Health Nuts Only, Please

[Ashley]

I'll just cut to the chase on this:

I'm really trying to eat more healthy next year. More salads, more whole grains/fresh fruit/fresh veggies, and less fat/fried/processed stuff. Unfortunately, I'm going to be on a very small budget; possibly as low as $20 or $30 for a whole week's worth of food.

Anyone have any advice about how to hack it, healthy style, on a small dime?

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Baked Tilapia (Or any fish). Let that be your main meat source.

You can get a big pack of frozen fillets for like maybe 15 dollars. Pricey, but it'll last you a good amount of time. Put them in a pan with some olive or coconut oil and add some seasoning to it, then just stick it in the oven for a few minutes.

I can never get enough of it. XD

[LadyRushia]

Hmm, a lot of cheap take-out restaurants have healthy options these days (at least they're supposed to be healthier, XD).

You could try buying as many store brand foods as possible since they're generally cheaper. I know there are some places where you can buy in bulk for a really low price.

Mmm, but produce and other fresh stuff is a bit harder. Have you tried comparing prices at your local grocery stores? Oh, and in case you didn't know already, stay away from organic stuff because even though it's healthy it's really expensive.

Ohohoh, get pistachios. They're healthy and quite filling and I'm pretty sure you can find big bags of them that will last you awhile. Beans are pretty cheap (I think) and they're good for you. I don't remember how but they are, XD.

[ShiroiHikari]

Um...wow. I'll tell you straight up-- it's gonna be REALLY hard to eat healthy on such a nothing budget. Frozen veggies are way cheaper than fresh; buy those. Buy the microwave steam-bag kind. They're usually about a dollar a piece.

For whole grains, you can probably get away with buying Earthgrains breads on that budget; for one person, a loaf will last about a week and costs about 3 dollars. Kinda pricey for bread, but Earthgrains is all natural, no corn syrup or other questionable stuff is in it.

If you want something to put on it other than lunch meat (which is high in sodium), try getting Smucker's Simply Fruit-- it's tasty and also doesn't have any corn syrup or junk in it. Also, peanut butter has lots of protein. Oh, and honey! Honey is awesome.

They also make affordable whole-wheat pastas now; you can get a couple boxes of those for real cheap. I recommend the Ronzoni brand. It tastes the best of all the ones I've tried. Anyway, this would be another cheap way to get some grains.

Provided you've got the time and proper cooking equipment (i.e. a stove and a pan XD) beans are a good, cheap, healthy way to get some protein. You can buy 'em canned as well if you want, just be sure to rinse them off real good.

If you need cheap meat, the 1-pound rolls of ground turkey are only about 1.50 at the most. It's pretty lean and is versatile to work with. Ground pork is also relatively inexpensive, if you can find something to do with it.

When you buy lettuce, get Romaine as it's got more nutrients than iceberg. Rip it, don't cut it, and just leave the leaves whole until you're ready to use them. Pre-ripping them is tempting but it makes it turn brown a lot faster. Wrap it in a paper towel, put it in a Ziploc, and it should last you a good long while.

Or if you want, buy bags of raw spinach. I recommend the Ziploc-and-paper-towel method with this too, because if you leave it in the bag it comes in, it turns mushy and gross a whole lot faster.

[Kaligraphic]

If you get bags of different kinds of beans, you can combine them for a pretty decent soup, especially if you experiment with extras like pearl onions or collard greens now and again. You can also add a little bit of ham or bacon for flavor, but you really don't need much. (For one or two people, a single strip of bacon may suffice, depending on serving size/taste. Naturally, bacon will add to the sodium content, so vegetable-based flavourings are to be preferred for sodium-sensitive individuals.)

My approach to your scenario would be to invest up-front in larger stores of food that are cheaper per-unit. Warehouse stores along the lines of Costco or Sam's Club offer bulk packages that should last you a while. Also, I would suggest a decently rice-heavy diet. It's cheap, filling, decently nutritious, and comes in large bags. This will also stand you in good stead should you indeed end up in Japan. (A 3-cup rice cooker ought to be $30 or so for a basic model, if you don't feel like putting so much effort into it.)


