What's A Good Budget For A Healthy Diet?

[Jameskells]

I was thinking of around £10/$12 a day. 

How much do you guys spend on food?

[Garuda]

£10 is more than enough. I'm guessing that includes meals not made by yourself?

I can spend £3-5 if I make everything my self.

[ElenaO]

Around here, in Finland, one meal eaten out is at least 10 euros. So I am asking, is 10 pounds enough? I think if you prepare everything yourself, it might be enough.

[Michael569]

I live in London and healthy budget would be around £180 - £220 per month including groceries, cooking and few times I eat outside or at cafeteria. I focus on organics and vegan as much as I can. This fluctuates if I travel. 

Finland is probably a bit more expensive so £250-£300 per month maybe? Depends really on your salary and on how much is your Eat Out vs Cook home ratio.  

If you have time and really want to see your spend, try to create a spreadsheet and update it on monthly basis. Pay with your credit card only so that you can track the spend.  Create different categories such as: groceries, outside eating, clothes, cosmetics, transport, what have you..... I even have many sub-categories such as individual brands etc..

Afterwards you just pivot it and can see how much you are spending on average and where do you go too high. After few months this gives you a wonderful overview, its easy to compare and create a chart out of. 

Tried many different apps but none really worked for me that well. However this excel approach might not work for everyone as it takes a lot of time to upload all the data every month. 

[justaname]

I tend to eat only whole grains(usually brown rice) and bananas at morning.According to my calculations it is about 110-120€ per month.But it also depends.Asking something like what is a good budget for a healthy diet also has to do with how much you eat until you are full,what you eat,e.t.c.

[Siim Land]

Eating healthy can be dirt cheap. And you won't become micronutrient deficient either if you use some supplements. The greatest fallacy surrounding healthy food is that some of the "healthier" products are better than others all because of the mainstream fitness narrative.

An example: chicken breast is the most expensive part of the chicken but the least nutritious. Just because fitness gurus tell you to eat lean meats. I also cringe whenever I see people buying iceberg lettuce or other fresh salads. Yet again, virtually zero  nutritional value in comparison to the price. Green leafy vegetables, the cheapest of which is ordinary green cabbage, will give you more micros, fibre, a whole lot of volume, and antioxidants. 

You don't need to buy organic fruit either because the nutritional value isn't very significant either. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver and will only be used to balance your blood sugar levels, which can be done with other foods as well. Increase your body's endogenous fat oxidation and you'll avoid low blood sugar responses completely. 

The most expensive macronutrient is protein. Eggs are the cheapest sources of protein but they are also the richest ones. They cover the entire amino acid profile and have other healthy nutrients. So, you can get away with eating mostly eggs, add in some cheaper meats that are considered unhealhty, such as chicken thighs, and you'll be well off.

As far as fat goes then you can get large tanks of olive oil in a dark container. I remember getting one of those when I was in the UK. Lasted me for months. Nuts can be expensive and you don't need them for the micros. Cheese isn't needed for nutrition either but can be a good addition for taste.

When I was in the UK, I lived off about 5 pounds a day and I did just fine. 

These are just some of my cheap healthy food hacks. I might have more of them but I'll come back to you some day.

Thanks
Stay Empowered
Siim

[pluto]

I don't have much money but I'll spend every last penny on healthy(real) food and proper/optimal nutrition because true wealth is health. Think of it as an investment to a greater, happier, more alive life My family gets shocked i never check the prices of food or try to get discounts or bargain lol

Only if they understood...

Edited March 16, 2017 by pluto

[ElenaO]

On 13/03/2017 at 8:04 PM, Siim Land said:

An example: chicken breast is the most expensive part of the chicken but the least nutritious. Just because fitness gurus tell you to eat lean meats. I also cringe whenever I see people buying iceberg lettuce or other fresh salads. Yet again, virtually zero  nutritional value in comparison to the price. Green leafy vegetables, the cheapest of which is ordinary green cabbage, will give you more micros, fibre, a whole lot of volume, and antioxidants. 

The most expensive macronutrient is protein. Eggs are the cheapest sources of protein but they are also the richest ones. They cover the entire amino acid profile and have other healthy nutrients. So, you can get away with eating mostly eggs, add in some cheaper meats that are considered unhealhty, such as chicken thighs, and you'll be well off.

As far as fat goes then you can get large tanks of olive oil in a dark container. I remember getting one of those when I was in the UK. Lasted me for months. Nuts can be expensive and you don't need them for the micros. Cheese isn't needed for nutrition either but can be a good addition for taste.
 

I find that the cabbage can cause bloating and isn't as easily digested as lettuce, for example. Loved your tips, but how about something for vegetarians? 

[SLICKHAWK]

Vegan is simple easy. Just need the right information and tips.

[Siim Land]

@ElenaO I eat mostly cabbage in a different form - raw, cooked and sauerkraut, and I feel great. Bloating has to do mostly with gut health not the food. Lettuce is also the top pesticide laden vegetables whereas cabbage, broccoli, and onions aren't. Funny, but that's how it is.

For vegetarians, I would eat a lot of carrots, turnips, beetroot and white rice. An occasional sweet potato is also great. As far as healthy fats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut flakes are probably the cheapest, while still providing as much nutrition as the more expensive nuts, like almonds or pistachios.

 

[Dan Arnautu]

I spend about 100 euros a month on groceries on a pretty strict but also flexible bodybuilding diet (if that makes sense). Mind it does not include eating out.

This consists of:

• about 250-300g cooked meat per day (chicken/pork)
• 100g of soft oats + 250ml 1.5% fat milk + 100g of raspberries per day
• 1 chocolate a day - 100g - (any sortment, but I prefer the one with almonds because it has more protein)
• Lots of pickles
• Sliced ham for food on the go
• Tuna
• Pasta
• Peanut Butter
• Other sweets
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Light Butter for cooking

Also, going with the big brand stuff will empty your wallet pretty quickly. Buying the cheaper version of a product, usually tucked or hidden away in grocery stores/supermarkets is just as good, the only difference being the label.

Choosing foods you enjoy eating everyday also takes your mind off of thinking all day about what to eat (wasting a lot of mental energy).