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10 Cheaper and Healthier Alternatives to Junk Foods

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Cheaper and Healthier Alternatives to Junk Foods

Junk food is bad for us in so many different ways. And although it’s not everyone’s first thought in the argument against junk food, cost is an important consideration. You can save money on your grocery bill as well as your medical expenses if you switch to these cheaper and healthier alternatives to junk foods.

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The Cost of Junk Food

Junk food costs money out of our pockets in three key ways.

First of all, junk food is often more expensive than healthy food. Of course, you can find deals and sales and fast food that make it cheaper. But you’re often spending more for the junk than you would for fresh whole food.

Second, junk food is addictive. Therefore, you often end up buying more and more over time. You aren’t satisfied with one cookie, now you want the whole bag of them. So, you end up spending more on groceries because you’re buying more and more junk food to satisfy your cravings.

Finally, junk food erodes your health. Therefore, you end up spending money on medications and other medical care. You wouldn’t spend that money if you kept yourself healthy through nutritious eating.

So, junk food costs you up front and over time. Therefore, finding cheaper and healthier alternatives to junk foods can be an important part of your budget.

10 Cheaper and Healthier Alternatives to Junk Foods

There are many cheaper and healthier alternatives to junk food. Some are specific food changes. However, others are about changing your behavior.

1. Eat Fruit

If you tend to have sugar cravings, then stock up on healthy fruit. Buy whole, unprocessed, seasonal fruit. Shop farmer’s markets, local produce stores, farm delivery services, and big chan grocery stores to find the best prices on seasonal produce near you.

2. Find Veggies You Love

Over time, fresh fruit will satisfy your sugar cravings. However, you might be surprised by how many healthy veggies are also tastier than junk food. If sweets are your thing, try sweet bell peppers and carrots. If you like salty or savory, try greens with fresh lemon and herbs. Again, shop in season and as local as possible to reduce your costs.

3. Drink Water

Oftentimes we think we are hungry when actually we are just thirsty. If you’re dehydrated, then reach for water, not for junk food. Before you snack, fill up a big glass of water and drink it down. Give it a few minutes. If you’re still hungry, then reach for a healthy snack, not junk food. In particular, avoid salty and caffeinated junk food as that will just worsen the dehydration and make the cycle worse.

4. Take Time to Sit Down for Meals

Do you often grab food on the go? Or do you eat at the table while multi-tasking with your screens? If so, then you probably eat more junk food than you ought to. Instead, take the time to sit down and mindfully eat each meal. Yes, each meal, three times per day. The more consciously, thoughtfully, and intentionally you prepare and enjoy your meals, the less likely it is that you’ll overeat junk food.

5. Learn About Intuitive Eating

Don’t just give up junk food to “be good.” That mentality will just land you in a thick cycle of eating bad, eating good, eating bad, eating good. It’ll ultimately make the battle with junk food worse. Instead, develop a healthy relationship with food. You can learn about intuitive eating online for free as a starting point. The intuitive eating community is also a great resource for even more information about cheaper and healthier alternatives to junk foods.

6. Make Your Own Junk Food

Maybe you don’t want to give up your favorite junk food entirely. That’s okay. Switching to making it yourself can help you save money. Moreover, you can make substitutions that make those foods healthier. For example, CookSmarts recommends:

  • Making fries from other veggies instead of potatoes; if you’re smart with your oil then you can have relatively healthy fries
  • Use kale to make an alternative to chips from a bag
  • Add fruit to yogurt and freeze it as an alternative to ice cream
  • Eat a handful of dark chocolate covered nuts or fruit rather than a candy bar
  • Stock up on sparkling water as an alternative to sodas, juices, and alcohol

And these days you can find recipes to make just about anything using cauliflower instead of eating carbs.

7. Eat Junk Food Only as a Special Treat

Sometimes those cheaper and healthier alternatives to junk foods just won’t do. You want the real thing. That’s okay. Just eat it mindfully. Make it a special treat, not an everyday thing. Set some rules and guidelines for yourself that keep it truly special and rare.

For example, I have a rule that I never order dessert at a restaurant unless they have chocolate mousse. Most places don’t have it, so I don’t come across it all that often. When I do, it’s truly a treat. I’m indulging. It’s part of my special budget. Therefore, I enjoy it without letting it take over my life and my health.

You might choose special foods or special, rare occasions on which to indulge. Then the rest of the time, you make the healthy choices.

8. Start The Day with Eggs or Oatmeal

These are both solid, healthy breakfast options that will sustain you until lunchtime. They are affordable options that are healthier than many other breakfast choices. So skip the bagels, pancakes, and cold cereals in favor of a healthy start to the day.

