If you’ve ever found yourself walking down the fruit and vegetable aisle comparing the prices with those on the biscuit and cake aisles, or if you’ve noticed that less fat and sugar seems to equal a higher cost, then you’ll know how expensive dieting can be.
Mature Times reports that adding the words “low fat” or “reduced sugar” to the packaging often seems to increase the price tag substantially. This may, in part, explain why people with less money can struggle more with their weight. We’ve looked into the most affordable diets so that you can save the pounds from your pocket while losing them from your body instead.
The good, old-fashioned healthy eating approach
Obviously, this is the tried-and-tested method, though it does mean spending more time looking into the fat, sugar, carb and calorie content, and also means planning meals before or as you shop. It is still a great option if you have the time and you process a greater understanding of nutritional values than most people.
If you shop around, then you may even find some of your favourite fruit, vegetables or healthier alternatives of your favourite products at a lower price. It could mean visiting more supermarkets though, and for most of us, our lives are busy and the time spent searching them out could be better spent on doing something more productive or enjoyable.
The Keto diet
If you’re willing to pay a small weekly membership fee (between £1 and £2 a week) in addition to the usual cost of your groceries, then you can receive a plan tailored to your weight loss requirements, which includes a printable shopping list and suggested recipes.
This takes away the need to research the nutritional values of everything you buy, and your meal plan is taken care of. You just need to follow the recipes using the items from your shopping list.
The diet itself is a low-fat and low-carb diet, high in dietary fat, and containing controlled amounts of protein. This combination is said to leave your body depleted of carbs which, in turn, causes it to break down fat for its energy source.
Cambridge diet
The Cambridge diet cost makes it one of the cheapest complete diet plans, in addition to being more convenient than the other diets previously mentioned.
It’s perfect for anyone willing to pay for a diet plan to save time on shopping or preparing a list of meals and ingredients for themselves. It’s one of the best plans for people who value time over money but still want the best value in a diet plan. The average price is £2.61 for a meal, and all meals are tailored to your own weight loss plan. There is a weekly consultation to offer you support, advice and answer any questions you may have. There is no weekly weigh-in watched by a group of people all potentially hoping that you’ve failed so that they can feel better about themselves. There’s no competition at all – just encouragement and everything you need to stick to your plan and achieve your weight loss goals. Everyone knows that one main reason why people fail on their diets,
other than the cost, is the temptation.
With this diet, you get to eat healthier versions of some of your favourite foods – from meals such as spaghetti bolognese and chicken tikka to snacks such as crunchy fava beans, in addition to a range of shakes, soups and lots more.
Some diets can get repetitive and boring, causing us to go off the rails and undo all of our hard work, but the diverse choice here is likely to keep even the most adventurous foodie interested for long enough to have positive effects on their health and body size.
While not intended as a permanent solution, the Cambridge diet is proven to be a way of kick-starting weight loss. Other food can be slowly reintroduced to avoid piling the weight back on.
By that point, you will find that your body has more energy and you can start to ramp up your fitness regime or introduce one, if you previously didn’t have the energy to exercise much or at all.
The diets mentioned here all have their own advantages. Some save time, while others save money, and although the Cambridge diet is the best compromise for both, it should only be used as a starting point – and after consulting a doctor if you have any underlying medical condition that may be affected as a result of any diet change. However, in most cases, dieting can improve your health.
(Story source: Mature Times)
