Hi ,

A few weeks ago, I asked what topic people wanted to learn more about.

The top answer? How to eat healthy on a budget.

So, let me clear something up.

Most people think eating healthy means spending more -

more money, more time, more effort.

But that’s a lie sold to you by marketing and diet culture.

(Diet culture is a way of thinking that values being thin and looking a certain way more than being truly healthy. It makes you believe that you must follow strict diets to be “good” or “healthy,” instead of focusing on your overall well-being.)

After years of helping people improve their health - better labs, less fat, more energy - here’s what I’ve learned as both a nutrition coach and someone still striving to eat healthy myself:

Healthy eating isn’t expensive. Unhealthy habits are.

You don’t need imported supplements or “superfoods.”

You need common sense and local food.

For example, buy what’s local and in season.

• Regular milk is just as nutritious as overpriced almond milk.
• Dalandan, rambutan, or watermelon are fresher as equally nutritious as imported berries.
• Petsa de peligro? Add egg and pechay to noodles. Stretch meat with tokwa or munggo. Go for canned fish or canned beans and sauté them with veggies.

And no, you don’t need a perfect kitchen or a week’s worth of meal prep.

If you eat from a karinderya, pick meals with fishes and veggies and avoid fatty, fried and salty dishes. Go for grilled, steamed, sinabawan.

If you can prep only one meal or snack a day - that’s already progress.

Use Pinggang Pinoy as your basic guide.

At the end of the day, your meals (whether prepared at home or eaten outside) should be mostly fruits and veggies, 1/4 carb foods (rice, bread, potatoes, noodles, pasta, kakanin etc) and 1/4 lean protein.

Healthy eating does take resources, but more than that, it takes the right mindset.

Begin with what you already have, and make the most of what’s available.

Keep showing up because consistency (and a little treat once in a while) builds real results.

The people who wait for the “perfect” diet rarely start.

The ones who work with what they’ve got?

They’re the ones who win.

That's it for this week.

Keep in touch for my next short newsletter.

Subscribe to my newsletter if you haven't yet.

Subscribe to Grace's Newsletter

Also, let me know what topics you want me to write about next.

Til next time,

Grace