Be careful about overdoing it with certain types of fish - you may want to avoid varieties that tend to be high in mercury.

Also, you may know this already, but don't go overboard washing grains, beans, or rice. Just give 'em a good rinse. A lot of useful nutrients in such foods can dissolve in water, and over-washing can leech those nutrients right out.

[ShiroiHikari]

Oh, I thought of something else. If you don't have time to cook, you can try getting to a Target and buying Amy's frozen things. They make burritos and lots of other neat stuff, and it's organic and natural so you won't be getting all the yucky junk that comes in other microwave foods. They cost a little more, obviously, but at least it's a quick, healthy option that you might be able to get some use out of, so I just thought I'd mention it real quick.

[Ashley]

Oooo, that's a great idea ShiHi. I will probably have to mix frozen and fresh to stay within budget, so I'll definitely be on the look out.

By the way, if anyone's interested in keeping up with me and my plans for better life, you can read my blog here: http://www.icanandiwill.wordpress.com

[Maledicte]

How about those vacuum-seal bags? The sealer sells for about $10 and a box of reusable bags for about $4. You put fresh food in the bags, seal them up, and freeze them and they last much longer than normally frozen stuff.

Go for the special offers even if you don't need that much--2 for the price of 1 meat or sale-price cereals. Cereals last long and meat can be frozen. If you don't get these items or brands normally though, don't bother.

Buy organic milk. Yes, it's more expensive, but it lasts 3 WEEKS in the fridge, so you'll never have to worry about dumping the stuff out because you couldn't finish the carton before the expiration date. Also, I think they taste a bit better too.

[Sakaki Onsei]

Ash, let me give you one big piece of advice:

If you can find a farmer's market, get there quickly. You will have a better chance of getting better prices and better veggies.

[mechana2015]

For breakfast, oatmeal can be both a cheap and healthy food item.

[Ashley]

If you can find a farmer's market, get there quickly. You will have a better chance of getting better prices and better veggies.

Unfortunately, my school is in a large metropolis very far away from the nearest farmer's market. Next best thing we have is Central Market.

For breakfast, oatmeal can be both a cheap and healthy food item.

Yep, but I doubt the kind of oatmeal I like (instant) is as good for you as the kind I don't like ("real")

[ShiroiHikari]

The instant, unflavored kind shouldn't be too bad, actually.

[Jaltus-bot]

I'm not a health nut enough overly inconvenience me, but I do like healthy food, so hopefully that qualifies enough for this post.


Have you tried a local 99 cent store? We have gotten 7 grain bread, individually wrapped fish fillets, and fresh vegetables like trays of peppers and stuff at ours. The shipments may vary a bit, but sometimes it's worth checking if it is not too far out of the way.

[Doubleshadow]

Buy foods in bulk that keep for a while. Foods like rolled oats, rice, dried peas and dried beans, nuts, and dried fruits will keep for a good long time. So buying a heap at once to save and then keeping it will save money. Nuts are high calorie, so they will help stave off hunger. I also recommend granola. It's known as a laughable hippie food, but hippies liked it because it was 1) healthy, 2) kept, and 3) cheap. What you're looking for. These things will also keep in the event of a power outtage or broken refrigerator.

[termyt]

You'd be surprised where you can find farmer's markets, so keep your eyes open. They are an excellent source of fresh, inexpensive food.

Me, I go to my local Amish bulk store, which has many great items picked and/or baked fresh daily for about 50%-75% of the price you get at the grocery chains. That’s probably not much of an option for you, so I guess I’m just bragging.

If you can, plan ahead and buy meat in bulk. You'll save a lot of money per pound for a sizeable initial investment. Chicken breast bought in bulk can be individually wrapped and frozen to preserve freshness.

[Ingemar]

Oh, never mind. I should have read the opening post.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I don't know about you guys, (being closer to South America and all that) but Brazil nuts aren't cheap here. But they taste good.