5 useful tips to create a healthy grocery shopping list on budget

Why is healthy eating on a budget so important?

On the article about breakfast I mentioned that low income could be associate with a higher obesity risk . Prices of fresh groceries could discourage people from attempting to eat better, especially those who grew up without healthy eating as a part of their lifestyle and maybe don’t know where to start.

Another serious issue is the way that fitness industry often presents healthy eating, as if consuming exclusively fresh and organic food is nessecary. Many people are discouraged by how financially unapproachable this lifestyle could be.

The right mindset about start eating healthier, is that you don’t have to do everything perfectly. Making even small changes, according to your income and lifestyle, can help more than you think!

Using the tips below could help you getting used to organizing your grocery in the right direction without spending more than you need to!

No 1: Prioritise igredients for nutritious homemade meals

If you would like to start eating healthier, buying fast-food and eating outside less often will not only be beneficial because these meals are usually very high energy with poor nutritional value, but also because of their cost.

You will be surprised by the amount of groceries you can purchase with the money you usually spend on ready-to-eat food, restaurant meals and alcohol!

Similarly, you can save money by buying less sugary snacks. The Australian Dietetic Association provides great examples of how expensive processed foods can actually be comparing to healthy foods .

Think about:

• What kind of homemade foods you like
• Are there any recipes you are interested in making or learning how to make?
• How much time do you have available for cooking? There are many quick recipes or recipes for beginners you can search online!
• Prioritise your protein, vegetable and fruit sources (unless you are on a different type of diet plan). You can check the eatwell guide to get a rough idea of how a balanced diet looks like according to general recommendations.
• You don’t need a huge variety of protein and carbohydrate sources. Igredients like legumes, eggs, greek yogurt, potatoes, rice and pasta can be used for several recipes.
• You can find store deals more frequently if you choose to buy products in bulk. So, consider groceries which can be stored in the freezer or in you cupboard for a while .

No 2: Find out seasonal fruit and vegetables

Fresh fruit and vegetables are often cheaper when they are in season ! Click here to learn more about seasonal fruit and vegetables in the UK.

Thinking about recipes based on seasonal products is a great way to save money if you love fresh fruit and vegetables!

No 3: Write down a meal plan and stick to it

A highly recommended budget shopping tip is planning your meals in detail for the next one or two weeks ^, ! Making a meal plan can help you:

• Decide the amount of foods you need .
• Decide which foods you could buy in bulk.
• Estimate the cost and check which igredients could be more expensive than you can afford. You can then focus on finding cheaper versions (eg. frozen products, superstore offers).
• Estimate if your portion sizes and snacks are appropriate for your nutritional goals. It is much easier to see if there are any areas of improvement when everything is writen down!

After you decide your meals, you could write them down to a template like this:

Remember not to make your meal plan when you are hungry! You would be surprised by how much more focused you will be on choosing healthy meals!

No 4: Compare prices per product unit online before going to the grocery store

Checking products prices per unit among different brands is an important budget shopping tip. However, it can be hard to do inside the grocery store when you are in a hurry or you need to keep walking to keep social distancing! If you do this online at the superstore’s website instead you can take your time and also discover more brands you didn’t know about!

• Keep in mind that supermarket-own brand products can often be cheaper and have the same nutritional value with other more popular brands .
• Pre-packed vegetables and fruits could be more expensive per unit than loose, even if it’s the exact same product . Bying loose foods can help the enironment by using less plastic and could help you saving money at the same time!

No 5: Check frozen and tinned foods

• Frozen and tinned fruit and vegetables are nutritious ^{, ,} and easy to store in your freezer for long. As a result, you avoid spoilage and reduce food waste, since you can store them for future meals.
• Buying frozen foods in bulk and find superstore deals could be easier!
• You might need to modify your cooking time or temperature to use frozen igredients, but you will still have healthy and delicious meals for a lower price!

Tinned and frozen fish and meat can also be used as healthy igredients, but there are a few things you should avoid:

• Avoid tinned products in salt and oils. Prefer tinned products in water/brine instead!
• Prefer uncooked frozen meats and fish without other added igredients and preservatives. Pre-cooked meats could contain added salt and oils!
• Canned tuna is not a good ω-3 fatty acid source (because of its canning process) and it doesn’t count as a portion of oily fish . You can choose canned mackerel and sardines instead.

I highly recommend clicking on the references today, there are many more relevant tips that could really help you!

References