CLEVELAND, Ohio—Healthy eating, healthy lifestyles — it’s all over TV and social media.

But when it comes to real life, some of those healthy options can get pretty pricey. 

• Some options for healthy eating and healthy lifestyles can get expensive
• A Cleveland dietician says meal-prepping and freezing leftovers will save hundreds every year
• A Cleveland personal trainer says working out at home or incorporating more movement into your day can save money and work wonders

Registered Dietician at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine Ryanne Lachman says there are things you can do to avoid breaking the bank when it comes to healthy food.

“When you get home from the grocery store, having a general idea of how you’re going to use things, so that the food doesn’t go bad and that you’re using leftovers,” said Lachman. 

Lachman says the biggest things we waste money on are leftovers and food waste. 

“Chili that we made a huge batch of and we just don’t feel like using the last two cups of it, go in the trash— that’s money left on the table,” said Lachman. “So, if we can store that appropriately, know that we’re gonna have four servings of this, but we’re gonna freeze two servings for next week when we’re interested in having chili again, that’s money saved.”

Lachman says we end up throwing out 40 percent of the food we buy at the grocery store. 

“So that’s... if you have 4 bags, leaving a bag and a half in the parking lot... like not even getting home with it... I know! Isn’t that mind boggling?! The thought of doing that is heartbreaking, so why do we think it’s ok to throw away leftovers?” 

She says meal-prepping or freezing leftovers will save hundreds every year. 

Replacing animal proteins with plant-based proteins is a great way to be healthy, and save money. 

“Organic tofu or Tempeh or bean-based pastas are some of my favorites recently for good quality protein, but cheaper per serving compared to salmon or grass-fed beef, or even chicken in a lot of cases,” said Lachman. 

But being healthy isn’t just about what you eat— it’s also about being active. 

Cleveland-based personal trainer Kristina Kovacs says she often hears about fitness being “too expensive.” 

“Every day. Especially with coaching and personal training— that stuff is definitely expensive,” said Kovacs. “But just buying groceries and the ability to work out, like having a place or equipment or a program is expensive for a lot of people.”

Kovacs says she started out doing workout tapes in her living room.

“You can do that and make an at home gym and buy equipment from Craigslist and Play it Again Sports and just equipment from people you know in your life,” said Kovacs. 

She says few people use workout DVD's anymore, but there are options online that are more affordable or cost nothing at all. 

“There’s so many free resources on the internet that people don’t realize and you can just have an accountability buddy, somebody that you check in with, even making a calendar appointment on your own calendar like someone would schedule with a personal trainer — it’s an appointment with yourself to stay accountable and you can do at-home workouts,” said Kovacs. 

If working out isn’t your thing, Kovacs says incorporating more movement into your day can work wonders. 

“Just getting those steps in— people don’t realize how much weight you can lose by just increasing your steps.”