Maricor Bunal
If you feel that most of your home budget goes on food, you are right to look for ways to solve this problem. The fact is that the prices of food have gone up, leaving us in a position to think hard on how we manage our finances. There are many money-saving ways standing in front of you, but they all include cutting down on certain foods. Luckily, most expensive foods are usually the most unhealthy ones, like sweets and alcoholic drinks. This means that going frugal doesn’t have to be a bad thing. On the contrary, it can change your life for the better!
Eat Healthy, Save Money
In order to save money and eat healthy, the first thing to do is take a look at your diet. If you are an average Filipino, your diet probably is not the healthiest. You are probably consuming too much meat on a regular basis. The problem with it is that it’s not that healthy, especially red meat, which is known as the cause of a number of serious diseases, including some types of cancer.
Apart from being unhealthy, consuming too much meat can take a toll on your budget. Those reasons seem enough to prompt you to make some changes in your diet, for example introducing a no-meat day. Basically, all you got to do is choose one day in the week in which you won’t consume any meat. Even 24 hours without red meat can help you cleanse your digestive system, not to mention that meat alternatives can sometimes be several times cheaper.
Speaking of meat alternatives, soy is a great option for your diet such as tofu. This food has a number of properties that can improve your health significantly. In fact, in Japan, where people live the longest, soy is eaten on a daily basis. If you are not a fan of its taste, try to introduce it to your diet slowly. For example, you can use it together with meat in bobotie.
Not only is so much healthier for your body than red meat, it is also much cheaper. Other foods with similar properties include lentils, peas, broccoli, etc. If you simply can’t go without meat, try focusing more on fish or poultry. Chicken breasts may not be much cheaper than pork, but this food is definitely better for your waistline.
Get Fit, Save Money
Another good thing about saving money on food is that it can result in shaping your body up. Without wasting money on sweets, snacks and booze, you are bound to lose some of the body fat that has been stacking up for years. If you are afraid that this method might make you feel hungry, there is a solution – include foods with high satiety index in your diet.
The satiety index refers to the feeling of fullness after a meal. If you start eating foods that make you feel full, while not making you fat, you are guaranteed to lose fat. The only thing you’ll gain is a thicker wallet as these foods are also very affordable. Some of those include eggs, boiled potatoes, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, etc.
So do you want to have a healthy lifestyle and wallet? Then start being frugal now.
