Practical tips for heart-healthy eating on a budget
A heart-healthy diet should include a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole-grain foods and healthy sources of protein – mostly from plant sources (legumes and nuts), fish or seafood, low-fat or nonfat dairy and lean cuts of meat.
Many people believe that to eat healthily you must spend a lot of money. But eating healthy doesn’t have to break the bank. If you stick to a few key principles, you can actually save money in the long run.
If you shop smart and plan ahead, you’ll be surprised at how much healthy food you can buy on a budget.
Plan Ahead
- Plan your meals each week. Preparing menus and grocery lists ahead of time can keep you from making impulse buys, which often aren’t healthy. With planning, you can make the healthy choice the easy choice. Take a few minutes over the weekend to go through your favorite healthy recipes and map out your meal plan for the upcoming week.
- Use technology. Look for a meal-planning app with a grocery list feature. This will help you quickly identify the ingredients you need for your healthy meal plan.
- Know what you have. Inventory your pantry and refrigerator each week. Try to plan your meals mostly around the staples that you have already and just buy the additional items you need to complete the recipes when you’re at the grocery store.
- Cook on the weekends. If your weekdays are busy, prep ahead or cook over the weekend and store the meals in the fridge or freezer. Then, simply thaw or reheat as needed for quick, hassle-free lunches and dinners.
- Prep snacks. Cut up fruits and vegetables and keep them handy in individual portions in the fridge. This will help you and your family have healthy ready-to-go snacks.
Shop Smart to Save Big
- Use store apps and join their rewards programs. This makes it easy to track what’s on sale and use online coupons if your store has them. Compare prices. A coupon isn’t always the best deal. Sometimes store-brand products may be more affordable.
- Look for specials and sales. This is the time to stock up on frozen and canned produce. Canned or frozen fruits and vegetables last longer, may be less expensive than fresh produce and can be just a healthy.
- Buy fresh produce in season. For example, blueberries cost less in spring and summer, when they’re in season. You’ll pay more in the fall and winter when they’re shipped from warmer climates.
- Skip the prepared individually packaged food. The convenience may be tempting, but it’s usually healthier and cheaper to prepare the same foods at home. For example, buy whole fruits, such as watermelon and pineapple, instead of the cut chunks in the container. It will be much less expensive and only takes a few minutes to do yourself.
- Buy local. The produce at a farmers market or local farmstand is usually fresher when it’s local because it doesn’t have to travel a long distance to a food distribution warehouse and then be delivered to your supermarket. Local food is typically picked at peak freshness, which offers the best flavor and nutritional value.
- Buy in bulk. Often the more you buy, the less expensive it is per unit. Just be sure you have room in your pantry or freezer. Or, consider splitting the food and the cost with friends or family.
Start Small
You don’t have to do all of these things at once. You can start with a small change and keep building from there.
Many small changes will add up to big results. Before you know it, you will have a new healthy routine in place.
You can also check out these budget-friendly recipes from the American Heart Association.
