Budget Weight Loss Shopping List

Eating clean on the cheap.

Watching your wallet and your weight? Sometimes the myth that it’s expensive to eat a healthy diet gets in the way of healthy eating. Regardless of your budget, you can find foods that are big on nutrition and low in cost. Our budget weight loss shopping list will help to jumpstart your path to a slimmer you—without busting your bank account.

The key to creating a shopping list for weight loss is planning your meals. When we move into the day without a plan, it becomes super-easy to give into the temptation offered by unhealthy choices, whether it’s the urge to call for takeout or to prepare a processed dinner that includes ingredients that contain who-knows-what.

This budget weight loss shopping list is the foundation for your new lifestyle. It’s filled with nutrient-rich staples you can use to prepare weight loss recipes that boost fiber intake and nourish lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories than fat. Discover yummy food and recipe ideas to flesh out the shopping list:

6 Ways to Enjoy Fruits & Veggies on the Cheap
$10 or Less Dinner Recipes
13 Delicious Budget-Friendly Dinners

Also check out  10 Ways to Stretch Your Grocery Budget, which offers smart tips for creating a shopping list for weight loss.

Budget Shopping List: Bread & Grains


100% Whole wheat flour
100% Whole-wheat or whole-grain bread
100% Whole-wheat pasta
100% Whole-wheat pitas or tortillas
Brown rice
Quinoa
Oats, old fashioned (Ideal for breakfast or snacking.)
Popcorn, plain (Snack on Healthy Popcorn Recipes.)

Budget Shopping List: Condiments

Mustard, no added sugar
Ketchup, naturally sweetened (Or make Healthy Homemade Ketchup.)
Balsamic vinegar
Cooking oils, like extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil, and/or coconut oil
Herbs and spices of all varieties (Avoid prepackaged mixes, like taco seasoning, and choose the pure herbs.)
Pumpkin seeds (Perfect for salad toppings or snacking.)

Budget Shopping List: Canned/Jarred/Dry Goods

Marinara, no sugar added, low sodium
Peanut butter, natural
Tuna, packed in water
Salmon, canned (Find this near the canned tuna in your grocery store. Flake into salads, use in salmon burgers, or flake onto homemade pizza.)
Tomatoes, canned (Ideal for using in recipes like Simple Tomato Sauce.)

Budget Shopping List: Beans & Lentils

Black beans
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Kidney beans
Pinto beans
Lentils (all types)

Budget Shopping List: Produce

Fresh vegetables, in-season (Green veggies and sweet potatoes are great healthy choices because they offer a lot of nutritional bang for your dollar.)
Fresh fruits, in-season (Bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, apples, and oranges are top budget shopping list picks.)

Budget Shopping List: Fish & Lean Meats

Fish, especially cold-water fish like salmon
Chicken, whole (This is a budget-friendly alternative to buying boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)
Lean ground turkey

Budget Shopping List: Eggs & Dairy

Eggs
Greek yogurt, plain non-fat (Ideal for breakfasts, snacks, or as a replacement for sour cream or mayo.)
Mozzarella, part-skim, shredded
Butter, unsalted
Milk, 1% or skim

Budget Shopping List: Frozen

Frozen fruits, no added sugar (Tasty and convenient for Smoothie Recipes.)
Frozen vegetables, no added sugar, sodium, or sauces (Perfect to use in many easy-prep Slow Cooker Recipes.)

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Amy Wagner

Amy is a writer specializing in health & wellness, business, and entrepreneurship. She's a long-time martial arts teacher who has earned a 4th degree black belt in tae kwon do. When Amy's not writing or kicking, she's wrangling sons, reading fiction, or crushing on BBC actors.

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