Lydia Russell-Roy recently moved to San Francisco and works at Healthline.com. She enjoys baking, especially bread and trying to make delicious, healthy meals on a budget.
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I recently moved out to California, besides wanting more mild weather (I left Minnesota), one of my main reasons for coming here was the avocadoes, all the fresh produce, but mostly the avocadoes. I pictured myself eating delicious meals of all local and organic foods. However, I have found it hard to make this vision a reality.
I am trying to balance my desire to eat nutritious, high-quality foods and still paying rent. Recent research found that you could survive on $3.52 a day by eating a “junk food diet” while a “healthy diet” costs $36.32 (that statistic was pulled from the article “25 Instant Supermarket Secrets”). This is a terrifying assessment for someone on a budget, not to mention the implications for socio-economic health disparities. However, this article does not name the source of this statistic or what qualifies as “healthy” so I’m hoping they are wrong (there must be a way!). Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ranked food using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index found that a healthy diet could cost as little as $4.62 a day, now that sounds more reasonable (for more information on that study read the article “Eating Healthy Food Can Save You Money”).
So how do we do it? How do I balance my desire for wholesome, less environmentally impactful food with my small budget?
The first solution I have found is buying bulk. Buying grains and beans in bulk is a great way to stock up (so you don’t need to go to the grocery store as often) and it usually costs less than buying packaged bags or cans, and there is less waste..
At first it can be overwhelming to buy all the basics. As I was stocking my new kitchen I was wary of all the pounds and money I was spending on rice, pasta, oats, beans and lentils. But I haven’t had to restock in months! Most nights I just pick out the veggies that sound most appealing and know that I can pair it with a variety of bases without more planning. This simplicity keeps me from cutting corners like buying packaged meals (less healthy) or going out (costly and less healthy).
The biggest struggle for me is finding fresh produce, hopefully with a small carbon footprint, that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. My best solution for this is buying my vegetables at a farmers’ market. These weekly markets are becoming more popular and easy to find. Also there are a lot of markets where you can use food stamps. You use your EBT card to get tokens that are good at all the stalls. To find out about farmers markets near you that accept food stamps find your state’s listing on the USDA website.
If I am willing to lower my desire to buy local vegetables, or know their source reliably, I have found that produce at ethnic grocery stores tend to be cheaper than the larger, chain stores. I once found my beloved avocadoes at a Mexican grocery store at 4 for a $1! I was in guacamole heaven.
I am still trying to figure out the best practices to eat well and save money. As I get more acclimated to my new home I hope I will find the best places to shop for my ideal produce. For now I will continue to struggle between keeping my budget and meeting my desire to eat environmentally responsible, healthy food.
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