In New York City, it is very easy to go out and spend $50, even $75 per person for a decent dinner.   Expensive restaurants are everywhere.  However, it is also very easy to eat out often on a budget, as well.  This is not to say that it is healthy to exist on $5 footling submarine sandwiches and lunch specials, but it is possible.  There are a wide range of food choices between $5 and $75.  For a long time, eating out was almost as economical as staying in and cooking dinner.  This is especially true if you are a single person.  When you factored in the cost of the food at the grocery store and the time it took you to cook it, it almost made sense to just stop off on the way home and pick something up. But with the economic downturn families have been making those tough decisions to cook more at home and eating out less.  To do this, it is especially important to make wise decisions when loading your shopping cart, so you will buy what you will use and buy healthy foods.  If that sounds overwhelming, let a Manhattan Nutritionist help you get started down the right aisles.

While the impulse maybe to rush out to the grocery store and buy all healthy foods you can think of, it is best to hold off and assess your current situation.  A smart start is to have your nutritionist make a home visit and go through your cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer.  Keep what can stay and throw out, or better yet donate your unwanted items to a food bank, such as Yorkville Pantry.  By the end of this exercise, you should be able to make a list of sensible foods that belong in your kitchen, while at the same time creating space for your new food-style.

In New York City, you have two very popular options for grocery shopping.  The first is the obvious trip to the local grocery store.  The second is the online grocer FreshDirect.  The easiest thing to do, is to sit down in front of your computer with your nutritionist Manhattan and select the foods you will need to stock your kitchen and pantry right.  Best of all, when you shop online, your list is saved for future orders.  You will always be able to refer to it.  This is also a great time saver as you need not spend time pulling the items from store shelves and lugging it home.  You can use the time saved and head off to the gym for a workout.

If you do choose to head to the grocery store yourself, make sure to have you nutritionist Manhattan go with you on the first trip.  While the general rule of thumb is too stay on the outer aisles, your nutritionist can help you navigate the inner aisles so you stay on the right track and don\’t fall prey to hunger cravings.  Again, knowing where the right and wrong choices are within your local food store, is a huge obstacle to overcome.