Low-cost nutritious food in India

We all know that eating healthy food is very important to keep our body and mind fit. But sometimes diet foods go out of our budget, we have to say that most diet foods are expensive, but there are some foods which are extremely healthy and inexpensive as well.

Today we will talk about those foods, their preparations, and also their health benefits. So basically, today we will talk about low-cost nutritious food in India.

You need to intake the right amount of nutrition to maintain your diet, and it can come from the daily food you have, you just need to maintain the nutrients like the amount of fat, carbs, and protein, and it can make changes. It doesn’t require to be expensive or fancy to start a proper diet.

College students and other working personnel who wants to control their expenses should read this article. And believe me, if you are thinking these diet foods won’t be tasty then you are wrong, you don’t have to compromise with your taste buds. So let’s get into the low-cost nutritious food examples,

Vegetables and Fruits:

Vegetables--

There are so many Indian veggies that are inexpensive, pocket friendly, and extremely healthy, and we will let you know about nutritious low-cost Indian fruits also, which are low in calories and very healthy.

Cauliflower:

Cauliflower

It’s a very healthy and cheap food option that you can get almost around the year, and can also make so many tasty recipes.

Health benefits of Cauliflower-

Low in carbs,
High in fiber,
Contains so many nutrients,
Good source of antioxidants.

The best diet recipe for Cauliflower is Cauliflower fried rice, you can check the full recipe with ingredients here, https://www.fitnessfeasts.in/2020/04/ketogenic-indian-vegetarian-recipes.html

Cabbage:

Cabbage

Cabbage is great for our health as it contains so many nutrients and vitamins, and is also budget-friendly, you can add this veggie to so many dishes, and can also make so many recipes from it.

Health benefits of Cabbage-

A great source of vitamin C
Helps to lower Cholesterol and keeps our heart healthy
Helps to improve digestion
Very low in calories, and rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Healthy recipes with Cabbage-

Cabbage carrot pancakes
Cabbage tofu salad
Stir-fried Cabbage
Chicken Cabbage soup
Cabbage lentil soup

All these recipes are very healthy and surely you can include these in your diet plan, the ingredients used and inexpensive so you don’t need to worry.

Spinach:

Spinach

This leafy green vegetable is very healthy and cheap as well, also you can get spinach almost in all local markets. You can put these in your salad, soup or your sandwiches also.

Health benefits of Spinach –

Helps to boost our immune system
Rich in vitamins A and C
Helps to keep our bones healthy
Helps to prevent chronic and heart diseases
It May helps to prevent inflammation and cell damage.

Healthy recipes with Spinach-

Sauteed Spinach
Spinach lentil soup
Spinach Kabab
Spinach cheese omelet
Spinach fruit salad

These tasty recipes are very easy to make and have lots of health benefits, also suitable for your budget.

Carrots:

Carrots

Carrot is one of the most common and healthy vegetables which is available around the year in your local market, and not that expensive also. There are so many healthy recipes available with carrots.

Health benefits of Carrots –

Rich source of Vitamin A and Beta-carotene
Contains fiber which lowers blood sugar level
Helps to balance cholesterol, and keeps our heart healthy
Contains several Vitamins and minerals
Good source of antioxidants.

Healthy recipes with Carrots-

Carrot pancakes
Carrot and chicken stew
Carrot Dalia khichdi
Carrot lentil soup
Roasted Carrots

Aren’t these recipes awesome? Just with some minimal ingredients you can prepare these dishes, and do not have to worry about your budget or health either.

Sweet potatoes:

Sweet potatoes

This is another incredibly healthy and cheap vegetable. And guess what, it’s very tasty also, just like an alternative to your regular potatoes which aren’t healthy at all. Sweet potatoes are also available at any local market or in supermarkets.

Health benefits of sweet potatoes –

Contains beta-carotene which converts into Vitamin A
Contains a decent amount of potassium and fiber
Has anti-inflammatory properties
Lowers the risk of chronic diseases
Boosts our immune system

Healthy recipes with sweet potatoes-

Baked Sweet potatoes
Mashed Sweet potatoes
Sweet potato curry with cauliflower
Sweet potato chips
Cheesy Sweet potato soup

Isn’t your mouth watering just by thinking about these dishes, now you don’t even need to feel guilty for having potatoes, you can thank me later! for these guilt-free healthy and tasty potato recipes, which won’t bother your expenses also.

