Being Healthy and Frugal

Over the past few days I've seen several people questioning the idea of eating healthy on a budget. I've also seen people state that junk food costs less than healthy food. I have found that eating on a budget has actually been MORE healthy, and helped me lose weight along the way. Here's why:

-We eat out much less, meaning no fast food, no calorie laden, over-sized meals at restaurants.
-We meal plan. When I lay out a plan of what I'm going to eat. I'm much more likely to eat it, and much less likely to cheat.
-It has led us to eat actual portion sizes, which is much less than what people typically eat. The suggested serving for meat is only about 3oz. I know very few people who follow that. Thanks to meal planning and setting aside what we're going to eat, we actually do follow that. And 3oz. of meat certainly costs much less than 8oz!
-We supplement our meals with inexpensive things like rolled oats, brown rice, barley and dried beans. Things that are GOOD for you, and that many people don't get enough of in their diet.
-Many times it's cheaper to make something from scratch than get the convenience version. And the homemade version has less salt and no preservatives.

I scratch my head every time I see someone question healthy eating on a budget. Setting a food budget has been the best thing we've done for our pocketbook, waistline and our health!