How to eat well in whistler and not go broke

Updated January 18 2021

When you walk into a grocery store in Whistler, the first thing you notice is the cost. The price here is much more than people are used to. So, what do we do? We start to shop smart. How do we shop smart? Well I'm glad you asked...
 
The key here is to have a plan in mind.  Here’s 5 easy steps to help keep you healthy and within your budget.
 
Step 1:
COOK AT HOME. It’s almost always cheaper to eat at home.
 
Step 2:
Take a second and PLAN OUT YOUR MEALS. If you have a plan, it makes shopping that much easier. This way you can avoid randomly spending $10 on ice cream and put $10 more towards the food you SHOULD be eating. Team up with housemates, family, friends etc to make the meals, this will decrease your costs. It's also a great reason to meet up with friends and family members. 
 
Step 3:
CHECK THE FLYERS THAT WEEK. It’s very simple but rarely done. This lets you know what’s on sale before you even set foot in the store. I’ve attached links to our local grocery stores so you can check them out weekly.
 
Creekside Market
The Grocery Store
Fresh Street
Nesters Market
Independent 
 
Step 4:
SHOP THE OUTSIDE AISLES OF THE MARKET.
This is where we always find our healthy food. Our veggies, fruits, and proteins etc... Once we enter the middle aisles, that's where we tend to find the foods we want to avoid, the processed foods. If we stick to our budget and spend our money on these healthy foods, then we wont blow our cash on the unhealthy stuff. One of my supervisors in med school Dr Afsoun Khalili taught me this part. She would actually take patients to the grocery stores and teach them how to shop effectively.
 
Step 5:
EAT WELL… for cheap
 
That's it… eat in, plan ahead, check for sales, shop the outside aisles. That's your basic blueprint to eating well and not spending a fortune. Let me know how it goes.
 
At this time of year, a lot of the local restaurants offer a seasonal meal deal. Check out some of your favourites to see if they have any deals on for you to save some cashola. 
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Don't forget about Whistler’s farmers market in the summer. This can be great for finding your healthy food for cheap!!
http://www.whistlerfarmersmarket.org