Eating Healthy Is Not Expensive If You Do This

Some people think that eating healthy is expensive, and they use that as an excuse for making poor nutritional choices. While it is certainly possible to spend a fortune on food, it is also very possible to eat healthy without breaking the bank. In this article, you’ll learn four ways to eat healthy and save yourself thousands of dollars each year:

1. Purchase healthy products in bulk

You can cut your food bills significantly by shopping in bulk, instead of buying items in smaller quantities. Get a membership to a warehouse club, such as Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s Club. Shop there at least once a month, and the $50 annual fee is well worth it. Here are some excellent items to buy in bulk:

• Frozen fruits and vegetables
• Nuts and nut butters
• Beans and lentils
• Whole grains (i.e. oats, quinoa, brown rice)
• Spices, vinegars, and olive oil
• Eggs (organic and cage-free is best)
• Meat (organic and grass-fed is best; buy in bulk and store in your freezer)
• Fish (organic and wild is best; buy in bulk and store in your freezer)

Be careful not to over-shop, however. Don’t buy something in bulk just because you can. Only purchase large quantities of items that you have tried before, that you enjoy eating, and that you will actually consume before they expire.

While this might sound like obvious advice, we have all had times when we have purchased too much of a product and been forced to throw some of it away. For example, I once bought a huge bag of uncooked beans for less than $10. It was a great deal. There was just one problem. I never opened the bag and ended up throwing out the whole thing.

It has been estimated that most families in the U.S. throw out about 15-25% of the food and beverages that they purchase each year. ¹ If your family is like most, that means you are throwing out $1,000-$2,000 (or more) of food each year.

Before making a bulk purchase, look at the expiration date, and be sure that you will consume most, if not all, of the product before it goes bad. Remember that many fresh items (like meat and fish) can be frozen right after purchase as a way to extend shelf life.

2. Take advantage of special sales

In addition to buying items in bulk at warehouse clubs, be on the lookout for special sales of your favorite healthy items. Many people just think of Black Friday and other big sale events for buying the latest piece of technology. However, they can also be great for buying healthy products.

For example, I once bought twenty jugs of my favorite protein powder (that’s forty pounds of protein powder) on Amazon Prime Day, a one-day sales event for Amazon Prime members. Why twenty jugs? Because that was the largest amount that I was confident that I would consume by the expiration date, since I typically have 1-2 servings of this product every day. Otherwise, I would have purchased even more.

By purchasing this product in bulk and on sale (it was 30% off for Amazon Prime Members), I saved nearly $300, versus if I had purchased the containers one by one. I also saved myself the time and inconvenience of ordering one jug through Amazon twenty separate times or making twenty separate visits to a supplement store.

3. Cook in bulk

Buying products in bulk and on sale is really just the first step to save money on healthy eating. You also have to turn those ingredients into meals that you actually eat. Otherwise, you will just end up throwing out food and wasting money. Cooking in bulk saves a ton of money and time. For example, one of my favorite meals is a healthy chili that is prepared in my Crockpot. The following is a list of all the ingredients required to make about 10 servings of this dish:

• 2 onions
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 lb. of fresh carrots
• 3 bell peppers
• 3 cans of organic beans
• 3 lbs. of organic, grass-fed ground beef (93% lean)
• 24 ounces of organic, low-sodium vegetable juice
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 3 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• paprika
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

In total, these ingredients cost less than $40, which means the cost per meal is less than $4. That’s less than the cost of a Big Mac Meal at McDonald’s, and you can be certain that McDonald’s is not using organic, grass-fed beef to prepare their meals.

4. Dine out at salad bars

What if you don’t want to shop for ingredients and prepare your own meals? In that case, your best bet to keep healthy eating inexpensive is to dine out at salad bars. For $10 (maybe less), you can get a delicious, nutritious, well-rounded meal that includes quality protein, vegetables, fibrous carbs, and healthy fat.

When I want a break from preparing my own meals, I often go to Whole Foods, and create a meal at their salad bar. It’s a cheap way to dine out. The quality of the food is also better than what you will find at many restaurants.

Summary

Many people believe that eating healthy is very expensive. However, it does not have to be. You can cut your costs significantly and save thousands of dollars each year if you do any or all of the following:

1. Purchase healthy products in bulk
2. Take advantage of special sales
3. Cook in bulk
4. Dine out at salad bars

Having said all of this, even if you were to spend a lot of money on eating healthy, consider it to be an investment in your health, well-being, and performance. You are what you eat, right?

P.S. If you enjoyed this article, check out my free 40-page eBook and newsletter below.

About the author: Pete Leibman is the Creator of StrongerHabits.com. He is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, executive recruiter, athlete, and peak performance coach. His work has been featured on Fox News, CBS Radio, and CNNMoney.com, and over 500,000 people across the world have read his articles.

References for this article:

1. Brad Plumer, “How the U.S. Manages to Waste $165 Billion in Food Each Year,” The Washington Post, August 22, 2012, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2012/08/22/how-food-actually-gets-wasted-in-the-united-states/?utm_term=.8efb605666d4.