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10 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Eat Healthy (Even While On A Budget) Whether it's meal planning or adequate prepping, these tips will help you eat a nutritious diet- while also keeping your grocery bill low.

By May Rostom

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You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

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When you're always stuck in an office, or running between meetings, the easy way to get some food into your system is either by ordering junk, or eating something out of a vending machine. For people who are always on the go, healthy eating can be quite the challenge, especially when they're on a tight budget. The good news is that there are ways to cut down on spending when eating healthy. Whether it's meal planning or adequate prepping, these tips will help you eat a nutritious diet- while also keeping your grocery bill low.

1. SAY NO TO JUNK FOOD It's over. End it. No more "I'll start dieting tomorrow," or "I'll just have one cookie." By cutting out junk food from your diet, not only will you save lots of money, but your sugar cravings and mood swings will plummet before you know it.

2. DON'T GO SHOPPING WHEN YOU'RE HUNGRY The worst thing you can do to your wallet and waistline is shopping when you're hungry. Impulse buying when you're hungry makes everything look more appealing, delicious, and crave-worthy.

3. FRESH VERSUS FROZEN Fresh fruits (especially berries) and vegetables are usually in season only a few months per year, which renders them rather expensive. If you're looking to shake your meals up, don't shy away from choosing frozen over fresh produce. While fresh produce is favored by many, quick-frozen produce is usually just as nutritious and cheaper for off-season foods.

4. GROW YOUR OWN If you're lucky enough to have a small backyard, growing your own herbs, sprouts, tomatoes, and onions will not only save you money at the store, but will also elevate your senses.

5. BULK IT UP Found something you enjoy eating at a super sale? Check the expiry date and stock up. Whether they're canned beans, corn, instant oats, or your favorite brown pasta that's always out of stock, buying in bulk quantities will save you money in the long run.

Related: Five Essential Foods To Fight Fatigue And Boost Your Work Day

6. EAT AT HOME OR PACK YOUR LUNCH Ordering food or eating out is very expensive, especially if you're hosting company dinners, or having meetings over lunch. By packing meals, impulse shopping, hunger pangs, weight gain, and fatigue will all be a thing of the past.

7. PLAN AND PREP The golden rule to healthy eating is meal planning and prepping. By scheduling your weekly meals, planning grocery lists far in advance, and pre-cooking your lunches at home, making it a habit to plan ahead will save you from eating out at the last minute.

8. COOK FOR FOUR Cooking large portions will save you both time and money. Frozen, single-portion leftovers are optimum for those days when you don't even have the energy to get out of bed and walk over to the fridge.

9. SWITCH UP YOUR PROTEINS Meat can be a great source of protein, but it could also be quite expensive. By switching up your protein sources with legumes, hemp seeds, eggs, or fish, you'll be balancing out your budget, while still getting the nutrition you need. Most of them also have a long shelf life, and are therefore less likely to spoil quickly.

10. CLIP THEM COUPONS You know, those tiny little flyers that you find on your doorstep and immediately throw away? Maybe don't do that anymore- coupons are a great way to save money on both food and detergents. Whether they're actual coupons or voucher codes on an app, start clipping.

Related: Five Quick (And Healthy) Breakfasts For Entrepreneurs On The Go

May Rostom

Curator, Entrepreneur Café

May Rostom is the curator of Entrepreneur Café, a new daily digest of stories from Entrepreneur Middle East to fuel your day at work. 

May has been in the fashion journalism field for more than five years, with over 500 articles published in online and offline mediums. Working closely with some of the biggest fashion brands in the region, from creating, curating, and developing content to aggregating and pitching for content from several fashion and beauty outlets in the Middle East, Rostom’s experience is multicultural and vast. She was formerly a senior lifestyle editor/writer at MSN Arabia, and she has also worked with TRESemme Egypt as a fashion expert.

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