Eating a healthy diet can be challenging enough, but eating healthy foods while trying to maintain a household food budget can seem nearly impossible. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with eating the same processed foods over and over again, especially when raising children or on a limited budget. After all, you know what your family likes to eat – and sometimes it’s not the best types of foods.
It’s time to get your family healthier with better food choices. So take charge of your family’s meals with these budget-conscious food choices:
Fruits & Vegetables – the key to maintaining a food budget is to select fruits and vegetables that are in season for your region and then to base meals around them. You can easily figure this out by reading the grocery market flyers that come in the mail or by stopping by your local vegetable stand to see what’s being sold. You will save a good deal of money by buying items that are in season and it will give your family mealtimes plenty of variety of healthy food year round.
Brown Rice – Switching from white rice to brown rice is not only healthier; it only costs pennies more to do this. Brown rice is tastier, includes more nutrients and is less processed than white rice, which is made up mostly of starch. The trick with brown rice is that it takes a little longer to cook, but it is so much better for your family and tastes a lot better. Buy brown rice in bulk bags for an even greater savings in your food budget.
Wheat Pastas – Families love pasta, especially kids. If you are on a budget, you can stretch your dollars a little farther by including whole wheat pasta in your meals instead of white pasta, white rice, potatoes and other unhealthy starches. Buy wheat based pasta in bulk or stock up whenever they are on sale. Some stores even have a cheaper store brand now for extra money savings.
Beans and Lentils – The nutritional value of beans and lentils is outstanding. If you want to save a lot in your grocery budget, then start buying a bag or two of dried beans and include at least one meal a week made with beans or lentils instead of meat. Beans are high in protein, fiber and many other things that the body needs to be healthy. Try using beans in soups and stews in the family crock pot for added convenience.
Herbs – If you want to create delicious and healthful meals on a budget, there’s nothing better than adding some fresh herbs in to your cooking. The best part about herbs is that many have disease-prevention qualities, in addition to adding flavor to your meals. You can buy them fresh or grow your own herbs in your kitchen window and cut a few when you need them. Herbs are relatively inexpensive and last forever in air tight containers.
