Healthy Eating Hacks for Every Budget

Top 6 Hacks for Healthy Eating on a Budget

When your schedule gets hectic, it’s easy to prioritize convenience over nutrition and financial well-being. Takeout, food delivery, or dining out become tempting when you’re too tired to cook at the end of the day. Don’t worry; we totally get it, and we’re here to help.

With a bit of creativity and planning, Filipinas can enjoy nutritious and filling meals without breaking the bank. Let’s explore some thrifty and nifty strategies for eating healthy on a budget that you can easily recreate on your own!

Cook at Home (and in Bulk) More Often

Cooking at home is much cheaper than eating out. This way, you have more control over ingredients and portion sizes. Find the time to prepare larger servings of dishes like adobo, sinigang, or munggo and store them in the fridge so you can have ready-to-eat, healthy meals throughout the week. 

Pro-tip: invest in reusable containers to store your meals and extend their shelf life. With this strategy, you can easily grab a pre-portioned meal when you’re short on time and energy. Yes, it can be challenging to cook at home, but the next tip proves helpful in this area.

Plan your Meals and Make a Shopping List

For batch cooking to work, you need to plan your meals for the week in advance. This allows you to buy ingredients in bulk, avoid impulse purchases, and take advantage of sales and discounts. Make a detailed shopping list and make sure to stick to it! Remember, consistency and discipline are keys to healthy eating on a budget.

Prioritize Fresh Produce

Local and in-season fruits and vegetables are often more affordable and fresher. Fruits like bananas, papayas, and mangoes are available year-round at reasonable prices. Vegetables such as kangkong, talbos ng kamote, and malunggay are also budget friendly. You can even try haggling with vendors at your local palengke or talipapa for even better prices.

Buy Cheaper Protein Sources

Protein sources such as beef, pork, fish, and chicken tend to be pricier ingredients, but they’re essential in a healthy, balanced diet. You can work within your budget by opting for cheaper proteins like eggs, beans, lentils, and frozen fish. Buy chicken in bulk when you can and freeze portions for later use.

Reuse Leftovers

Although it’s best to prepare just enough food for you and your family, leftovers are sometimes unavoidable. Don’t just throw them away. For example, you can reinvent leftover lechon or adobo into lechon paksiw or adobo flakes. Leftover grilled chicken can be shredded and added to a vegetable stir-fry, while white rice can be transformed into fried rice. As for food waste, you can reuse vegetable scraps, bones, and herb stems to make rich broths and stocks. All it takes is a little creativity and resourcefulness to turn leftovers into completely new dishes!

Hydrate with Water

Drinking water instead of sugary beverages not only saves you money but also keeps you away from the extra calories and sugar content.  To avoid the temptation of reaching for a soda, an overpriced coffee, or any other sugary drink, always carry a reusable water bottle with you.

Connect with Other Frugal Foodies Like You

Remember, healthy eating doesn’t have to be expensive. Fortunately, many traditional Filipino dishes are delicious and affordable. There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself to a restaurant or a takeout meal

now and then, though, so don’t be too hard on yourself! By following these healthy eating hacks, you can make a big difference in your well-being and wallet. 

If you want to share your wellness journey with other Filipinas, join the InLife Sheroes community. You’ll find that many other women have similar experiences as yours, and you might even get wonderful insights from them as well!