Ten Ways to Eat Healthy and Look Good Naked on a Budget
Things are a lot easier these days.
Humans are no longer hunter-gatherers. We can order food right from our phones via apps (UberEATS, Grubhub, Doordash, etc.) and have it delivered within minutes.
The downsides? The majority of these delivered foods fall into the physique wrecking “Western Diet. ”And the expenses quickly add up.
It’s not just college kids who need to eat healthy on a budget (you know... when they aren’t carefully budgeting their alcohol funds).
We need protein to build and maintain our hard earn muscles.
We need carbs to provide us with the necessary energy for our workouts and life.
We need fruits and veggies to get the necessary vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
We need dietary fats to help with fat loss and to maintain a healthy metabolism.
Lastly, we need water to keep us hydrated and to aid in the recovery process.
Rising food prices make it difficult to eat healthily. Yet it is essential we make smart nutritional decisions that help us in carving out the boy we want without leaving our wallets empty.
Here's How To Do It
1) Buy Whole Foods
No, not from the company, but rather unprocessed food items.
While processed foods are usually cheaper (and tastier) unprocessed foods are far more nutritious. This was done intentionally as food companies want you to continue eating their foods long after your full. This is called hyper-palatability and this is what food manufacturers aim for as they want you to eat their food, even if you are full.
While these foods aren’t inherently bad or unhealthy, yet you can find healthier, minimally processed food alternatives. (i.e. 96/4 lean ground beef vs Beyond Burger Patties) These minimally processed foods will contain fewer calories, less digestive issues, and are better absorption within your body. Those last two points are the main reason why these foods aren’t “good” for you.
This is a problem because, over the last few decades, our diets went from traditional whole, natural foods that only had 1-2 ingredients (i.e. meat, eggs, milk, fruit, potatoes, rice, etc.) to transition to more processed foods. Studies have shown that people, on average, eat at least 500 MORE calories from processed foods than whole, minimally processed foods. This equates to 1 pound of body fat per week!
As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid anything that comes in a box 90% of the time. By buying whole food items, will give you complete power and control over your nutritional approach (Paleo, Ketogenic, Whole30, etc.)
Focus on getting these foods into your diet:
Proteins: Lean ground beef/turkey (90% or higher), chicken breast, canned tuna, salmon, cottage cheese, plain yogurt
Carbs: Oatmeal, rice, potatoes, fruits, and veggies (eat the rainbow!), pasta, beans, legumes, and even more fruits/veggies (eat the rainbow!)
Fats: Whole eggs, olive oil, natural peanut butter, avocados, unflavored nuts
2) Have a Surplus of Cheap Protein Readily Available
In order to build and maintain your muscles, you need 1.0g+ of protein per pound of bodyweight. This is the golden standard that as stood the test of time. For example, if you are a 200lb person, you need 200g of protein a day.
There are two ways to achieve this daily goal:
Drink either an entire gallon of milk or the entire protein powder container (On a serious note - Do not attempt this or you’ll end up looking like this. Or this.)
Eat protein with each meal.
In order to build a great physique while on a budget (the real reason why you’re reading this blog), you’ll need to fuel your body with sufficient protein. Protein is what helps us rebuild muscle tissues and keep our body systems (muscles, nervous system, and immunity) running optimally.
Protein allows us to train hard again, and aids in recovery to build more muscle. Protein is the only macronutrient that contains nitrogen, which is a required element to build muscle.
Your body needs protein and when it comes to changing your body composition, your body needs protein, and here are the big reasons why:
Protein is the most satiating macronutrient
Protein keeps you full longer than carbs and fats. When it comes to dieting, the two hardest things are dealing with cravings and hunger. When you have more protein within your diet, this will equal less hunger (to an extend)
Protein has a huge thermic effect (TEF) of all the macros.
It takes energy to turn the food you consume into energy. When you eat more protein, you’re actually increasing the calories outside of the energy balance equation, since your burning more calories via. TEF.
Protein: 20-30% of calories consumed are burned via TEF
Carbs: 5-10% of calories consumed are burned via TEF
Fats: 0-3% of the calories consumed are burned via TEF.
Protein is extremely hard to store as body fat.
Here's the proof. This 2015 study took 48 randomized, resistance-trained men and women and hard them either:
Consume a minimum of 1.36g/lb of protein daily
Maintain current dietary habits for eight weeks while undergoing a standardized resistance training program designed to increase lean body mass.
“ Compared to the control group, the high protein group consumed significantly more calories (+490 calories) and protein (3.4 vs 2.3 g/kg) From primarily whey protein shakes, leading to a diet that was 39%, 27% fat, and 34% carbohydrates. Both groups significantly increased FFM (muscle mass) and significantly reduced FM (Body fat) compared to baseline, but the reduction in FM (Body fat) was significantly greater in the high protein group compared to the control group (-1.6 vs. -0.3kg). According, body weight gain was also significantly less in the high protein group compared to the control group.”
