Eat Clean on a Budget

“But eating clean & healthy is way too expensive!”

This is one of the most common things I hear when helping others transition to a healthier lifestyle, especially when it’s a shift the whole family is making.

Truth is, eating clean is not just for those who can afford it! With just a bit of planning and effort (that is WELL worth it!), clean eating can be versatile & budget-flexible.

Not to worry! I’m going to show you how.

It starts with realizing the good stuff you probably have in your kitchen or pantry: veggies, fruits, and lean meats. These are foods you may already include in your grocery shopping, but you may not get around to using. Often because you simply don’t have a plan for them, and end up going with the convenience of processed, packaged, or take-out food.

The next step is to limit or eliminate foods full of chemicals and additives that can hurt your body, which are pretty much most foods that are located in the center aisles of the grocery store. Shop the perimeter of the store. That’s where all the fresh and perishable stuff is! Eliminating processed snacks will free up some of your budget for healthier foods too!

Here are my seven tips on how to eat clean, the budget-friendly way:

Don’t just grab for anything labeled as organic or natural.

In my Virtual Wellness Studio, I teach more about what clean eating actually is and what to watch out for/how to read labels, but before you go spend hand over fist buying ERRRRY-thing labeled organic, learn what terms to watch out for.

It is SO important to READ LABELS. The ingredients may say organic or natural, but these terms can be deceiving. For example, if you’re buying organic marinara sauce but the ingredients say organic sugar, organic corn, organic soy, you’re really NOT getting the healthiest option for you. They are adding a bunch of extra organic, but non-healthy ingredients as cheap fillers and charging an organic price.

Being aware of the food items you should add to your pantry, helps you to stay on the right track in terms of eliminating chemical additives and added/refined sugar. You also won’t end up buying expensive items that are not really good for you.

Have a smart meal plan and a shopping list ready. This is also something I give you in my Virtual Wellness Studio, but having a planned out shopping list is a MUST!

We began our journey clean eating as a family by each week taking a look at what we needed and wanted to prepare that week, and finding healthier swap outs each time it was time to replenish food and household supplies.

Thinking through what you want to prepare that week (having a meal plan) can help you to cut down on expenses when you prioritize fresh produce that is in season (typically less expensive when in season!).

We also rotate with recipes that have similar ingredients throughout the week, so that our fresh fruits and vegetables don’t go to waste.

EXAMPLE: If I use Zucchini for my Turkey Zoodle Marinara on Monday, I’ll plan to make another zucchini recipe like Zucchini Boats later in the week. I like to pick 3 key proteins for the week, and 3 key veggies and then mix and match them with one another and different seasonings.

Our go-tos are –

PROTEINS: Ground Organic Turkey, Organic Chicken, Grass Fed Pork OR Wild Caught Salmon
VEGGIES: Organic Green Beans, Organic Broccoli, Organic Salads, or Zucchini
SEASONINGS: Flavor God Sweet & Tangy, Everything, Garlic Lovers, Lemon Garlic, or Coconut Aminos.

Once you have decided your meals, you can come up with a very streamlined shopping list. Stick to buying the ingredients only for the dishes you are going to cook. This will help eliminate unnecessary purchases.

Scope out other possible shopping venues. If your go-to supermarket has what you need and is reasonably priced, AWESOME! But, if you want the freshest, cleanest produce and food items at a budget-friendly price, you may want to cast your shopping net a little wider.

Ask around on local community pages, and find out if there are places nearby with prices worth driving a few extra minutes for.

Also, local farmers markets & health food chains are making their way to more places – make sure to check if you have any good ones near you! Eating locally grown to you is always best.

Often better prices are closer than you think, you just have to be looking for them.

Bulk buy food items that you will be using the most! When it comes to things that we use a lot of (chicken breasts, eggs, veggies, fruit, grains (quinoa, brown rice), healthy fats (coconut and olive oil), nuts) Bulk-buying is worth it!

Items purchased in bulk are usually priced lower. Big Box retailers like Costco are partnering more with organic farmers to bring organic produce and meats to you at lower prices.

I personally get half my grocery list in bulk from Costco. This also applies to certain fresh produce.

Watch for sales! This is a clean eating budget saver 101 top tip! From specialty markets to your neighborhood grocer, they run sales weekly!

Often you’ll find markdowns on the following: seasonal produce, meats, herbs, bottled seasoning like coconut aminos and apple cider vinegar.

You can inquire clean eating friends in your area (or join an online group!) to find out the usual schedule of these sales. You can adjust your weekly meal plan based on the best fresh buys you have available. Usually, the freshest, in-season produce is marked with sale prices. Plan your weekly meals around those seasonal ingredients.

You gotta love the modern convenience of being able to have things arrive right to your doorstep. Especially now that Amazon and Whole Foods are one! Not only has Whole Foods gotten more competitive with their pricing in store for many of my favorite clean food staples, BUT you can now also order MANY of the same non-perishable groceries you can get at health food stores on Amazon for cheaper and have them shipped right to your house!!

Especially if you have Amazon Prime and if you’re living in the good ‘ol continental USA (which unfortunately those of us out here on the island are not) you can even get FRESH produce sent to your doorstep via Amazon as well!! SCORE!

When it comes to meats and dairy, I personally don’t compromise on organic or not. We 100% do organic and humanely raised.

Rule of thumb for all foods is… when you can, it is best to buy all-natural, fresh, and organic food items (with nothing added).

BUT when organic is not fitting into your current budget or available to you then you can breathe easy and buy conventionally-grown instead.

Here are some fresh food items that you don’t always have to purchase organic as they are less prone to pesticide residues:

avocado
sweet potatoes
cabbage
onions
asparagus
eggplant
cauliflower
pineapple
kiwi
mangos