Eating Whole Foods on a Budget
Here are some tips that I use to shop whole foods while on a budget. We all wonder: When is organic necessary? Are frozen fruits and veggies worse? Does eating clean mean $100+ on groceries per week? Read on to hear the truth and a budget friendly guide to healthy grocery shopping.
Let’s start with frozen fruits and veggies. These can be your budget best friend. The controversy about frozen produce not being as nutritious is completely false, and in many cases they are actually more nutrient dense. Let me explain. The frozen produce is flash frozen at the time of peak ripeness, meaning the time in the fruit or vegetables life where the nutrients are at their peak density. When you buy fresh fruits, you only have a couple days before they go bad and can no longer be eaten. Also, when you buy fruits in the winter (when the produce is out of season) its nutritious quality is significantly decreased. Buying frozen allows for peak nutrients at any time of the year. And the best part is, they are much cheaper, last longer, and there is no prep needed when cooking with them (cutting, washing, peeling, etc.). Use frozen fruits in smoothies or to make jam! Use veggies in a stir fry, boil them, or roasted in the oven. Stay tuned for frozen produce recipes!
Next, the big question. Is buying organic really necessary. The answer is, it depends. The EWG comes out with 2 lists every year. The Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. The dirty dozen are the 12 fruits and veggies that are found to contain the most pesticides. these tend to be leafy greens and berries. The pesticides are easily absorbed by the food since there is no hard shell or peel (think of a lemon). The dirty dozen are the foods you should opt to buy as organic. The clean 15 are the foods that are sprayed the least or don’t absorb the pesticides, therefore can be bought non-organic. But, overall it is better to buy a fruit or veggie non-organic rather than opting for processed foods, so don’t stress about it! Same thing goes for buying eggs. Don’t stress if they are organic, cage free, or pasture raised when just starting out. It is better to eat the whole foods non-organic rather than processed foods.
Having a clean whole foods diet doesn’t need to be overly expensive. Here are some tips to navigating the grocery store when on a budget.
Go in with a list
Have meals and recipes planned out ahead of time
Shop the perimeters of the stores (stay out of the isles filled with processed foods)
Buy a rotisserie chicken! so many meals can be made with a chicken and they are normally not too pricey!
Buy frozen! and bonus points if it’s on sale too!
Canned beans are your friend - they are a cheap source of protein and fiber
Greek yogurt is a great option for easy protein
Quinoa and Rice go a long way - just 1/4 cup and you have your carbs for 1-2 meals - a bag can last months!
Don’t buy what you know you won’t eat. We all have that weekly bag of spinach in the fridge going bad as we speak.
Get creative with food scraps - save the scraps of veggies for a veggie broth, use the leaves of carrots and radishes for a mixed green salad!
Shop seasonal produce - normally cheaper
Shopping whole foods on a budget is not difficult as long as you have a plan. Use my tips above for the next time you take a trip to the grocery store and stay tuned for more budget friendly grocery guides and recipes.
If you want to start adopting a healthy lifestyle today but don’t know where to start, email me thecurehealthlab@gmail.com or DM me on instagram @pcoswithmaya for info on 1:1 coaching!