The high protein group ate ~490 calories more than the lower protein group and lost more fat.
One of the most impactful things you can nutritionally to improve your body composition is increasing your daily protein intake to 1-1.15 grams per pound of body weight.
—-> Click here to learn how you can nail your protein every damn day.
3) Load your Kitchen and Freezer with Frozen Fruits and Veggies.
While incorporating more fruits and veggies in your diet may be challenging, (especially when you been ordering out for, like, forever) it’s something we all need to do. There are two ways to achieve this:
Load your kitchen and home with plenty of fruits that are within eyesight so you’re reminded to eat them and limit mindless snacking.
Load your freezer with frozen fruits and veggies.
I strongly suggest you stick to unfrozen fruits and veggies, there’s a few benefits to buying frozen:
Saves money: Often, the price for frozen fruits and veggies are half the price
Saves time: Frozen fruits and veggies are already pre-washed and pre-cut, which cuts down on prep time
Nutrient-Dense: As soon as a fruit/veggie is picked, they begin to lose their nutrients. Due to being frozen shortly after being picked, the frozen fruit and veggies will have more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than their fresh counterparts.
Now, I’m not saying that you should only get frozen fruits/veggies. Rather if you find your items expiring before using (i.e. like me), then frozen items will help you stay on budget.
4) Buy Generic Foods
Hey, you’re on a budget!
You cannot afford to spend excess money simply on the brand name. Raw foods like rice, pasta, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, etc. will taste identical to their name-brand counterparts.
5) Drink Filtered Tap Water
Did you know that a single $8 Brita filter cleans 40 gallons of water and makes tap water tastes infinitely better?
It’s a much better (and cheaper) option than having bottled water, soda, or orange juice. In fact, fruit juices are a terrible option when it comes to looking your best as it’s loaded with unnecessary calories.
One of the simplest ways to can you to cut out calories to lose weight. Aim to drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water. For example, a 200lb individual should drink 100 Oz of water daily.
6) Avoid Impulse Buying
If you’re like me, you can get rather impulsive while shopping, especially while on an empty stomach. To quote John Wooden: “failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” The next time you’re at the grocery store, do the following:
Make a list and stick to it: Plan our meals ahead by listing all the food items you’ll need and only get what’s on the list.
Eat before shopping: This will help you avoid impulse shopping and helps prevents food items not on the list.
Once you’re done shopping, check your list. Then, check it twice to see if you been naughty or nice. (Christmas pun for the win!)
7) Learn How to Cook
When under a tight budget, learning how to cook is THE best thing you can do and is a thousand times cheaper (and healthier) than going out to restaurants.
Here a quick comparison: For the price $12-15 of a meal at a restaurant, you can buy 2lbs of chicken, 2lbs of potatoes, and bags of frozen veggies at the same price point. So instead of having a single meal, you now have the necessary resources for 3-4 meals. In addition, you’ll avoid the hidden sugars, fats, and oils restaurants use to make their foods good. Plus, it will make for an excellent, cheap date night. Hey, who doesn’t like it when someone cooks for them??
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8) Stick to the Perimeter
This one goes hand in hand with tip #1.
In fact, the majority of food items you need to look great naked are on the grocery store perimeter. All the unprocessed food items (lean meats, eggs, milk, fruits, and veggies, etc.) will be found here.
Within the center, aisles contain all the processed food items that will allow you to make funny faces with your belly.
Moral of the story: Stick to the perimeter
9) Buy and Cook in Bulk
When on a budget, we need to stretch our dollar, so we can eat multiple healthy meals. To do this, focus on getting food items like rice, oats, meats, and frozen fruits and veggies.
In addition, stores often discount some cuts of meat as they approach an expiration date. These are perfectly good options as long as you store them within your freezer until feeding time begins.
—-> Click here to learn how to get started with meal prep
10) Delete Those Food Delivery Apps
Hopefully, by now, you realized that you don’t need those gut causing, physique wrecking delivery apps. If not, go back to the start and reread the article.
While these apps make ordering and getting food fast, they are terrible choices for your overall waistline and health. Don’t even give yourself the option. When you are hangry, you’ll make terrible decisions...
The Next Step:
As for your next step, you should know….
All the knowledge you absorbed within this article doesn’t equal change.
If you’re fed up with how COVID fucked up your year, invest in a coach.
If you’ve read LITERALLY DOZENS of guides like this in the past and still haven’t made the change nor the confidence you want, invert in a coach.
If you’re overwhelmed by the content in this article, invest in a coach.
If you cannot be consistent with the strategies within this article, invest in a coach.
If you are ready for a change, I’m here to coach you.