Fruits—

Just like veggies, there are so many inexpensive fruit options available as well which are extremely tasty and good for your health also. We all know that we should have at least one fruit each day, it helps to boost immunity, fruits are very good for our skin and it’s loaded with fiber and antioxidants.

There should be 2-3 servings of fruit in a balanced diet, sweet fruits can also satisfy your cravings for desserts.

Banana:

Banana

Banana is one of the most nutritious fruits, which is available at almost any local market, it has so many health benefits, you can have one or two bananas each day as a part of a balanced diet, it is filling, and can be added in many foods, and it’s a great snack.

And yes, you can still have bananas if you are on a weight loss diet because bananas are loaded with healthy fibers, these indigestible fibers are starch resistant, and helps to resist the carbohydrates from absorbing in your body.

Banana is a great pre-workout fruit, because of their easily digestible carbs, and the electrolytes in them like potassium and magnesium. By having a banana, you can recover the electrolytes you have lost during the exercise by sweating.

Studies say that bananas may help to reduce the chances of muscle cramps and soreness after an intense workout.

Health benefits of Bananas-

Rich in nutrients
Helps to control blood sugar level
Aid weight loss
Loaded with antioxidants

Not just that it is very easy to add bananas to your low-cost healthy diet, but there are so many convenient and easy options for you to have bananas in your regular diet. i.e.

Oatmeal with banana
Banana smoothie
Banana pancakes
Yogurt with banana
Banana peanut butter toast

Apple:

Apple

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away!”

You must have heard this before, but do you know if it’s true or not, well yeah, it is absolute truth, there are uncountable health benefits of having an apple each day, but before getting into that, the question is, it low-cost?

The answer is yes as well, it is the most available fruit in any local market, I know many varieties of apples cost different, but normal apples are all expensive and carry the same benefits as an expensive one.

This tasty fruit is very nutritious and carries outstanding health benefits it is great to include in your weight loss diet. It is a good source of vitamins C and E, and also contains antioxidants.

A whole Apple helps to control our appetite, as it contains water and high fiber, apple also contains polyphenols, which are an important group of antioxidants, it helps our cells from harmful molecules and may decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Health benefits of Apple-

Rich in fiber, aid digestion
Helps to lower high cholesterol
It May help in weight loss
Lowers the risk of diabetes

So now we know it is low-cost, and it is healthy as well, now we need to know about the foods in which we can incorporate apples. There are so many snack options like

Apple with peanut butter
Apple chia pudding
Overnight oatmeal with apple
Apple muffins

Guava:

Guava

This is also one of the most easily available fruit in India, which is low-cost and extremely good for your health, guava is available around the year, and tastes delicious.

Like apples you should have one guava per day as it also offers so many great health benefits, I won’t be wrong if I would say “A Guava a day keeps the doctor away!”, do you want to know why?

Guava is rich in vitamin C, which helps to boost your immune system, and prevents your body from infections and illness, it can also control your blood sugar level as it contains high fiber. It’s great for patients with hypertension, as it contains sodium and potassium, which can regulate high blood pressure.

You can have guava during pregnancy also, yes, several fruits are good for a pregnant woman, but you can call guava a superfood among them, it contains Folic acid and vitamin B9 which helps to develop a baby’s nervous system and prevents neurological disorders.

Guava is low in calories and boosts your metabolism, which helps in weight loss, you can have guava after any meal or as a snack each day, it is high in fiber, so it will help your fat loss journey. There are so many other health benefits also i.e.

Health benefits of Guava-

Contains anti-cancer properties
Helps to control diabetes and blood pressure
Boost immunity
Helps to release stress
Aid weight loss

It would be great if you can have the whole guava each day, you don’t need to add it to any food, try to have guava after any meal and not on an empty stomach.

Papaya:

Papaya

Papaya is a tropical fruit that has a vibrant orangish-yellow color, tastes sweet, and this fruit is popular for the various health benefits it provides. This fruit is also available most of the time year, especially in India, and it’s inexpensive also.

The inside of ripe papaya is fleshy and soft, you can have it like so, or there are some options to add papaya to the foods of your daily diet, we will talk about that later.

First, we need to know about the health benefits of papaya. This fruit contains vitamin K which helps to lower the risk of bone fracture. Vitamin K helps to improve the absorption of calcium in your blood and lowers the amount of calcium excretion in your urine, so when you have a good amount of calcium in your body it helps to strengthen your bones.

Papaya is also loaded with fiber, one small papaya contains almost 3 grams of fiber, so it is great for diabetes patients. Of its water and high fiber, content papaya is great for digestion and constipation as well.

