The Top 10 Healthy Eating Habits

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It is not an easy task to identify the top 10 healthy eating habits. We could easily say “the top 5,” “the top 7” or “the top 20!” Running it through the sieve of “very simple,” you might not have the time or energy to remember 20. Only 5 tips might not cover all the “healthy” bases. But 10? Hey, sure!

Through the Budget-Friendly Lens

We’re going to look at these tips not only through the “healthy” lens but also through the “budget-friendly” lens.

Healthy eating habits are almost by definition budget-friendly in a way. For all practical purposes, we can say that “healthy” equals “less processed.” “Processed” involves manufacturing – which involves maintaining large buildings, paying employees, and major marketing – and in most cases, removing nutrients and adding non-nutrients! This leads us to the first one of the top ten…

The List

1. Limit (or eliminate) Processed Foods

Sometimes manufacturers fortify their products with vitamins and minerals, but why do they do that? It’s often because they took some nutrients out to start with.

The nutrients they took out were natural and balanced with accompanying “micro-nutrients” in the way they were intended to be put together. The nutrients the manufacturers put back into their product are generally synthetic and one-dimensional. They also add a lot of hard-to-pronounce chemicals that your body does not need.

So keep the candy, sugary breakfast cereals, processed meats, snack bars, pop, and similar “foods” at a bare minimum! Always think: Is there a healthier alternative? Your body will thank you, and so will your bank account!

2. Eat a Plant-Based Diet

The areas in the world where people live the longest – the “Blue Zones” – are areas where the inhabitants eat a 90-95% plant-based diet.

The Mediterranean Diet is predominately a plant-based diet. It’s generally considered to be the healthiest one of all the diets out there. Only a small amount of dairy products and non-red meats such as fish are included in this diet on a regular basis – the rest is beans, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, etc.

If you are concerned about the cost of eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, one suggestion might be: choose the less expensive fruits and vegetables. Bananas are not expensive. Cabbage is not expensive. Lettuce isn’t usually all that expensive. Frozen peas are not expensive!

3. If You Snack, Eat Healthy Snacks

No chips or candy! Mini-carrots and celery sticks – are not expensive; almonds are not expensive if you buy them at Costco! Raw sunflower seeds are also not expensive. These are just a few examples.

4. Get Enough Fiber

In other words, make sure you get enough whole grains, enough legumes, enough nuts, enough seeds, enough vegetables, and enough fruit. Your digestive system – and your entire body – depends on it. Whole grains (oatmeal, whole wheat bread) and legumes (peas, beans, etc.) in particular are not expensive.

5. Drink More Water

Just about every function in your body depends on getting an adequate amount of water! It almost can’t be overemphasized. And the amount of water your body needs may very well be more than you think. The bare minimum is eight 8-oz glasses per day.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the form of glasses full of actual water – but that’s the budget-friendly way to get what you need, of course!

6. Limit (or Eliminate) Sugar

This is a tough one for sure for many people. It’s cheap – and it tastes good! But consider: It’s addictive, it causes weight gain, may increase the risk of heart disease, is linked to acne, increases the risk of Type II Diabetes, may increase the risk of depression, may increase your risk of cancer, may age your cells and your skin, saps your energy due to blood sugar swings, and can increase the risk of kidney disease, cognitive decline, and gout – and it causes dental decay!

There is less reason now than ever before to eat sugar; there are alternatives! Some are better and healthier than others, but one thing is for sure: sugar is not healthy on any level.

It’s not truly budget-friendly, either; the cost to your health is just too great.

7. Don’t Overeat

Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. This is an extremely budget-friendly tip! The less you eat, the less it costs.

Eat to satisfy your hunger. Eat slowly, notice when you’re no longer hungry, and stop eating.

Don’t make eating your “emotional support animal.” It’s enough for your body to deal with emotional stress; you don’t need to burden it with digestive stress as well.

8. Eat a Variety of Food

This is a challenge if you are a single person or have a small family because smaller quantities – in many cases – cost more. The key here is probably that you probably don’t need all the variety in every meal, every day – or maybe even every week. Variety from different food groups is good, sure; but variety doesn’t mean you can never eat the same thing for two meals in a row!

If the budget is a consideration, one possible solution is buying a few items in larger quantities each week, then making those items the main focus of that week’s menu. Next week, you can buy something different and make that a focus next week, etc.

9. Plan Ahead and Use a Grocery List When Shopping

Tip #8 leads to Tip #9. This tip is extremely budget-friendly – and health-friendly as well. “Winging it” when you go to the grocery store almost guarantees that you will overspend on less-than-healthy items that are placed in the store in the most strategic locations to get you to buy them.

10. Get Exercise Every Day

This is the only one that doesn’t have to do directly with eating. Yet it does – because exercise helps to circulate the digested nutrients throughout the body! Keeping physically active is key.

In Summary…

Who is the “authority” on what is the “top 10” is anybody’s guess; but if you follow these guidelines, you can’t go too far wrong! And there are many ways to do it in a budget-friendly way.

Here are the main points, in conclusion: