Producing high-quality and healthy food is not as fast or simple as the alternative. Perhaps that’s why it gets a bit expensive trying to eat healthy food. But you can eat healthy without breaking the bank and if that surprises you, just relax, you’re about to get it all demystified.

Dario | Eating healthy doesn't always have to burn a hole in your pocket

You’re going to see that it is not actually so difficult to eat healthily and stay within the limits of your pocket. The first thing that needs to be defined is what even constitutes healthy food or healthy eating? Before you begin to think it’s so expensive, let’s figure out what you need to eat in the first place to meet the criteria of eating healthy.

In our ever-changing world, science keeps finding out new things, and our perspective on what is healthy to eat changes over time as discoveries are made. Don’t worry, we are not going to try and keep up with all of that. The good thing is that with all the changes, there are now patterns that help summarize how to go about eating healthy without focusing too much on the specifics that change.

This already basically solves the problem of cost since there’s no specific food you have to buy, you can easily opt for cheaper alternatives that provide the nutrients you need to stay fit and healthy.

Diving straight into it, to eat healthily, you should first try not to eat too much food, just eat moderately and eat more plant-based foods. This would consist of more green leafy vegetables, more fruits, and legumes like beans and maize. Beans are a very good source of the protein your body needs, they also contain fiber and they are very affordable at about two dollars a pound.

Cooking Light | Eggs are very affordable as well and you can whip them up into a variety of meals

There are many great things about this protein source, one of which is the little to no amount of cholesterol or saturated fats in it. Additionally, beans are economical because once you have some, you can use them to prepare other different foods including salads and soups.

Beans being free of cholesterol and saturated fats doesn’t mean your body doesn’t also need them, and you could get both fat and cholesterol alongside protein in eggs alone.

Eggs are very affordable as well and you can whip them up into a variety of meals. This is another budget-friendly way of eating healthy. You may have heard that eggs have a lot of cholesterol and fat but studies have shown that this is okay since the fat is not saturated.

What you should watch out for instead is how the eggs are obtained from poultry. Preferably you should get eggs from a source you’re sure doesn’t infuse antibiotics and hormones into their poultry for fast results. When eating healthy you should try to be as organic as possible and avoid chemical-infused or industry manufactured food even if they seem cheaper and faster.

Eat This, Not That | When eating healthy you should try to be as organic as possible and avoid chemical-infused or industry manufactured food

No one’s going to stop you from the occasional splurge but don’t let your budget be the reason you don’t eat healthily or work towards your fitness goals because it’s very much possible to achieve them following this budget-friendly guide.