Health benefits of Papaya-

Contains vitamin K and antioxidants
Contains high fiber and water
Lower the risk of diabetes
Helps to prevent asthma
Have anti-cancer properties

Here are some food ideas in which you can incorporate papaya, and these foods are healthy also. These are papaya juice with chia seeds,

papaya peanut salad,
papaya with yogurt,
papaya oat smoothie.

These healthy snacks are effortless to prepare, very delicious and healthy, and you know extremely pocket friendly.

Cucumber:

Cucumber

This is one of the most common fruits which we can get at any market, and it’s very easy to include cucumber in your daily diet chart, you don’t even need to add it to any food, you can just eat it like so, Cucumber is a very cheap and highly nutritious fruit.

Cucumber is extremely beneficial for weight loss because it’s very low in calories, and is very hydrating, not just, it is loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, which can keep you healthy and there are so many health benefits it carries.

Cucumber is a fruit that anyone can have, it’s good for patients, and helps to control blood sugar levels also.

Health benefits of Cucumber-

Provides hydration
Very low in calories, helps to lose weight
Loaded with antioxidants
Contains a good amount of fiber
Has anti-inflammatory properties

It is very easy to include in your daily diet which is one of the most important benefits of cucumber, there are so many options you can choose which are low cost, and very healthy.

One can add cucumbers to his fruit salad or any salad you like as a snack, or you can have this with lunch or dinner also, you can even make pickles from it.

So, there were low-cost nutritious food examples among vegetables and fruits. Now there are some other food options that we can also include in low-cost nutritious food in India. We will also get to know about the benefits of these foods too.

So here is the list

Lentils:

Lentils

Lentils are very cheap and widely available in India, and there are so many easy recipes available there with lentils, right? If you are an Indian you must aware of this, and you must also know that lentils are loaded with nutrients. Apart from all these recipes made with lentils are very tasty, and easy to include in your daily diet plan.

Health benefits of Lentils –

Loaded with fiber, prevent constipation
Lower cholesterol and diabetes
Great source of plant-based protein
Contains a good amount of Vitamin B, magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc.
Has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, which may prevent cancer.

Here are some food ideas with lentils which you can prepare quite easily and you will enjoy having it also, first we have to mention Khichdi, it’s a very easy and healthy Indian dish, or you can have lentil soup, lentil patties, cucumber salad with green lentils, and there are so many salad options which you can have with boiled or with soaked lentils. Comment down below if you want to know the details recipes.

Oats:

In this era of so many types of diet plans who don’t know about oats? We all know right? It’s a common food option for all of us, which is low cost also. We all know that oats are a great source of fiber, but there are so many other benefits also that you need to know about.

Health benefits of Oats –

Not just carbs and fibers, oats are higher in protein and good fats also.
Oats are very filling, make us feel full, and help to lose weight
Helps to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol level.
Contains antioxidants, which help to reduce blood pressure.

Here are some food ideas with oats oatmeals, overnight oats, oat khichdi, oat chilla, oatmeal cookies, and oatmeal pancakes.

Eggs:

Eggs are one of the best low-cost protein sources and very easy to include in daily diet, not just in India but it’s easily available in almost any country. It is highly nutritious and delicious also. Though it is not a good option for vegans but can skip it as we have already mentioned so many low-cost vegan food options. Now let’s get into the benefits of eggs,

Health benefits of Eggs –

Contains vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and other nutrients
Contains a good amount of protein and amino acids
Helps to stay full for a long time.
Contains good cholesterol

Here are some food ideas which you can make with eggs, you can have snacks omelets, boiled eggs, poached eggs, or scrambled eggs. For something more filling, you can have an egg sandwich, egg salad with veggies, egg muffins, and cheesy omelets. Let us know if you want the recipes.

Yogurt:

Yogurt is a very common food in India which is made by fermenting milk, it is low cost and easily available at any market or shop, and you can make yogurt at the home also, it is very nutritious and loaded with health benefits.

You can skip it if you are lactose intolerant, nowadays Dairy-free yogurts are also available at Supermarkets and online, but those are not as cheap as normal yogurt. Comment down below if you want to know how to make yogurt at home.

Health benefits of Yogurt –

Good source of some nutrients like vitamin B12, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, and potassium.
Contains probiotics, helps to control gastro problems, and boosts digestive health.
High in protein, helps to keep you full for long
Probiotics in it help to boost immunity and prevent certain illness

Yogurt can be eaten itself or you can incorporate it with any dish, you can have yogurt with any fruits or with veggies of your choice like a salad, or you can use it as a salad dressing also. It can be eaten with rice or roti or with parathas, which is also very wholesome.

