How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
By Misbah Ansari
I live a life of various lifestyle intersections – having a tight weekly allowance, the love for food, and the need to eat smartly so that my body does not curse me for the weakness that it is facing due to my erratic eating patterns. This dilemma of how to eat ‘healthy’ while having mercy on your pocket is certainly a predicament in a world of expensive acai bowl fads.
My primary focus here is to discuss how to consume vital nutrients like Proteins, Carbohydrates , Vitamins, Minerals and Fats on a daily basis by planning economically. Here’s how to do it.
Research, Research Research
Supermarkets are your best friend when it comes to shopping for your weekly nutritive requirements. I don’t mean this in the sense of proper planned meals only, but for everyday on the go meals too. Do not ignore the boring monthly advertisement pamphlets that supermarkets send you. All of them are in a cutthroat competition when it comes to pricing, and then you will ultimately know where to invest properly. Say, Woolworths has a box of strawberries for $ 1, there you have a wholesome fruity snack within your budget!
Provide yourself a budget
Honestly, food is important and I do not recommend going on a budget to the point where you are skipping meals. However, in the dearth of a budget, we sometimes indulge in a precarious splurge which could have been easily prevented. Going to the supermarket and stocking groceries at your home works wonders. Say, you have spent around $30 on groceries fortnightly and have purchased sufficient materials for yourself helps yourself to not impulsively purchase a burger, because you know you have something at home (that is much healthier.)
Home is where the trick is
You do not even need to be adept at cooking for this. I mean a bit of motivation to cook will work wonders, but there are always some shortcuts. Create a lunchbox for yourself before you leave home. Remember how our parents used to do this thing where there used to be a sandwich (or some boring healthy food), fruit, and then maybe some biscuits to compensate all that mundanity? You can use this strategy for yourself even now. Eating healthy isn’t the most exciting idea, I get it, but try this technique for yourself and it will do good.
What about the proteins?
Involving meat while on a budget is quite an arduous task. You do get tuna cans or packed chicken, but food with preservatives isn’t something that you can consume everyday. You can use this trick of MULTIPLYING the meat. No sorcery unfortunately, but just this age old trick of shredding the meat and boiling it with spices, so that you can have it as an accompaniment with meals for good 2 to 3 days.
For proteins, you can also think about options like pulses, lentils, and beans which are high in proteins. In the Indian subcontinent, Chickpea mixed with tomatoes, cucumber, coriander, and lemon is a delicacy. These are some foods that you can easily experiment with.
Sandwich it!
I believe in this mantra ; If pineapple went on pizza, everything can go inside a sandwich. In order to create less meals, and involve nutrition of all kinds, experiment with sandwiches. Invest a good amount in various vegetables (you cannot run away from them, sorry). You can add some bits of cheese too, or basic sauces like aioli or hummus (which are on an offer in supermarkets too most of the times, heat it and eat. Yum.
What about the desserts?
Your craving for dessert, is probably your tongue just wanting that sugary sensation. You do not need a full fledged ice cream sundae for that every time. If you are someone who is satisfied with one or two cubes of chocolate, then you can obviously buy a huge slab for the week (chocolates are the most competitive segment in markets, remember to not get swayed by the cheap prices). But, if you cannot resist eating an entire slab like me, invest in darker chocolates. The more bitter it is, the better. My aunt purchased a 90% cocoa chocolate bar, and she said that one cube is strong enough for you to not wanting to consume another one. Fair enough. Jaggery and Fennel seeds are good to satiate your sugar cravings too.
Eating healthy on a budget is a complete trial and error process. Remember to be kind to yourself, and do not follow anything to extremes! Healthy eating should be an individual process that suits your own needs and lifestyle.