Today, another awesome guest post about healthy eating on the cheap. If you didn’t catch Wednesday’s post, check it out here…

How to Buy Cheap and Healthy Food

It is one thing to want to eat healthy, but it’s something else to try to pay for it! Unfortunately, unhealthy items, like boxed macaroni, chips, and cookies are often times cheaper than premium produce. If you are looking for the best way to buy healthy options in regular and organic foods, here are some tips to help you out:

• Start out by scouting out farmers markets. This is often the best way to purchase organic foods, which means that they are free from pesticides. If you have ever looked at the price difference of regular and organic food in the grocery store, I’m sure that you have noticed a significant difference. However, you can often barter at a farmers market, and you will get even better deals for purchasing in bulk if you can!
• This leads me to my next point, which is joining a co-op. This is something that you can do with friends or a group of farmers, but you will have a discount on organic foods from purchasing within the co-op. Co-ops are mostly within local areas, and you will pay small dues. However, you can create your own co-op with friends for organic produce by each purchasing in bulk to save money and share with one another. This is an affordable way to have fresh organic produce!
• When you are at the grocery store, look for beans as a healthy treat and a valuable protein source. Cooking dried beans, like pinto beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, and black beans are all low in fat, and they are full of fiber to beef up your diet. They can be used in soups, salads, or as a side dish, and they are much more filling and satisfying than a Big Mac any day!
• Look for sweet potatoes as a healthy and cheap side dish in the grocery store. Sweet potatoes are much healthier than regular potatoes, especially if you prepare them in a way where they are not fried or drenched in butter. Try a baked sweet potato or even baked sweet potato fries as a delicious treat that almost tastes like a real french fry!

These tips are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, when it comes to learning how to purchase healthy and inexpensive foods. It is so much better for you and the environment to eat organic, and it doesn’t have to

Chuggin McCoffee is a coffee fanatic that has spent the entirety of his career cultivating and studying all of the best uses and brewing styles for optimal coffee and espresso flavor. His specialty site for all coffee needs, supplies, and commercial coffee makers can be found at The Coffee Bump

Spring is well under way, which means more fresh produce will be “in season.” For something different this season, why not try buying from local farmer’s markets?

Here are 5 good reasons why you should give it a try:

1. Fruits and Veggies that are grown locally and picked when they are perfectly ripened taste better than the store-sold varieties.

2. Buying from local farmer’s markets helps the local farmer who is forced to compete with the Super Walmarts and Kroger Marketplaces of the world.

3. Many times, market prices are better than those at commercial grocery stores.

4. When produce is picked at the peak of its season, nutrients will be more abundant.

5. It requires a lot of resources (gas, packaging, transportation, marketing, etc.) to put grocery-store products on the shelves. On average, food travels 1300 miles to get from its origin to your kitchen! Seems rather inefficient, doesn’t it?

Where to buy the best fresh produce:

• Join a food co-op

Co-op members pool their resources together to purchase fruits and vegetables at a lower cost. Go to
Co-op directory to find one near you.

• Join CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and buy a “share” of a local farm’s harvest. You pay a fee for the season, and in return receive a weekly or biweekly supply of fresh produce. To find one near you, visit biodynamics

• Shop at local farmer’s markets.

Two great resources for finding a local market:

Fruit and Vegetable Markets

Organic Markets

Related articles and resources:

Local vs. Organic
True cost of food