Healthy Food Can Be Really Expensive — Here's How I Lost Weight on a Budget

Planning out your menu ahead of time means you'll only buy the ingredients you need and won't spend money on things you won't use. Plus, you'll ensure that you have the most essential nutrients on every plate — including protein, fiber, and healthy fats, all of which can help keep cravings at bay. And if there's anything specific you want to eliminate from your diet (like refined sugar or dairy), meal planning can help with those goals, too.

Meat can be expensive, and while you don't have to avoid it completely, I found that building roughly half my meals around plants helped cut down on my shopping budget. Protein-rich foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains — and even animal-product-based items like eggs and cheese — are less expensive than cuts of meat, while still helping to keep you on track with your goals. Eat a heaping portion of vegetables at every meal, too, as they're very filling.

It might sound simple, but this is something that can be detrimental to your budget. A lot of us do our shopping after work, during our lunch hour, or even first thing in the morning — all times when we should be snacking or eating a meal, but instead feel the need to multitask.

When you're hungry, you just don't think as clearly. You might grab what you want in that moment, instead of sticking to your plan for the week ahead. Or, if you're anything like me, you'll be hangry and grab whatever you can to get out of the store quickly. So, the next time you go to the supermarket, make sure you're not doing it on an empty stomach.

Eating local and in-season fruits and vegetables is always a great way to save money and eat healthy. By choosing to buy local produce, you sidestep any extra fees that were added to ship exotic or out-of-season fruits and vegetables to your neighborhood. This is also a great way to support local farms and give back to your community.

Dry ingredients will become your new best friend. Grains like quinoa, buckwheat, oats, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta have a place in any weight-loss plan, and there are so many quick dishes you can make with them when you keep your kitchen fully stocked.

All you have to do is add some sauce, herbs, spices, and veg, and your healthy meal is all set. So, buy grains in bulk, ideally unpackaged — an option that's available in stores like Whole Foods and much cheaper than buying branded versions.

Fruits and vegetables should make up a large part of your diet when you're trying to lose weight, which means you'll need to buy a whole lot of produce. Fortunately, some supermarkets sell "ugly" fruits and vegetables that are perfectly edible, but deemed too imperfect for the shelves because of ripped packaging or a damaged appearance. Seek those foods out, and also watch for items that have a shorter sell-by date, as the price is often reduced on these foods as well.

Snacking is one of the biggest culprits that can keep you from reaching your weight-loss goals, or at least that's true of overly processed snacks, which are often packed with sugar. Buying your snacks premade can also be expensive, so try making your own — even something as simple as a quarter cup of raw almonds can help power you through the afternoon.