6 Ways to Eat Healthy When Your Family’s on a Budget

1. Junk the junk. Real deal frugalistas know this: if you don’t need it, don’t buy it. It’s not only in wealthy households that you see this golden rule broken all the time; even ordinary parents make the mistake of buying stuff they don’t really need. A look into the typical pantry will reveal things like chips, instant pancit canton, and tons of canned goods -- it's a treasure trove of junk food!

Never mind that the canned meatloaf or the hot dog packaging says it’s fortified with vitamins so-and-so; these things are processed food, so they are also rich in preservatives, food dyes, and other things that can be harmful to your child's health.

Aside from avoiding canned ulam, you should also cut down on your purchase of chips, candies, chocolate bars, soft drinks, and the like to lessen your kid’s intake of sodium, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Here, the term "cut down" was used because eliminating junk food altogether from your family’s diet may not be possible. In any case, the goal is to make healthier food comprise the bulk of what you eat. Junk foods should just be occasional treats.


2. Go “budgetarian” organic.  Many people think that eating organic can be quite expensive. That’s only true if you limit your choices to merchandise from stores like Rustan’s and Healthy Options. However, you only need to do a little bit of research to discover gems like the AANI markets in Quezon City Memorial Circle and FTI Taguig, which sell everything from organic vegetables and fruits, organic eggs, fresh milk and honey, and organically-grown, free-range poultry and meat. Markets like AANI sell goods at cooperative prices, so they cost less than those sold in supermarkets.


3. Buy in season. Buy fruits and vegetables when they are in season. When fruits are at their most abundant, they are also at their most affordable because sellers are competing for buyers.

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Read on for more tips on how to eat healthy when the family's on a budget.

4. Grow your own produce. You don’t have to be the Martha Stewart type to work on a vegetable or a fruit garden. You don’t even need a lot of space to grow produce on your yard.

Plants like calamansi, tomatoes, eggplants, okra, and many others can be grown on small plots or even in pots; moreover, growing them cost almost next to nothing. Just make sure you don’t use of pesticides, and you’ll have the freshest and healthiest veggies imaginable!


5. Eat less meat. Did you know that the recommended meat portion size for the average person is just 3 oz. per serving? That’s the size of a deck of card, and experts say you should eat just two servings of that amount per day. Moreover, you should always choose lean read meat or white meant without the fatty portion and the skin. Not only is meat more expensive than greens, over-consumption of meat products is also being linked by many studies to increased risk for diseases like heart ailments and cancer.


6. Choose small, or share the load. If caloric intake is your concern, avoid overeating by choosing single-portion snack foods or regular-sized meals when eating out. Even better, why not share an entrée with a friend when you go to a restaurant? If you’re alone, have the other half of your meal packed in a doggie bag, so you can eat it at home or at the office the following day.

Eating healthy in a penny-wise way is easy if you know the tricks. All you need are some research skills and an ability to remind yourself that eating green is always the best and cheapest way to start on a healthy diet.


Photo from flickr.com