The problem with most healthy lifestyle tips is they don’t consider people’s budgets and the fact that many Americans can’t afford to shop at the specialty natural food stores that promote healthier options. If you’ve ever felt that frustration before, you are not alone. Predictions show food prices continuing to increase with beef, dairy and pork expected to rise between 3-5%. Most of our paychecks aren’t rising by equal amounts every year to combat this income gap but these healthy lifestyle tipscan help you eat like a prince with the budget of a pauper. Organic Isn’t Always Necessary Buying organic is great and is always my first option but there is certain foods that have substantially less pesticide exposure than others. According to the Environmental Working Group and Dr. Joseph Mercola, the following conventionally grown crops are the safest to consume without buying organic: BroccoliEggplantCabbageBananaKiwiAsparagusSweet peas (frozen)MangoPineappleSweet corn (frozen)AvocadoOnion Stick To Your Grocery List The second you start getting sidetracked by all the end caps and sales is the moment you start buying things you don’t need. There is always some form of junk food on sale so don’t try to trick yourself into justifying frivolous purchases. Tons of money has been poured into researching the perfect placement of food in the grocery store to prompt the highest volume of sales and in case you haven’t noticed, they are really good at it. You need to get in and out of the grocery store with a purpose and a list or you are likely to spend more than you intended to. Pay Attention To Weight Everybody looks at price but few people actually pay attention to the cost/weight ratio. One of the most cost effective healthy lifestyle tips is to actually figure out how good the sales really are before you buy them at the grocery store. For example, if a 4 oz jar of honey is on sale for only $2 but the 12 oz jar is $3.50 then you know that the sale price is actually less cost effective for you. Good deals are quite often deceiving at the grocery store so you need to be hyper-vigilant with your level of discernment. If you find using a calculator to be cumbersome or too old school, check out the 7 iPhone Apps That Save You Money. Buy Bulk Anyone who prides themselves on being frugal will be able to educate you on the difference between buying the cheapest products and buying the best deal. As mentioned in the last point, you need to pay attention to where you can get the best value for your money. Certain foods make sense to buy in bulk and if you are keen enough to plan your meals, you will know exactly how much of everything you want to buy. Buying chicken breasts and beef in bulk for a valuable savings and can easily be stored in the freezer. Shop On The Outer Perimeter Next time you are at your grocery store, watch how all the fresh produce and natural, whole foods are on the outer perimeter of the floor plan. One of the best healthy lifestyle tips for grocery shopping is embracing the 80/20 rule: 80% fresh produce from the outside area and 20% from the inside aisles. What healthy lifestyle tips do you have for grocery shopping on a budget? Leave a message in the comment section below.
