7 Ways to Eat Clean on a Budget

7 Ways to Eat Clean on a Budget

Posted by Simple Girl on 7th Feb 2017

The majority of the food you'll find in the supermarket is of the processed variety, packed full of added sugar, salt, and highly refined ingredients as well as chemical preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, and texturizers. All that junk gunks up your system and leads to overall poor health, lack of energy, weight gain, and premature aging.

Eating mostly plant-based whole foods like greens, beans, legumes, nuts, and rice can help you fend off cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and a wide variety of other ailments. You'll have more energy, brighter skin, a quicker mind, and a revved up metabolism. Combine a clean diet with a little exercise, and there's your fool-proof weight loss plan right there.

Problem is, processed food is cheap, and many whole foods are not. You can feed your entire family a processed meal for what you'll pay for a just a couple of pounds of apples or a head of broccoli. If you're on a budget, trying to clean up your diet can seem like an insurmountable task, but happily, there are ways to get the biggest bang for your buck while doing your body a favor and eating cleaner.

  1. Hit the Bulk Section. Buying in bulk saves you lots of money, and you can find high quality whole foods in these bins. Stock up on dried beans, rice, nuts, lentils, dried fruits, oats, wheat germ, and scores of other highly nutritious offerings for a fraction of the price you'll pay for these same items packaged. Invest in a set of high quality, clear lidded containers to store your bulk buys in so that they stay fresh and you can see at a glance what you have on hand to work with.
  2. Fill Up With Beans & Brown Rice. These two fail-safe staples can make an appearance in a huge range of dishes. They can work as a side dish or as an entree, or they can bulk up a healthy soup, stew, salad, or casserole. You can even eat them together Cuban, Mexican, or Mediterranean style. The point is, beans and rice are both incredibly healthy, low on the glycemic index, super cheap to buy — especially in bulk — and they go a long way.
  3. Know When to Go Organic. Not everything needs to be bought organically. The Dirty Dozen are the top twelve most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables that you should always buy organic. These include strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, sweet bell peppers, plus hot peppers. The Clean Fifteen are avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, cabbages, onions, sweet peas, frozen, papayas, asparagus, mangoes, eggplants, honeydew melons, kiwis, cantaloupes, cauliflower and broccoli. These are fine to buy standard, and that alone can save you a lot of money.
  4. Buy Seasonings Instead of Spices. Spices are expensive, and if you like to use a variety of individual spices, they can add up to a lot of dough real quick. Seasonings, on the other hand, are generally less expensive, far more versatile, and super delicious. Simple Girl Sugar-Free All-Purpose Safe Seasoning is a good example. Great on everything from roasted veggies to virtually any protein, this super delicious seasoning is a budget-friendly way to enhance the flavor of your dishes, and all our products are gluten-, MSG-, sugar-, and artificial additive-free.
  5. Buy Frozen. Frozen fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, and they don't go bad. They taste just as good as fresh veggies and fruits, and they're considerably cheaper than their fresh counterparts. Buy frozen berries for your morning smoothie, and get your peas, corn, broccoli, and snow peas in the frozen section to save money and cut down on waste.
  6. Don't Overlook the Store Brand. Just because an item carries the store brand doesn't mean it's a cheap knockoff of the real deal. Store brands are generally every bit as high quality as more expensive brands whose advertising you subsidize when you buy them. That's about the only difference. But don't take our word for it. Try your local store brand for a week, and we bet you won't go back.
  7. Stock Up on Sweet Deals. Whenever you come across a sweet deal, take advantage and stock up. If you know you'll use it, don't be shy! Just store it in the freezer until next time you're out.

These tips, along with a healthy dose of good old mindfulness, should help you make the small changes you need to add up to big results. If you have any tips for clean eating on a budget, do tell us!