- When it comes to healthy eating, there's a question I get all of the time, and it's how to eat healthy on a budget. And this probably applies toeveryone in the community, whether you're single, you'remarried, you're a parent, you're a student, or you're retired, because I think we wouldall gladly save some money. The truth is, eatingwholesome, delicious food doesn't have to be expensive. 
- The key is to hone in onstrategic budget-friendly picks, to make sure you're stockedwith the right kitchen staples, and take steps to minimize food waste so you're not literallythrowing money away in the form of wiltedgreens or mushy bananas. So today, I wanted to share my top 10 tips to make healthy eating more affordable. When it comes to buyingthe healthiest meat,
-  I always suggest buying organic, pastured, and grass-fed options. These are not only better for you, but they're better for the planet. However, stocking up onthe highest-quality meat will quickly drain your bank account, so my suggestion here isto simply buy less meat. When you do buy it, buy the good stuff, but then supplement your protein intake with budget-friendly, plant-based sources ofprotein like pulses, which include beans,chickpeas, peas, and lentils. 


- When readers on my website askme for a meatless alternative for one of my recipes, Ifrequently recommend lentils. They're packed with protein and fiber, and definitely will fill you up. So I often whip up abig batch on the weekend to add to salads, soups,and baked sweet potatoes throughout the week. (gentle music) To further slash your meat budget, get familiar with thetougher cuts of meat. Often, the tougher cuts, likepork shoulder, beef chuck, and stew meat, will be theleast expensive of the bunch, and this is across the board, even with organic and grass-fed options. So how do make these toughercuts of meat delicious? It's easy! Just cook them low and slowin a Crock-Pot or slow cooker until they are ultra tender. And if you need a recipe idea,my slow-cooker pulled pork is a reader favoritethat's perfect for fall  Eggs are pretty much the least expensive, whole-food source ofprotein that you can buy. So even if you spend $6  ona dozen pasture-raised eggs, that's just 50 cents per egg. And the best part is that eggs can definitely go beyond breakfast. You can whip up somehard-boiled eggs to eat as a high-protein snackthroughout the week, or turn my breakfast casseroleinto a dinner-worthy meal by serving it up with leftoverveggies and wilted greens that are on the verge of going bad. Ah, the motto of Downshiftology, which is eating in season. Not only is in-seasonproduce fresher and tastier, but the abundance of the cropusually drives down prices, making it far more affordable. Seasonable produce and trendswill vary region to region, but you can do a littlebit of research to find out what's in season in your area, and start to plan your meals accordingly. If you wanna maximize the abundance of in-season produce evenmore, don't be afraid to cook and meal prep large portionsand utilize leftovers. Making Crock-Pot or casserole dishes, such as my zucchini lasagnaor chicken broccoli casserole, is a great way to take advantage of cheaper in-season produce pricing. Just make a large batch,freeze it, and you can reap the rewards of those savingslong into the future.  If your healthy lifestyle hasyou snacking on lots of nuts, get strategic about which ones you buy, because pound for pound, theprice can vary drastically. Walnuts are often severaldollars less per pound than cashews, almonds, and pecans, while containing the highestlevel of anti-inflammatory, brain-friendly, plant-basedOmega-3 fatty acids. So that makes walnuts a healthy, cost-effective snack choice. 
- Across the board with bothorganic and non-organic, frozen fruits and vegetablesare less expensive than fresh, yet they're just as nutritious. In fact, frozen produceis picked at its peak in terms of freshness,then immediately frozen to lock in all that goodness. Frozen vegetables likepeas and green beans make a great addition tocurries, soups, and stir-fries, while frozen fruits likeblueberries and mango are perfect for smoothies,oatmeal, and of course, my chia pudding. Non-dairy milks that you buyat the store are mostly water, but they still cost a pretty penny. So I recommend that you makeyour own, which is extremely easy to do, and no, it doesn'talways require straining or a lot of time in the kitchen. In fact, two of the quickest varieties are cashew milk and hemp milk. For cashew milk, simply soak one cup of raw cashews overnight, thenblend with four cups of water until smooth and creamy. For hemp milk, blend a halfa cup of hemp seeds, which are also known as hemp hearts,with four cups of water. Both of those recipesare easy, affordable, and you won't have anyunnecessary ingredients that you may have in store-bought brands. And bonus, I just addedthe hemp milk recipe to my website as well.

  One of the biggest budgetarydownfalls for people starting to revamp their eating are the packaged, healthy treats and snacks. Now you know what I'm talking about here. These are the grain-free cookiesand granola, protein bars, those bite-sized macaroons,and dairy-free ice cream. Now of course, these canbe enjoyed in moderation in a healthy lifestyle, butremember that you're paying a premium for these products. So instead, make whole, freshfoods your main priority, and when it comes totreats, make your own. Most of my dessert and treat recipes, which includes those cookies and macaroons and dairy-free icecreams, can be made easily and more cheaply fromingredients you'd find in a well-stocked healthy pantry.  All right, how many of you havestocked up on fresh produce only to have half of it wilt or spoil before you've had a chance to use it? Food waste is a huge drainon your bank account, and one of the ways I minimizethat is by using my freezer, because you can freeze almost anything. If you have bananas going brown and mushy, slice them up, and storethem in the freezer for smoothies and banana bread. If you can't use up thoseSiete grain-free tortillas fast enough, store them in the freezer, and remove each oneindividually as needed. If you can't go through alarge bag of organic spinach for your smoothies before it wilts, just toss it into the freezerright after you buy it, and grab a handful whenever you need it. If you've got way too manyavocados that are perfectly ripe, dice them, toss them with lemon juice, and store them in a freezer-safe bag. You can even prep then freeze chia pudding with fresh fruit that'son the verge of going bad. I think you guys get the idea here. The freezer is absolutely your friend when it comes to minimizing food waste. Grocery stores specializingin healthy food 

- can sometimes be pricey, and yourrun-of-the-mill grocery store doesn't always have the variety and the ingredients that you need. So that's where a membership to Costco and Amazon Prime comes in extremely handy. Surprisingly, Costcocarries a wide variety of organic produce, organic meats, and healthy packaged foods, including the items thatI buy most frequently. A yearly membership to Costcowill run you about $60, but when you look at the costsavings of buying in bulk, it's certainly worth it. When it comes to online shopping, if you don't have anAmazon Prime membership, you should definitely consider it. You can save on theingredients you buy most often with subscriptions, and this is perfect for all of your pantry staples. Things like nuts and seedsand flours, I always buy on Amazon with my Primemembership, and I'm saving on gas because I don't have todrive to the grocery store. But if you do drive to thestore and shop at Whole Foods, there's a bonus, because withyour Amazon Prime membership, you can save 10% on saleitems, and get access to special deals, coupons, andsavings throughout the store. I hope you guys found these tips helpful, and as I try to think ofmore, I will post them on Instagram Stories and inour private Facebook group. I always welcome you to add your tips into the comments below. It's incredibly helpful to the community, and I know everyone appreciates it. All right, that's it for me this week. If you enjoyed this Article , makesure to give it a thumbs-up. And I'm gonna get startedon the next video, which I know you guysare really excited about. It's the fall meal prep. So don't go anywhere. And I will see you guys again real soon .