Photo credit: Mark Nye via Flicker
One of the major excuses people give for not eating healthy is the price of organic whole foods.
Don’t get me wrong, that is a totally legitimate complaint. It is definitely true that organic food is generally more expensive, as are high quality superfood supplements and raw food.
The truth is though, there are plenty of cheap healthy foods. If you are on a budget, the trick is to include those foods as much as possible, and skimp on the more expensive counterparts.
So here are 6 of my staple cheap healthy foods:
Cabbage
You knew I’d put this one on here didn’t you?
Cabbage is only about $1.70 per pound, depending on where you live. Wholy cow that’s cheap for raw food. In addition, cabbage is on the clean list as far as presevatives go, so if you need to you don’t need to buy it organic.
Cabbage (especially red) is a fantastic source of vitamins A, C, and K, great for both your immune system and your skin.
Sweet Potatoes
Conventional sweet potatoes are only about 77 cents per pound, with organic a little bit more expensive. Sweet potatoes are really great for regulating hormones, and also contain high amounts of vitamin C, A, and beta-carotene.
Mmmmmmm. Toss it up with some olive oil, oregano and pepper.
Kale
Conventional kale is about 1.40 per pound which isn’t bad either, while organic is about 1.50 per bunch. Kale is a wonderful source of vitamins C, K, A and calcium.
Beans & Rice
Beans and rice are a great filling choice for a hearty meal. You can also throw it in your non-veg friends faces when they ask “But how do you get your protein???!???!”
Beans and rice are incredibly cheap: dried beans are 1.99 per pound (which produces a lot of beans), and rice is 1.75 per pound.
Tuna
For those of you not strictly vegan or vegetarian, tuna is a good protein and omega-3. Be careful though; there have been findings of mercury content in canned tuna, so consume in moderation. Tuna is about 70 cents per can.
Lentils
A 16 ounce bag is only 1.29. Protein, potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin, vitamin K, fiber, folate and iron.
Yum. Why not try a kale lentil soup?
Now tell me: what are some of your favorite cheap foods?