9. Snack Like You’re Feeding a Kindergartener

What are some of the cheaper and healthier alternatives to junk foods that you’re comfortable giving to your kids on a regular basis? Carrot sticks, string cheese, yogurt, peanut butter on apples … if you can’t wait until your next meal and need a snack, think about these options.

10. Try Therapy for Eating Issues

Okay, so therapy might not be objectively “cheaper” than junk food. But it’s definitely healthier to address any underlying eating issues than to destroy your health with poor eating. Many of us engage in emotional eating or eat due to underlying mental health issues. Working on that is critical to long-term health.

Moreover, if you have insurance or access to sliding scale services then you might actually find affordable therapy that’s cheaper, or as cheap as, the junk food that is harming you. Alternatively, there are free groups, such as Overeaters Anonymous, that provide online and in-person support for eating issues.

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Planning for Old Age: You Need to Do More Than Save Money

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growing old together

You’d think that all anyone has to do these days to secure an enjoyable and comfortable retirement is save money. The media, financial gurus, and your employer harp on money as the end-all, be-all of retirement. Just get there with enough money, they say, and you’re all set.

Well, money is certainly important to your retirement plans. You’re going to need it to pay for housing, health care, and all of those fun things you want to do. But if you really want to enjoy your retirement, you have to make sure you are healthy when you get there, and that you have the energy to make the most of it.

My biggest hope is to be like the woman I met at the starting line of a marathon a couple of years ago. She was eighty-three years old and getting ready to start her fifty-sixth marathon. She’d run marathons in all fifty states and had no plans to stop. She told me that she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer in her fifties. At the time, she was out of shape, generally unhealthy, and had only run when chased. She was afraid that she wouldn’t live long enough to do all the things she wanted to do. When she finished her treatments, she decided to get healthy so she started running. One thing led to another and there she was, starting race number fifty-six. I admired her greatly. Here was a woman who knew that old age was coming and she not only wanted to make it there, she wanted to be able to participate in it fully.

Maybe you don’t want to run, but you probably have things you want to do in your old age. Maybe you want to travel, volunteer, play with the grandkids, play golf or all of the above. Besides socking away money, here are some other things that you need to be doing today while you’re “young” to make sure you hit your retirement years with enthusiasm and energy.

Exercise Your Body

Exercise will keep you agile and strong, helping to prevent broken bones and problems with arthritis later in life. It’ll also reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. You don’t have to run marathons, but you need to get up and do something. Some studies now show that the benefits of exercise are cumulative throughout life, so the sooner you start, they better off you’ll be.

Exercise Your Mind

Exercising your body helps your mind, too, but there are other things you can do to help stave off memory loss and dementia (http://www.savingadvice.com/2009/01/12/103857_keep-your-brain-active-to-save-money.html). Keep learning new things and skills (take up a language that’s spoken in a country you want to visit once you retire, for example), do puzzles like crosswords or word jumbles, work jigsaw puzzles, play board games, practice memorization exercises, and read, read, read.

Eat Right

Eating well gives your body the nutrients and vitamins it needs to ward off illness and keep you healthy. You can indulge in the occasional treat, but the bulk of your diet needs to be healthy.

Deal With Your Stress

Stress ups your risk for heart disease and some cancers. Find a way to deal with your stress. Maybe you need to exercise, scram at a wall, meditate, write it all in a journal, or get a therapist. Maybe you need to eliminate some toxic tasks and people from your life. Find what works for you and keep it up.

Get Regular Checkups and Screenings

Get an annual physical and make sure you get whatever tests are recommended for you (mammograms beginning at age 40, colonoscopies beginning at age 50, etc.). The earlier problems are caught, the easier they are to treat and the less likely they are to become chronic issues that keep you down in retirement.

Nurture Your Relationships

Part of aging well is having well-developed relationships. You need friends and social contact. Isolation isn’t healthy. Start finding people you enjoy spending time with and work at those relationships. You may have to make a special effort to “get out there,” but it’s worth it. Join some groups that share your interests or beliefs and find some new friends. Volunteer work can be a great way to meet new people.

Explore Your Interests

When you retire, you’re going to have time on your hands. It’s better to start finding things that interest you now than when you’re sitting on your sofa wondering, “Now what?” Go ahead and explore your interests and get involved with activities you enjoy. Then, when you retire, it won’t be a matter of finding something to do, but simply doing more of what you already love.

Use Sunscreen

Skin cancer is one of the fastest growing cancers in the world. It’s also one that you can do a lot to prevent. Wear sunscreen every day, even under your clothes (unless you have UV-protective clothing). Since you can get UV rays through glass, this applies even if you spend your days in an office. Wear a hat if you’re going to be outside, and don’t forget a lip balm with SPF protection built-in. Yes, it’s inconvenient, but so’s cancer. There are lots of “daily” formulas of sunscreen available these days that aren’t as smelly or greasy as the stuff you remember from your childhood.

