5 Tips For Eating Healthy On a Budget

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Many people associate eating healthy with an extra monetary expense that they have trouble justifying. The idea of eating healthy conjures images of ten dollar juices, fifteen dollar smoothies, and supplements that would break all but the largest of budgets. It is true that you can spend a lot of money on exotic foods or supplements, but eating healthy doesn’t necessarily come at an added expense. Eating healthy on a budget is easier than many people assume, and you often find you can spend less money than you would otherwise. 

When we talk about eating healthy on a budget, we are talking about the Kaufmann Diet. Kaufmann 1 of the Kaufmann Diet is fairly simple; it consists of meats, vegetables, limited fruits, nuts, seeds and a few dairy products (butter, plain yogurt). This makes shopping lists fairly easy to plan. 

Food expenses can get high, and for most of us, we have to stretch our food dollars as far as they can go. There are few strategies that may help you save some money while still taking full advantage of the Kaufmann Diet.  

Buy in bulk and use your freezer.
Buying fruits and vegetables in bulk or pre-frozen Is often more cost effective than buying them individual or fresh. Spoiled produce is wasteful and expensive; freezing them ensures they won’t go bad before you have time to eat them. Buying meat in bulk can sometimes save money, as well.  

Skip out on the supplements initially.
Sure, omega 3 fatty acids are fantastic for heart health. Probiotics are essential for replacing good bacteria. And vitamin supplements ensure you get everything you need. But they constitute an extra expense, and at least initially, you can get by without them. What is wonderful about eating healthy is that you can get all of these things from the foods you eats. Try getting omega 3s from walnuts, flax seeds and salmon eaten regularly. Get probiotics from high-quality yogurt. (Avoid the sugar-laden kind.)

Let your food be medicine.
There a multitude of fantastic anti-fungal supplements you can buy. But did you know that garlic is a potent anti-fungal? Cinnamon, cloves, oregano––all of these are potent, anti-fungal compounds, and delicious. If you are suffering from a sever fungal infection, you may need the concentrated potency of supplements; otherwise, let your food double as medicine!

Don’t stress over buying “organic” everything.
We think eating organic is best, but it comes at a cost. This cost isn’t absolutely necessary when buying your food. Wash your produce well to get rid of excess pesticides. If you can only pick one, buy organic meat products––the antibiotics and steroids fed to conventionally raised animals can find their way into the products those animals yield. Even if you can’t afford organic meat, eating conventionally raised products is better than eating the standard American diet in lieu of the Kaufmann Diet.  

Avoid even Kaufmann 1-Approved processed foods.
Some products like nuts can be pricy… Processed products like almond butter can be even more expensive. These are great snacks, but they also come at a price. Similarly, coconut butter and other oils can come at a premium. Stick to buying fresh foods, at least initially.

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