of space between these two ends. If your diet currently consists of microwave meals, fast food, and sodas, you can make one quick improvement by simply removing the drinks. If organic and grass-fed meat is outside of your budget, eating supermarket beef is still an improvement over a microwave meal.
Instead of reaching for the cookies and candy for snacks, have berries in yogurt. You’ll quickly replace all of your low-quality foods with healthier alternatives, and you’ll probably notice a slimmer waistline and a smaller grocery bill as well.
4. Eating what’s in season
Eating more whole, real food means you naturally start eating in time with the seasons — which means you’re more likely to get better deals on fruits and vegetables. Seasonal eating is also better for your metabolic health, especially since naturally ripened produce packs more flavor and nutrients.
For example:
- Produce grown seasonally is subject to fewer pesticides, providing better health benefits down the line.
- Fruits and vegetables are more nutritious during their peak season and come with a better flavor profile overall.
- Foods like melons and cucumbers (summer produce) are hydrating and cooling during the heat of summer. In contrast, foods like leafy greens and asparagus provide a much-needed immune system boost during winter’s cold and flu season.
Keep in mind that meat and seafood also have a harvest season. Many farmers dress pork and beef in late fall, while lamb tastes best in the spring. Game meats like venison are more readily available in winter, while chicken and other poultry come into season during mid-summer.
For seafood, try early summer to winter for salmon, and oysters from September to April.
The hidden costs of cheap food
There’s more to something’s cost than its sticker price.
I’ve stated in the past that food is the number one factor for people ending up on my operating table.
Your health is an asset. When you’re healthy, you’re less likely to become ill and are more likely to recover quickly when you do get sick.
On the other hand, being unhealthy makes you more susceptible to prolonged and frequent illnesses. Think about the hidden costs and how they add up:
- Time off work
- Doctor fees
- Insurance fees
- Medication – over the counter or prescriptions
- Surgery or other medical interventions
- The physical and emotional drains on your body
When you add the true price up, healthy foods are significantly cheaper overall.
And if it’s a priority to spend as little money on food as possible, there are even more ways to eat for metabolic health on a budget:
- Purchase healthy oils and fats in bulk
- Include offal (organs) and bone broth in your diet
- Large quantities of meat can be purchased from hunters and local farms at a fraction of the cost of buying smaller cuts
- Buy seasonal produce to freeze, can, or dry yourself
- Eat locally grown fresh produce
To get started on your journey to metabolic health, take my free quiz to find out how healthy you are today and what you need to improve.