We know that we should all be eating a healthy diet in order to have a better quality of life and live longer. However, it can seem that the cheapest food is unhealthy and therefore difficult to be healthy if we do not have much money. There are ways though, that you can make cheap meals and have good healthy food. Below are a few tips on how you can do this.

Cook from scratch

Cooking meals from scratch can often be cheaper than buying more processed foods. There are exceptions to this, but if you want a good quality meal, with a variety of different foods including lots of vegetables, then you will find it difficult to get this from processed foods. By changing the proportion of foods, so less of the expensive ingredients and more of the cheaper ones, you will be able to make a lower cost meal. By cooking form scratch you will also know exactly what has gone into the meal and ensure it does not have too much added sugar, salt or other unhealthy items. One practical example of this approach is using a home soda maker instead of buying canned soda.

Shop around

It is worth doing research before you shop. Look at comparison websites or supermarket websites to find out how much they charge for different items. You may find that one supermarket stands out as much cheaper than the rest and this could help you to decide where to shop. Think about the distance it is away though, as you will need to allow for fuel costs. You may find certain items cheaper in certain places, but consider the time and fuel cost of going to many different supermarkets. You may find that high street shops have some cheap groceries too, but be sure to check the size of the containers as they can often be smaller and therefore not such good value for money.

Eat smaller quantities

If you need to lose some weight, then cutting down how much you eat could be part of a healthier lifestyle for you. If you miss out certain foods, such as sweets, biscuits and cakes, that are low in nutrients and high in unhealthy things, then you could save a significant amount of money. You may buy them because they are cheap, but they do not fill you up or add nutritional value and so it is better to avoid them altogether. Cutting down your meal sizes could also be beneficial to your health and also cut down the cost of your food.

Find cheap alternatives

If you find that items like meat and fish are really expensive then it could be wise to find cheaper alternatives. Vegetarian options tend to be cheaper and so you could try those every so often. However, if you still want to have meat or fish, then try cheaper cuts. These could take longer to cook or need different cooking methods, but there are lots of online recipes that could help and your butcher will be able to tell you as well. You may even find that you prefer the cheaper alternatives or feel that they are better value for money.

Save money elsewhere

It is also wise to see whether you can save money elsewhere to put towards your food. Use a simple monthly budget template to help you get a better handle on your spend for the year.  Eating healthily is so important for our overall health that making cuts elsewhere could make a huge difference to your future and therefore be worthwhile. There may even be ways that you can cut down without noticing much of a difference, such as switching utility supplier or getting a cheaper phone package. It is worth having a look at your general finances as you could be really surprised as to what savings you may be able to make to enable you to have tastier and healthier food.