Everyone knows that healthy eating is important, but sometimes we failto do it because it’s expensive, we’re lazy, or we just don’t care. Don’tworry, I get that! (I am a student too after all). In fact, one of the biggestreasons why people are discouraged to eat healthy is because it can be expensive(and I can assure you that yes, buying a salad for lunch will almost always costmore than buying a McChicken from MacDonald’s). In short, you pay for what youget. I’m not going to sit here and explain to you why eating healthy food isbetter for you than eating crap (because you already know that), but what I canpromise is that it doesn’t always have to be as expensive as we might think!You can still eat relatively healthy and avoid that crazy grocery bill everyweek.

Here is are some of my tips, tricks, and recommendations:

Ditch the expensive protein/energy bars

I know, sometimes I can’t resist grabbing a Nomz or a Perfect Bar from grocery checkout either, but let’s face it, they are expensive as f***! Also, buying snacks like cliff bars aren’t worth the amount of sugar that comes with it. If you’re trying to eat healthy and end up buying $3-$4 protein bars, the expenses alone will surely discourage you from working towards maintaining a healthy diet. Instead, opt for a piece of fruit or eat bigger meals. Eating whole foods like fruit or snacking on crackers with hummus is much better for you than a Special K Protein bar is, trust me.

Buy frozen

Buying frozen produce is something you should consider if you don’t consume a lot very often. Simply, if you don’t want it to parish, buy it frozen. Buying frozen fruits and veggies is also much cheaper than buying fresh. For example, a few weeks back I was grocery shopping and saw a little container of blueberries selling for $6, whereas a bag of wild blueberries from the freezer section (three times the size of the container I saw) was going for a little less than $4! Frozen is also great if you don’t cook very often because you’ll always have veggies in the freezer to add to a dish! Note that it’s important to read the label and make sure you’re not buying frozen veggies with a load of preservatives. For example, if you’re buying a bag of broccoli, all it should say under ingredients is “broccoli”, nothing else.

Pick and choose what you buy organic

Ever heard of the “clean 15” and “dirty dozen”? Either way, I’ve gotyou. It’s a list of fruits and veggies to help you prioritize what’s mostimportant to buy organic and what isn’t. Created by the EWG (EnvironmentalWorking Group), the clean 15 lists the fruits and vegetables that usually haveless or close to zero pesticides, while the produce on the dirty dozen usually haveseveral. The bottom line is- the less pesticides, the cleaner is the food.

Clean 15:                                Dirty Dozen:

• Avocados                                     - Strawberries
• Sweet corn                                   - Spinach
• Pineapples                                   - Kale
• Sweet peas (frozen)                    - Nectarines
• Onions                                          - Apples
• Papayas                              - Grapes
• Eggplants                                     - Peaches
• Asparagus                                    - Cherries
• Kiwis                                             - Pears
• Cabbage                               - Tomatoes
• Cauliflower                                  - Celery
• Cantaloupes                                 - Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Honeydew

Opt for organic versions of thedirty dozen to avoid excessive pesticide consumption, that’s how you canunderstand what organic produce items are worth your buck. If you’re curious,and would like to read more about this, check out the link below by the EWG:

https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php

Amira’s favourite snacks

Finally, here is a short list ofsome of my favourite snacks that are much healthier alternatives to moregeneric snack foods! Most of the snacks listed can be purchased on NaturaMarket, a great website where you can find a huge variety of snacks for alldiets. You can easily find coupon codes, discounts, and free shipping (if youspend over $50), making it the perfect resource for students everywhere!

Crackers:

• Mary’sCrackers
• Simple MillsFine Ground Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers

*I lovedipping either of these into hummus or baba ghanoush

Protein Bars(forthe occasional splurge):

• Larabar (thepeanut butter is my favourite). 
• Perfect bar

Chips:

• Siete LimeGrain Free Tortilla Chips
• The RealCoconut Pink Salt Coconut Flour Tortilla chips
• Artisan TropicPlantain Strips- Sea Salt

Check it out here: https://naturamarket.ca

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