{"id":40629,"date":"2015-06-17T07:15:16","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T11:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=40629"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:04:53","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:04:53","slug":"clean-eating-budget-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/clean-eating-budget-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Easy Tips for Clean Eating on a Small Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"6
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ever thought about cleaning up your diet<\/a> but worry about the price tags on all that healthy food? You\u2019re not alone. Whole Foods Market, often nicknamed \u201cWhole Paycheck<\/a>\u201d for its prices, recently announced<\/a> the launch of a new, budget-friendly store geared toward millennial shoppers who share these cost concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really challenging for people to make the right choices when price is sometimes the thing that strikes them in the face,\u201d says Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a> Spokesperson, Libby Mills<\/a>, MS, RDN, LDN, a nutrition and cooking coach in the Philadelphia area.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> You Could Save $43 a Month by Cutting Food Waste<\/a><\/p>\n

But is there really merit to the claims that cost makes eating clean unattainable for budget-minded people? And how can you reap the benefits if you\u2019re not willing to fork over huge amounts of cash?<\/p>\n

The Price of Clean Eating<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019ve ever walked down the snack food aisle<\/a> or visited a convenience store, you know that you can buy a jumbo-sized bag of chips for less than the price of a bag of baby spinach. A recent Cambridge University study<\/a> found healthy foods to be three times as expensive per calorie as unhealthy foods. And researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that healthier diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish and nuts cost about $1.50 more per day<\/a> \u2014 or $550 more per year \u2014 than the least healthy diets rich in processed foods, meats and refined grains.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Spot Trans Fat Hiding in Your Food<\/a><\/p>\n

As far as organic foods<\/a> are concerned, while they will cost you more than their non-organic counterparts, the price gap is getting smaller, says Allison Enke, RD, a product compliance and nutrition analyst for Whole Foods Market<\/a>. \u201cIn general, as\u00a0demand for organic products\u00a0has grown and volume has increased, prices have become more competitive over time,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Clean Eating on the Cheap<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While clean eating can be a money sucker if you let it, it doesn\u2019t have<\/em> to break the bank. These tips and shortcuts will help you plan and shop smarter, so you can save those hard earned dollars for something more fun than groceries (or, you know, for paying your rent).<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The Beginner\u2019s Guide to Clean Eating<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Emphasize in-season produce. <\/strong>During harvest time, the costs of <\/span>in-season produce<\/a> often drop due to increased availability, explains Enke. That also happens to be when fruits and vegetables are at their peak in terms of both flavor and nutrition. If you\u2019re not sure what\u2019s in season when, staff in the produce department can usually help point shoppers in the right direction. During summer months, organic strawberries, stone fruits (like peaches, apricots, cherries and plums) and melons are some of the best values, Enke notes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Know when to skip organic. <\/strong>Certain foods<\/a>, such as corn, onions, pineapples, avocadoes, and cabbage absorb a minimal amount of crop chemicals and are OK to buy conventionally grown. Others known as the \u201c<\/span>dirty dozen<\/a>,\u201d including apples, strawberries, grapes, celery and peaches, can have high levels of pesticide residue, so splurging on organic will eliminate your chance of consuming chemicals.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Free Up Your Time<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Don\u2019t be afraid of store brands. <\/strong>Unlike knockoff handbags and clothing, you don\u2019t have to sacrifice quality when choosing store brand products at the supermarket. Whole Foods Market\u2019s 365 Everyday Value line, for example, features more than 3,000 food products, almost half of which are organic. Other brands to look for at supermarkets include Safeway\u2019s <\/span>O<\/em> Organics, Trader Joe\u2019s, Stop & Shop\u2019s Nature\u2019s Promise and Wegmans Organic.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Buy in bulk.<\/strong> Buying up supersized quantities of everyday staples like grains, beans, <\/span>nut butters<\/a>, spices and olive oil can help you score big savings, Enke says. \u201c[It] also helps eliminate excess packaging and reduce <\/span>spoilage and waste<\/a>, which means even more savings,\u201d Enke says. Grains, such as rice, barley and quinoa, are especially good bulk buys, because they\u2019ll double in size once cooked, explains Mills.<\/span>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Take advantage of frozen convenience. <\/strong>Frozen fruits and vegetables can be a great, affordable option when it comes to eating clean <\/span>on a budget<\/a>, says Mills. \u201cWhether it\u2019s summer or winter they are often more nutritious than the fresh vegetables and fruits,\u201d she says. That\u2019s because they go right from the farm where they\u2019re picked to the processing company where they\u2019re flash frozen at the peak of ripeness, so there\u2019s very little time for the produce nutrients to deteriorate from air exposure. Plus, retailers will often have their store brand of frozen fruits and veggies for sale, which means you can stock up at an additional discount.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Could Microwave Meals Actually Be Good for You?<\/a><\/p>\n

6. Save some for later. <\/strong>Preparing leftovers can help cut back<\/a> on food waste, and will allow you to take advantage of produce when it\u2019s at its peak (and cheapest), says Mills. \u201cIf your casserole calls for tomatoes during tomato season when they\u2019ll be at the height of flavor, nutrition and most available, then why not make a double recipe of that casserole?\u201d she says. \u201cWhen you\u2019re done eating for the evening package the leftovers in usable quantities and freeze it<\/a> for another time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Clean
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dying to clean up your diet, but scared of blowing your budget? These easy tricks will help you embrace clean eating without stressing over cost. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":40631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11],"tags":[41,51,59,341,388],"class_list":["post-40629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","tag-diets","tag-food-choices","tag-healthy-substitutions","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}