When you’re on a budget, the weekly grocery shopping can certainly be stressful.
There is a common perception that healthy eating on a budget is impossible as healthy food is expensive, especially with the cost the living crisis, food prices have risen drastically over recent years.
However, this doesn’t have to be the case with a few useful strategies put into practice.
Please read my blog on Eating Healthy on a Budget for more in-depth strategies.
What is Healthy Eating?
Eating healthy is not about eating perfectly, but about eating a nutrient-rich balanced diet, providing carbohydrates, fats, protein and fibre, whilst also being rich in micro-nutrients, most of the time. This definition is supported by the British Nutrition Foundation
Note, that I said most of the time!
We are not looking for perfection here as it just isn’t sustainable! As a grounded Nutrition Consultant, I’m a big advocate of the ‘80/20 rule’. If you make healthy food choices 80% of the time you won’t go far wrong.
Healthy eating on a budget is certainly achievable with a little bit of know-how. Essentially healthy eating on a budget is based around planning, cooking at home, buying whole foods and reducing waste.
As already mentioned you can read my blog on Eating Healthy on a Budget where I explore these strategies in more depth.
This blog will focus more on the actual meals, giving you some specific breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas to help in your quest for healthy eating on a budget.
5 Day Meal Plan For Healthy Eating on a Budget
Day 1
Breakfast:
- Overnight oats with sliced banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Lunch:
- Chickpea salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a lemon-olive oil dressing.
Dinner:
- Stir-fried vegetables (carrots, broccoli, bell peppers) with brown rice and tofu.
Snack:
- Apple.
Day 2
Breakfast:
- Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast.
Lunch:
- Lentil soup (buy own brand or make your own!) with a side of wholemeal bread.
Dinner:
- Baked chicken thighs with roasted potatoes and green beans.
Snack:
- Pepper sticks (from leftover peppers from the previous night’s dinner) with hummus.
Day 3
Breakfast:
- Greek yogurt with honey and mixed frozen berries.
Lunch:
- Quinoa salad with black beans, tinned sweetcorn, diced tomatoes, and lime-olive oil dressing.
Dinner:
- Liver (slowly fried), in a tomato sauce (add onions, and garlic), on a bed of wholewheat pasta.
Snack:
- Celery sticks with hummus
Day 4
Breakfast:
- Porridge with mixed frozen berries
Lunch:
- Wholemeal wrap with hummus, shredded carrots, cucumber slices, and mixed greens.
Dinner:
- Vegetable and black bean chili with brown rice.
Snack:
- Greek yogurt with honey
Day 5
Breakfast:
- Muesli, no added sugar (buy own brand)
Lunch:
- Tuna salad made with canned tuna, Greek yogurt, celery, and a squeeze of lemon, served on wholemeal bread.
Dinner:
- Baked Pollock with roasted potatoes and vegetables.
Snack:
- Rye crackers with hummus
This is just a basic meal plan to give you several meal ideas that will help you eat you eat healthy on a budget.
You will notice although the plan isn’t vegan, there is some vegan options on the plan. Vegan sources of protein are generally cheaper than meat varieties to help you eat healthy on a budget.
You will also notice I’ve used liver which is a very nutrient-dense form of meat which certainly won’t break the bank along with pollock which is much more cost effective than other types of fish such as salmon.
To give you additional help in your mission of healthy eating on a budget I have listed a shopping list below, to help stop overspending and cutting food waste.
Shopping List For Healthy Eating on a Budget
Produce
- Apples
- bananas
- Mixed berries (frozen)
- Mixed greens salad
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Celery
- Bell peppers
- potatoes
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Onions
- Garlic
Grains
- Rolled oats
- Wholemeal bread
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Whole wheat pasta
- Rye crackers
- Muesli
Proteins
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Frozen Pollock
- Canned chickpeas
- Canned black beans
- Canned tuna
- Chicken thighs
- Liver
- Tofu
Dairy/Alternatives
- Milk (or plant-based alternative)
- butter
Pantry
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Cinnamon
- Lemon juice
- Canned tomatoes
- Canned sweetcorn
- Canned lentil soup
- Hummus
Budget Tips
Although this was covered in the previous blog – Eating Healthy on a Budget, here are some basic tips to help you eat healthy on a budget
- Buy in Bulk: A pretty simple tip but buy in bulk to save money.
- Frozen Produce: Utilise frozen fruits and vegetables; they are often cheaper and just as nutritious. Read my blog on the Benefits of Frozen Fruit and Vegetables.
- Store Brands: Opt for store brands which are usually more affordable than name brands.
- Reduce Waste: Plan meals to use leftover ingredients and minimise food waste. My shopping list should also help you here.
I’m not saying you need to follow this meal plan to the letter, but it should give you some ideas to show you that eating healthy on a budget is certainly doable.
This plan can help you enjoy a variety of nutritious and delicious meals, without straining your budget.
If you’d like more help with meal planning I offer Nutritional Consultancy online.
I also offer Corporate Nutrition Services, where I can be booked for engaging talks including How to Eat Healthy on a Budget or Nutrition for Mental Health
Please read my blog on The Benefits of Corporate Nutrition.
I’m also a Sutton Coldfield Personal Trainer and can be booked for Personal Training sessions in the local area, along with online Personal Training. What’s more, I also have packages that combine Nutritional Therapy with Personal Training.
