Is eating healthy expensive or not? You probably have an opinion on this already, depending on how you’ve shopped for groceries in the past.

This post is about how I cope with this issue and where the argument stems from because, in a sense, both sides are right.

I quickly learned how expensive food can get when I was in undergrad. I went to different stores, I bought a variety of foods, and tried to refine my weekly list to make sure I was staying on budget while buying foods that I loved. I somewhat succeeded, but I also didn’t because this was before my health journey began. I lacked direction in what I was buying, and was missing some important vitamins.

It wasn’t until I cut out meat and started paying attention to what my body needed that I figured out how to eat less expensive foods while managing my new vegetarian diet.

So is eating healthy expensive or not? What does it depend on?

It Depends on Everything

Confused? It’s alright. Let me explain.

I hear endless debates online, and in person, about how vegetarianism, veganism, and eating healthy in general is expensive and not realistic for people on a budget. However, I also hear the exact opposite about how healthy foods are completely reasonably priced and veggie diets are feasible for those on a tight budget. So which one is it?

Well, to be honest, it’s both.

If you walk down the freezer isle, and grab every pack of veggie patties, black bean patties, veggie potstickers, etc., you’ll plow through a month’s budget in a week. Veggie-friendly freezer foods are expensive, no question.

Same situation with produce.

If you grab a bunch of fresh broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, lettuce, apples, grapes, etc… you’ll also plow through a month’s budget in a week. Like veggie freezer foods, produce gets expensive quickly as well.

So Where’s The Inexpensive Food?

I’m going to give you a tip: it’s not the food that’s inexpensive, but how you shop and what you buy that’s inexpensive.

My first go-to: black beans.

They’re around $2 a can at most grocery stores, and each can provides me two meals. Pair that with rice, and you have a high-protein meal for less than $5. If you want, you can add some fresh produce to this like an avocado, or you can throw it all in a tortilla with salsa and have a burrito. Regardless, this is one way you can combine inexpensive with foods not as cheap, make it your own based on your budget, and not worry about going hungry.

My second go-to: tortellini

You can buy it from a bag, or buy it in bulk from the do-it-yourself dispensers at certain stores. If you’re maintaining a vegetarian or vegan diet, pay attention to the filling because it may contain certain cheeses. However, you can combine it with your favorite stock and seasonings to make soup, you can pour your favorite sauce over it, or you can go simple by adding olive oil and salt and pepper. Either way, it works as a main dish or side dish, and it pairs easily with other foods. I like to have a side salad or roasted vegetables alongside it.

My third go-to: spinach

It’s available in a bag, a box, or fresh. Buy it however you prefer. It goes in everything. You can use it in salads, throw it in pasta, mix it in with sautéed or stir-fried vegetables, add it to soup, eat it on a baked potato, add it to that black bean burrito from earlier, include it in your veggie burger, and so much more. It’s extremely good for you and extremely versatile. It also lasts quite a while the more you buy. It’s not a main dish, but I wanted to include a leafy green as one of my examples.

Are You Sensing A Theme?

I hope so because that’s what I was trying to communicate. I’m not telling you to be extremely boring with what you eat, and I’m not saying you can’t buy what you truly enjoy. However, if you want to eat healthily while keeping groceries inexpensive, it requires some strategic thinking.

Each of my go-to’s, black beans, tortellini, and spinach, all last for more than one meal. Therefore, they are less expensive than other foods because they get you a deal while providing good substance to what you eat. Not only that, but they are versatile and able to accommodate a multitude of diets, along with endless dish combinations. Buying those packs of veggie patties and no-meat potstickers only means one thing: you’re going to be eating veggie patties and potstickers for the foreseeable future.

However, if you pinpoint your main foods, let’s call them your base foods for the grocery list, those can help guide you through the rest of your shopping.

What comes after the base foods?

That’s up to you of course, but I usually go for rice, tortillas, mushrooms, some kind of bread, (okay fine) some veggie patties, and anything else that goes with my three base choices. Then I might pick up a dessert item or a bag of chips for a treat. Again, this depends on how you want to spend your budget.

This might sound quite difficult to strategize your grocery list while making sure you’re still eating healthy. However, there are plenty of articles online that can help you out and provide information on healthy foods based on the diet you’re going for.

For a diet with no limitations, or to get tips for starting, check out Kelli Foster’s 10 Foods That Actually Help Me Eat Healthier on a Budget. She goes into detail about which healthy foods can be bought for inexpensive prices, and ones that still get you excited about your next meal. Maybe she can help you figure out your base foods for next week’s shopping!

Other Things To Think About

While on the topic of keeping things inexpensive, prices can differ from store-to-store. Foods like beans and rice will be the same regardless of where you purchase them from, so buying those at the cheaper grocery store would be in your best interest. However, if you’re wanting to splurge a little on something more specialized, you’ll have the room in your budget to visit a store that’s more pricey.

Another thing to add: strategizing your grocery list isn’t easy. Don’t feel bad if it takes you a month or two to figure out exactly how this works for you. Give yourself some grace and make sure you’re putting your needs before the list.

What do I mean by this? Don’t make yourself go hungry because you’re trying to spend as little as possible and eat as healthy as you can. That’s not good for you and can discourage you from this whole idea altogether.

Now What?

To start, I’d take a look at what you purchased at the store last time. Think about which of those foods were base foods, and think about which ones were accompanying. Did you spend too much on those? Did you have money left over? Was there something you could’ve lived without? Was there something you didn’t get but should have?

These are all valid questions to ask yourself, and it’s okay if you can’t answer all of them perfectly. What’s important is that you’re trying and learning as you go!

More from Me:

Next week’s post will be about portion size and how to find the balance between eating too much and eating too little, something that took me my entire life to understand.

Also, check out last week’s post, “A Few Recipes for Keeping It Simple“, for a basic guide on starting a vegetarian diet. I hope you all have a great week!

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you 🙂

 

References

Alcedo, M. (2020). 5 of the Best Delivery Services to Use to Order Groceries from Your Couch. ITK. https://www.intheknow.com/2020/03/17/best-grocery-delivery-services/

Foster, K. (2019, January 1). 10 Foods That Actually Help Me Eat Healthier on a Budget. Kitchn. https://www.thekitchn.com/foods-that-actually-help-me-eat-healthier-on-a-budget-264933

Select Health. (2020). Breaking 5 Myths About Being Vegan. https://selecthealth.org/blog/2019/10/breaking-5-myths-about-being-vegan?utm_source=social&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=vegan_myths

The Exercist. (2018, September 14). “Expensive” is Relative. https://the-exercist.tumblr.com/post/178087131582/the-adventist-101-share-health