People restrict the food they eat for a variety of reasons. Individuals with disorders may stay away from certain foods to maintain their health. Others try different methods of dieting to lose weight. Meanwhile, some people stick to certain foods and steer clear of others due to cultural beliefs. No matter what reason you have, sticking to a diet can be an effective way of keeping your health up and remaining true to your customs.
However, following food restrictions can be notoriously difficult. Sometimes, the foods you can eat are not easily available, or more often than not, inaccessible due to high prices. Now that cheap, low-quality foods are more abundant than ever, breaking a diet has become increasingly more tempting.
Fortunately, there are several effective and convenient ways you can stick to a diet without going beyond your budget. From meal prepping to using apps such as the Muslim Pro app, here are some of the ways you can stay on an affordable diet.
Opt for Home Cooked Meals
There’s no contest: keeping the cooking at home is one of the most effective ways to save money while ensuring you’re getting the food you want and need. Not only will you have full control over what goes into your food but you will also develop a useful skill that can last you a lifetime. Whether it’s foods that you’re allergic to or ingredients you simply don’t like, you can steer clear of them when you cook your meals yourself.
The main issue with this method is that preparing meals can take a lot of time and energy, and you may not have that time. The key to addressing this issue is to keep things simple. You don’t need to prepare a lavish meal each time you eat. Opt for foods that are easy to make and match your lifestyle. For example, if you’re always on the go, packing a sandwich or making a smoothie won’t take you long, and they’re easy to bring with you anywhere.
Make a Meal Plan
What if keeping things simple isn’t your thing? What if you like having a scrumptious meal each time you eat? For that, you’re going to have to do some detailed planning. Sorting out a meal plan for each week can help you know which ingredients to prepare, allow the proper amount of time for cooking, and save you a lot of stress during a busy weekday.
There are several tools at your disposal when it comes to meal planning. You can research recipes on the Internet with countless food websites to choose from. If you’re too busy to go grocery shopping, some apps allow you to have your groceries delivered to your front door. For Islam followers, the Muslim Pro app can help you locate Muslim communities, where you’ll most likely find groceries and food outlets that offer halal foods.
Opt for More Affordable Substitutes
As mentioned earlier, eating on a diet doesn’t always come cheap. While you can’t change the price of goods, you can change your approach to it. Instead of going for the expensive ingredients with a defeated sigh, seek out healthy, affordable substitutes instead. For example, meats are a rich source of protein, but they can be quite expensive. As a response, you can turn to mushrooms, lentils, and beans as alternatives. They’re also rich in protein and can be cooked in many, delicious ways.
Practice Smart Grocery Shopping
When grocery shopping, it’s easy to splurge if you don’t plan ahead. The rich variety of goods and products, as well as the distributed layout of the store, can cause you to overfill your cart even though you came to buy just a few items. To avoid this, make sure to create a shopping list beforehand during the meal planning stage. More importantly, remind yourself to stick to this list. In this manner, you can get the foods you need and avoid overspending.
Another tip on grocery shopping is to go to the store near closing time. Numerous establishments offer their bread, salads, and other expirable foods at a discount, which can be a treasure trove for individuals working on a limited budget.
Lastly, do your grocery shopping out of the supermarket. Buying your food in these big stores often costs more than going to other establishments. Instead, go to a farmer’s market to buy your greens and the local butcher for your meats. If farms are nearby, try to find out if you can buy produce from them directly. In this way, not only will you be saving money but also supporting local vendors and small businesses in the community.
Overall, eating with dietary restrictions while on a budget can be hard to maintain, but it is not impossible. With proper preparation and a willingness to try new foods and learn cooking techniques, you can surely whip up foods and meals that you love at affordable costs. Getting used to this new lifestyle, especially when you’re busy, would take a lot of work, but it’s hard work where you’ll surely reap plentiful benefits in the end.
