Y’all. Somehow summer managed to sneak up on me. Again. Somehow between January and now, I’ve all but given up on my healthy eating goals and have gone right back into my old habits of too much dessert and pizza (my FAV food).
So, I’ve decided to make a mid-year resolution of breaking my bad food habits and ACTUALLY committing this time. So I’m starting Whole30 today. I’m not only telling you this because I want to publicly say it to keep myself accountable, but in researching this challenge I’ve found out one thing: healthy food can be freakin’ expensive. There’s a reason why fast food and frozen dinners are so popular in America. They’re quick, easy, and pretty good. But by paying less, we’re also sacrificing the nutrients our body NEEDS to survive.
So I’ve done a TON of research to be able to complete Whole30 on a budget, and I’m here to share my tips with you. Now, these aren’t Whole30 specific. You can take these and apply them to your weekly grocery shopping trip so you and your family can get healthier this summer.
#1: PRIORITIZE LEAN PROTEIN SOURCES
Start by making a beeline to the meat section in your local grocery store. Lean protein sources are good for keeping you feeling full longer and provide an array of other nutrients. These also tend to be more expensive, so I recommend grabbing 1-3 different lean protein sources (you can always add fat back in later) to start off with. My personal favorites are 93/7 ground turkey, chicken breast tenderloins, and a leaner cut of steak. I pretty much stick with these weekly, then just mix up the seasonings.
#2: GET YA VEGGIES
Next, let’s make our way over to the produce section. Specifically, vegetables. If you want to buy in bulk or economy sizes then frozen should be the route you take. My advice is to stick with 2-3 veggies you can cycle through all week, and maybe throw in a new one you’ve never tried before!
#3: FRUIT
Now that we’ve gotten our meats and veggies, let’s grab some fruit. Maybe 1-2 things here. Again, if you’re buying in bulk then frozen is the way to go. Just make sure to read your labels here. You don’t want to buy fruit thinking you’re eating healthy and unknowingly eat a whole crap ton of added sugar you had no idea was there. Fruit should be eaten moderately anyway because it does have natural sugars in it. So, just 1-2 selections should be fine.
#4: HEALTHY FATS
Finally, this is where you grab your healthy fats. You really don’t need a ton of things here. Maybe some EVOO, coconut milk, and avocados, which are relatively cheap. Don’t go crazy here, you can easily get enough added fats with those. If you can’t afford it, just buy fattier cuts of your protein sources. On weeks where your grocery bill allows, you can stock up on coconut oil, chia seeds, flax seeds, and ghee (or butter if you eat dairy).
