A balanced diet is an essential part of maintaining overall health.
Your dietary choices are an important part of reaching and maintaining a healthy and stable body weight. As you commit to eating plenty of whole foods, you may realise that a healthy eating plan can be expensive. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your grocery bill under control. Read on to find out how to incorporate healthy foods into your diet without breaking the bank…
Plan ahead
One of the best ways you can save money on your grocery bill is to plan your meals. Try and set aside some time once a week to decide what meals you would like to make for the week ahead, and make a list of all the ingredients you’ll need. When you go shopping, stick to your list as best you can and purchase only the food you need. Try and avoid the temptation of buying items that are not on your list — this will help you save money, plus it’ll reduce food waste and force you to stick to your healthy meal plan.
Cook meals at home
It is generally much more cost-effective to cook at home than it is to eat out. If you don’t have a lot of time to cook every day, try and spend some time batch cooking on the weekend. By making home-cooked meals your norm, you’re likely to save money, and you’ll also have more control over what you consume, making it easier to stick to a balanced eating plan.
Don’t buy junk food
It goes without saying that junk food offers very little nutritional value, but certain processed foods and drinks could also be adding to your grocery bill. Products like soda, pre-packaged meals and crackers are an unnecessary expense, and by avoiding these items, you’ll have more money to spend on healthy, unprocessed foods.
Shop for seasonal foods
When it comes to choosing fruits and vegetables, try and look out for produce that is seasonal and locally produced as these are often cheaper than imported or out of season produce. If it’s more cost-effective, buy fruits and veggies by the bag rather than by the piece, and simply freeze what you can’t use immediately.
Consider frozen produce
There’s nothing wrong with buying frozen fruits and vegetables — berries, for example, are great to have stashed in the freezer for a quick breakfast smoothie. Frozen produce is often fairly affordable and can last for a long time, which helps to minimise waste.
Shops sales and buy in bulk
Look out for promotions on items that last a long time in the cupboard. Dry beans, lentils and nuts, for example, can be stored for some time. Consider buying staples in bulk, especially if you use them often — grains like rice and oats tend to be inexpensive and it’s possible to stock up on these for use in a wide range of meals.
How can we help?
At Surgical Weight Loss Centre, we offer a number of weight loss procedures, as well as ongoing support. Our team includes surgeons, general practitioners, a registered nurse, an exercise therapist and a dietician. If you choose to undergo bariatric surgery, part of your journey will include consultations with our dietician who will guide you towards achieving your goals.
If you would like to arrange a consultation with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. For a full list of the weight loss procedures that we offer, please have a look here.