Hey everybody. Kris Stokes from Custom Fitness, YOUR Amarillo Nutritional Coach, and today we’re talking about better nutrition on a budget. This is part one of a three-part series, so be sure and tune in for the other parts.
When you’re on a budget, sometimes eating healthy can seem like something that’s impossible. We think about eating healthy, and we think skyrocketing grocery bills and not being able to have convenience and those kinds of things. Truth is, is that we all live in a budget of some sort. Even if we don’t technically call it a budget, and even if we don’t count up how much money we can spend at the store, we each have a certain amount of money that is comfortable for us to spend at the store and still allows us enough to live well throughout the rest of the week.
Spend Your Money Efficiently
I don’t look at it as how much money you’re going to be spending, but as how can you spend your money most efficiently, to get the most for your money and the most value when you do go to the store. Whether you are on a so-called tight budget or whether you’re just trying to spend money more efficiently and make sure that you’re getting value out of that, these tips are going to be great for you.
Today’s top three for better nutrition on a budget is to stock your freezer first. That sounds a little silly, and you may think, “What on earth is she talking about?” but frozen foods are going to stay fresh and last longer. I mean, you can freeze vegetables for like eight months, and meat can go for at least three to four months. It’s going to last longer. It’s going to be more bang for your buck. A lot of times, we buy these vegetables in bulk, we put it in the fridge, they go bad by the end of the week, we throw them out. How much money do you waste every week doing that?
Frozen foods typically are going to cost less than your fresh versions, but they’re just as fresh. Typically, they’ve been flash-frozen these days, which means that they’ve been picked at a moment of ripeness and then immediately frozen. Pardon me. That way they can hold onto all the nutrients possible. You pair that with a healthy way of cooking them, and you’ve got a huge nutritional bang for your buck.
Off-Season Foods
The other thing that you can do is build a variety of foods that are off-season foods into your diet now. Maybe you’ve got some summertime foods, produce that you were able to freeze back then that now you can be eating during the winter time. Same goes for winter foods. Did you know that root vegetables carry an extra level, or a heightened level, I guess I should say, of vitamin C? During the cold winter months whenever we’re more likely to get sick, we have foods available to us that are going to help us to stay well, like your garlic and onion. Both of those are great antibacterial, antiviral. You get all these great foods, and you freeze them so that when you’re ready for them, you’ve got them, and you’re not trying to buy off-season foods. All right, so stocking your freezer first is going to be cheaper. It’s, overtime, going to be better because you’re going to be able to enjoy those foods and not waste as much.
Eat More Plants
Number two is to eat more plants. Yes, I know, I harp on this a lot, and people are like, “Why? Why won’t she let it go?” Well, the thing is that research is showing us that plant-based diets, that doesn’t mean that you can’t ever eat meat, but plant-based diets are being shown over and over again to give these huge health benefits to the body. There are research studies coming out showing the benefits of plant-based for even cancer patients and people with obviously typically chronic diseases like your heart disease and your high blood pressure, your diabetes, you name it. Plant-based diets are where it’s at. Why? Because plants carry all of the vitamins and minerals that we need. They have a ton of great antioxidants and phytonutrients. Our bodies are craving these things, so it’s great. If we eat more plants, it’s not only going to help your health, but it also costs less than animal products.
I’m not saying that you can’t ever have them. I’m just saying that if you’re living on a tight budget or you’re trying to be most efficient with your money, eating more plants is going to fill you up, give you more nutritional bang for your buck, and then you can add in a sprinkling of animal products and still be able to have a great meal, and you’re going to be saving money while you do it.
Again, not trying to avoid the animal products completely. That’s your choice whether or not you go that direction. I have plenty of friends that are vegan and vegetarian, and that’s great. I’ve got other friends that aren’t, and that’s great. You just need to make sure that you’re building a plant base first. If I’m going to have spaghetti for dinner, instead of putting noodles on my plant, I’m going to go chop up every vegetable that I have in my fridge and make an entire plate full of vegetables. I eat as many vegetables as I can get, and then I’m going to throw a little bit of protein on top to make sure that I have my protein requirement, and I’m going to cook my vegetables in a healthy fat. I’ve built my base of vegetables, plants, and then I put some animal products on top, and then that works out well for me. Everybody’s different. Do what works for you, but just know that plants are cheaper.
Buy In-Season
Number three for today is to buy in-season. If you ever notice that you go to the store, and all of a sudden, raspberries are $9 a box, or blueberries or any of those types of things, if they’re having to ship it in from many states away or even a different country, you’re probably going to have to pay more for it. That’s where, again, if you’re buying them when they’re in-season and then figuring out how to freeze them, keep them for the off-season, you’re going to save a ton of money doing that.
The other thing is that whenever you’re buying foods that are in-season, they are naturally-occurring plants. That means that they are supposed to grow at that time of year. You’re not having to have chemicals or genetically-modified organisms or any of that kind of stuff coming in, in order to do this. You’re going to get more nutrient density and a better nutrient match, again, like the root vegetables having vitamin C during the winter and things like that. You’re going to get a better seasonal match for nutritional needs and a better nutrient density out of these foods, meaning that you’re going to get more bang for your buck. It’s just going to be a better cost. I mean, that’s really what it comes down to.
If you stock your freeze first, if you eat more plants, and if you buy in-season foods, you’re going to be saving a ton at the grocery store. I can’t wait to get into this next video with you guys on the part two because I’ve got three more great tips coming at you. Be sure to keep your eyes open for that. Just to let you know, we are going to be starting a new program here at the studio. This is the home of DownSize. It’s the home of Mini Me. It’s the home of the Meltdown. We’ve had several really great programs in the past, and yet, again, we’ve just gone in and taken what we’ve learned from that and revamped it to make it even better so that it can be a longer-lasting result for you in a better delivery format. This will ensure that it makes sense and it’s not only just understanding at the surface level, but it really just works its way into your life and becomes this easy thing to follow.
We are going to be starting Transform in Four here in just a few weeks. If you want to know more about that, feel free to send us a message or give us a call, 806-322-3188, and I’d be happy to explain more about that. We will be taking a minimal amount of participants to begin this just to make sure that everything is flowing smoothly, that we’ve got all the pieces put together kind of like an introduction period before it, if you will. But if you want to know more about Transform in Four or you’re interested at all in working with us and maybe you just haven’t quite found the right time to do that but now’s the time. Feel free to reach out to us and we’ll be happy to explain more on that.
Hope you have a great day!