By Hillary W Torres
Let’s face it. We’ve all tried eating healthier and its not as easy as it looks. I’ve been there. Sometimes its too expensive and sometimes we just don’t know where to start. This was me! I was that girl who had no idea where to start when it came to eating healthy. I literally ate fast food every other day and had no motivation to cook myself meals. Then when I did start cooking my own meals, I would cook high calorie, high fat, high sodium, no health benefits food most of the time. And boy was it good but that’s it. I would then go on about my day and feel groggy and tired. This is something most people refer to as the ‘ITIS’ and naturally I always felt as though I did not ever have enough sleep.
When I changed my diet, my energy changed, my skin changed, and I felt great.
So what changed?
I became curious about making my own meals and trying to eat healthier. One thing that I knew for sure was that I was getting older and my body was changing. I could no longer eat however I pleased without allowing my body to suffer the consequences. Thus I had to make sure I was eating clean especially since I wasn’t as active as I once was. When I started my research about eating healthier, all the articles and blogs informed me that it won’t be expensive as long as I plan and stick to the grocery list. This was true but what was really hard was getting into the routine of cooking and breaking the habit of going to Wendy’s. So to share a little extra knowledge, I create a few extra tips that can help you start eating healthier on a budget.
- Start by looking at the foods you already eat.
I assume you’ve read many articles point out the fact that you should plan to stick to a grocery list and cook at home. Both of these are very true, however, making a grocery list without knowing where to start is tedious. You begin jotting things down and by the time you know it, you’re back at home from the grocery store with a bunch of healthy items that you have to find recipes for that you might not even like.
By looking at the foods you enjoy first, you get a sense of the type of eater you are. Do you like big portions of meat with a salad? Or do you love a burger with something sweet for dessert after? This is important. This is going to help you formulate how to shop healthier for yourself. You may buy yourself fish or chicken, which is healthier than red meat and replace white rice with brown.
You may also try making a portobello burger with lightly battered zucchini fries on the side and for dessert you have some strawberries. It helps being able to transform the meals you like, into healthy meals you might like. Although they taste different, you can season them the same.
2. Stop using salt, start using herbs.
You should really lay off the salt. Salt has been known to raise your blood pressure. Not directly, but indirectly by allowing your body to hold onto water and the excess amount of water will raise your blood pressure and create risks for heart attack and hypertension. Many people like to use salt to flavor their food but spices and herbs work just as well and can in fact help your body protect against a number of diseases. It may take some time to be able to figure out which spices work best together, but practice makes perfect.
Growing your own herbs is easier than ever now as well with all the neat tutorials that are online. They show you how you can use some of your leftover herbs to grow new ones and they also give great insight on how to start an herb garden from scratch. Having an herb garden can be beneficial not only to your nutrition, but your physical health as well. It’s quite easy to start one and inexpensive. It will take some time, patience, and care but I must say it is a great hobby to get into.
3. Frozen foods are life savers.
Buying vegetables and fruit during season when they’re on sale is perfect because you’re able to store them all in the freezer and they last longer. You can also buy frozen vegetables and fruit in the frozen aisle of the market. Many people fear that these are bad for you, but in fact they are frozen when they are freshest so that they are good to eat when you defrost them. Frozen fruits are amazing for smoothies or Acai bowls which taste granola with some granola. Plus they’re quick to make. Frozen veggies are easy to steam and great for sides. Buying frozen food in bulk when they’re on sale could save you a pretty penny.
4. Look into shopping local
Many people do not take the time to shop at farmers markets because they think it will be too expensive or they won’t have time to go because it is too early in the day. But that’s not true. Farmers market’s can actually be more affordable than the grocery store and they offer fresher vegetables and fruits. The great thing about farmers market’s is that you can actually find out what the farmer uses to grow their crops. More times than none they are honest and open with their gardening methods.
For those who don’t have time to go to a farmer’s market during the day, there are one’s that open during noon time for a few hours and there are even some open during night time. Try looking up local farmers market for your town or city on the web. You can also ask around. I believe asking around is the best way to really get to know your local farmers. Smaller communities may offer more information on dates and times of farmers market’s. You can even ask the local supermarket cashier if they know of any.
5. Eat ALL of your food
I know this sounds crazy, but many Americans today have the habit of buying foods and having excessive amounts that they sometimes do not eat and then eventually throw away in the trash. This is a waste and as I’m sure you know, there are many starving people in the world. It is not okay to waste food. Buy what you’re going to make and eat it. Do not over stock your cabinet to let food grow passed their expiration date. If you have a can of beans in your pantry, get creative. Google different recipes that can give you and idea of what you can make with what you have. Or simply go to the store and get one more thing to eat on the side of beans. Just eat it all.
6. Leftovers!
I read a lot about freezing leftovers for the week but I also wanted to throw out the idea of revamping leftovers! I never really liked leftovers, I admit, until I started using my leftovers to make other meals. I would make spaghetti into a frittata or use left over chicken for a stew. It all depends on what you like and how you like to eat. Many people take their leftovers to work for lunch the next day. This is another area where you should get creative. The more creative you start getting, the more natural these eating habits become.
7. Other than leftovers, RECIPES!
Look up different recipes. Man, if I hadn’t started using different recipes from different cultures, I would not have been able to incorporate so many vegetables into my meals. Looking up recipes also gives you more information on how to use spices, which ones work best together, and even lets you know about different vegetables and fruits that can go into your meals. There are so many different markets out there that have distinct healthy foods. All you have to do is go check them out.
Keep in mind that it may be scary to try different foods and I did mention that you should start by eating meals similar to the ones you eat already. However, once you feel confident enough you can start incorporating different meals into your day that are beyond yummy. There’s an estimated 20,000 distinct vegetables and fruits that are edible in the world. Aren’t you a bit curious of how the other ones taste? We could be missing out on something mind blowing.