Soya beans:

Soya chunks which are made from soya beans are easily available in India and are low cost also, but we all know that it is a great source of plant-based protein. There are so many other health benefits also, and you can have soya chunks in so many ways.

Health benefits of Soya beans –

Rich in protein, and omega 3 fatty acids, high in fiber
low in saturated fat, helps to lower bad cholesterol in our body.
Regulate hormone imbalance, good for patients with PCOS
Contains Phytoestrogen, which helps to control Menopause symptoms.
Low in carbs, helps to promote weight loss.

Brown rice:

I know brown rice is not as cheap as normal white rice, but we also need to remember that it carries many benefits which you can not get from white rice. You can replace white rice with brown rice and can use it in any rice dish also. It tests almost the same.

Nowadays Brow rice is widely available at any supermarket or online, you can buy it at a pretty reasonable price.

Health benefits of Brown Rice –

High in fiber, contains low carbs and fats and controls blood sulevelsevel.
Controls cholesterol levels, and prevents the risk of heart disease.
Contains a good amount of calcium and magnesium, which helps to maintain bone health.
Helps to keep you full for a long time, and may help in weight loss.

Nowadays Brow rice is widely available at any supermarket or online, you can buy it at a pretty reasonable price.

Bajra/millet:

Bajra or Millet is one of the most famous grains in India it is low cost as well, it’s easy to digest and gluten-free. You can replace it with your normal atta and can include Bajra roti in your daily diet plan.

Health benefits of Bajra –

Contains fiber and good carbs, and helps to prevent diabetes
High in plant-based protein
Rich in potassium, helps to control blood pressure.
Good for patients with constipation, as it contains dietary fibers.
Helps in weight loss.

Seeds:

Seeds are great options for plant-based minerals and fibers. There are many types of seeds available in the market which are inexpensive, and these tiny seeds are packed with health benefits and nutrients like iron, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

These are 6 types of seeds that are great for our health and also budget-friendly.

Chia seeds
Sunflower seeds
Flex seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Hemp seeds

You can add these to your salad, smoothie, oatmeal, or your multigrain rotis also.

Dry fruits:

I know you must be thinking how could dry fruits be inexpensive or low cost, yes, I can get your point, but the thing is you just need a little amount of these to include in your diet and that’s enough

because these are also packed with so many nutrients which are great for our body, so if you compare with them normal foods having some almonds, raisins, and wall nuts daily won’t be that expensive right!

Dry fruits are excellent snack options and these can keep you full for a long, not just loaded with nutrients, dry fruits are delicious also.

These can enhance your energy and can keep your digestive system healthy.

Helps to lose weight, rich in fibers.
Great for your skin
Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Fight against constipation.
Keeps your heart and bones healthy.
Boost immunity and prevents constipation.

Here are the top 7 dry fruits which are great for our health

Almonds
Wall-nuts
Cashew
Raisins
Dates
Apricots
Pistachio

You can add these dry fruits to your smoothie or fruit salads or you can just have these as it is.

FAQ

low cost nutritious food in India

In India Nuts and Seeds are the best low-cost nutritious food options, because these are loaded with protein and good carbs and fats. Some other options which are available in India are Rice, Millet, Wheat, Jowar, Ragi, etc.

There are some other food options like vegetables and fruits, which are already listed above.

low cost nutritious food examples

There are many types of low-cost fruits and vegetables available in the market, which are healthy as well. Like Cauliflower, Cabbage, Carrot, Spinach, Sweet potatoes, Apples, Banana, Cucumber, etc.

And there are some other healthy and low-cost food options like lentils, Seeds, cereals, Brown rice, oats, eggs, yogurt, etc.

What are the top 10 cheapest food sources?

The top 10 cheapest yet healthy food options are-

Oats, brown rice, lentils, fruits, dry fruits, eggs, vegetables, seeds, quinoa, yogurt.

What is the cheapest nutritional and inexpensive food?

There are many food options, not just one which is inexpensive, and healthy as well. Like Cauliflower, Cabbage, Carrot, Spinach, Sweet potatoes, Apple, Banana, Cucumber, lentils, Seeds, cereals, Brown rice, oats, eggs, yogurt, etc.

Low cost nutritious food in India, Vegetables, Fruits and Health benefits