Stop Smoking and Other Bad Habits

If you smoke, stop it. Lung cancer and emphysema aren’t conducive to an enjoyable retirement. Similarly, stop drinking to excess or engaging in any other risky habits you may have. Bad habits aren’t always obvious. Quitting that soda habit that has you consuming huge amounts of sugar or artificial sweetener should also be on the list.

Lose Weight (and keep it off)

If you’re overweight, take the initiative to lose weight. Excess weight causes joint problems plus makes other diseases more likely. Once you’ve got it off (or even if you’re a normal weight now), don’t let your guard down as you age. Most people need substantially less food as they age because their activity level decreases and their metabolism slows down. Keep the weight from creeping on.

Now, you could do all of these things and more and still end up sick or incapacitated in some way. Sometimes life just isn’t fair and people who do all the right things end up in nursing homes far too young. However, it can’t hurt to do these things. You’ll give yourself the best chance of making it to retirement and actually being able to enjoy it.

(Photo courtesy of Ed Yourdon)

Fast Food Isn’t Cheaper

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The other day a friend of mine was talking about how much her family eats out. To my astonishment, they eat out every single day, sometimes for more than one meal. Much of that food is fast food picked up on the way to school, work, or other activities. When I asked her why they eat out so much, her answer was surprising to me. She didn’t mention the convenience or that she hates to cook. She said, “Because it’s cheaper than eating at home.”

She went on to explain that if they eat off the value and kids’ menus, they can get a meal for as little as ten dollars, or just a little more than $3 per person. “I can’t make a meal for three people at home for that little,” she said.

I begged to differ and I told her so. Certainly, if all you ever buy in the grocery store is the pre-made, boxed convenience foods, your grocery bill is going to be very high. However, if you learn to make some simple meals from basic ingredients, you can eat healthy and inexpensively. Off the top of my head, I listed three easy (and healthy) meals that can be made for much less than $3 per serving.

Lasagna made with vegetarian meat crumbles and whole wheat noodles: The ingredients for my recipe cost about $14 if you buy without coupons or sales. The recipe serves eight people, so it works out to $1.75 per serving. If I can get the ingredients on sale or with coupons, I can make it even cheaper.

Mexican “pizza pie” with wheat tortillas, black beans, vegetarian meat crumbles, peppers, and salsa: The ingredients for this are about $13 retail. The recipe serves six, and there is always some left over tortillas, beans, salsa and meat that can be used for tacos for lunch. It works out to $2.16 per serving, plus you can get another lunch or two out of the deal with the leftover ingredients.

Chicken wraps and vegetables: I make this with whole wheat tortillas, frozen chicken strips, peppers, onions, black olives, and brown rice. For the side dishes, I serve two vegetables, choosing from whatever’s in season. Generally the ingredients for this cost about $12 and I can make eight wraps from the recipe. That works out to $1.50 per serving.

Obviously your prices will be different, depending on where you live and what kind of stores you have nearby. Also, the more aggressive you are with sales and coupons the lower your costs will be. But the point is that you can make some easy meals for much less per serving than fast food.

There is a perception that healthy food costs more and that the average family has to eat fast food or processed food in order to stay within budget. This simply isn’t true. While you may have to learn some new recipes or new ways to shop, it is entirely possible to eat at home (and eat well) for less than the cost of dining out. There are plenty of healthier choices out there in the form of canned or frozen veggies (choose the lower sodium and no sauce varieties), produce bought at farmer’s markets, meatless meals, and meat or produce bought (and used) close to their sell by dates. Even homemade versions of favorites like pizza and macaroni and cheese are likely to be cheaper and healthier than their restaurant counterparts.

And if the prices listed above don’t sway you to eat at home more often, think about this: Even if you think you’re eating cheaply today, you will pay for it later. When your eating habits lead to problems like obesity, diabetes, cancer, vitamin deficiencies, and other health problems, your health care costs will skyrocket. The amount you’ll pay to fix your health problems will quickly outstrip any “savings” you got from eating fast food. The long term costs of eating out all the time can be significant.

My friend and her family are heading toward this point, now. All of them have some health problems and, while not all of them might have been caused by diet, their diets aren’t helping the situation. When I told her how cheaply they could eat at home, she was astonished. She had never really bought anything other than the pre-made, processed foods in the store, so she really believed that grocery store food cost more than eating out. I took her shopping and gave her an education. I also opened up my recipe file to her and she now has a set of quick and healthy meals to make at home. They are eating out much less often, are saving money, and are working toward better health.