I have discovered through a lot of trial and error that eating healthy on an island is actually pretty easy, even if you cannot grow your own produce and don’t have access to a farmers market. Now it seems pretty straightforward when you have a farmers market or farm stand, and access to all kinds of fruit trees. But this is definitely not always the case, and it certainly depends on what SIDE of an island you actually live on to even make this possible.

Okay, yes some of those options are definitely fruitful – grabbing avocados from public trees, and mangos from along the road is very widely practiced in Puerto Rico. But sometimes you have to go beyond just those two fruits, right? Obviously.

And occasionally you do encounter a great farmers market with a lot of options for produce. But what about all the other essentials, like flours, milks, nuts and seeds, oats…. Well you can get creative and if you have a lot of time on your hands, you can make your own nut milk and grind your own grains. But ain’t nobody got time for that?!

So here are my tried and true ways to assist my healthy lifestyle on an island.

1  Meal Plan. This will save you so much money and gas. The least number of trips you make to the grocery store, the less you spontaneously spend on impulse buys, and the less gas you use. So sit down and write up at least 5 meals for the week, expecting leftovers from a couple and maybe a splurge to eat out one of those nights. This strategy really does help save money! You go in for exactly what you need, putting blinders on to all the other snacks and chips you don’t need, and going straight for all the wholesome ingredients to prep your meals. So stick to the healthy options, try searching Pinterest for unique healthy meals, or get inspired by an Instagram post. You’ll be delighted at how simple these meals are to make, and how good you feel after eating them. Plus, you’ll save money by not buying prepackaged foods, and you’ll reduce your intake of plastics. Don’t forget to bring your own shopping bag!

2  Buy in Bulk. Whether that means planning for one big trip into your largest island city with the Costco or taking advantage of Amazon Prime shipping and ordering online, this will become one of your best friends. I tend to find some of the things I enjoy at our local grocery, like coconut oil, but the prices are just outrageous. So I make a shopping cart on Amazon, loading up on all the bulk items I’ll need to make one big purchase. Some of my favorites to buy online are coconut oil, chocolate chips, hemp seeds, nuts, gluten free flours and coconut sugar. Basically, I buy all my baking supplies online. But you can certainly purchase all sorts of grocery items from Amazon, or try another online grocer like Vitacost. If these options are not available to you on your island, then it may be worth forking over the extra $25-$50 to haul a separate suitcase back with you loaded with all your favorite healthy goodies from the states or wherever you travel. Before you throw your hands up in outrage, think about it… how much do you spend in gas to drive to San Juan (for example) to visit the Costco or Supermax? If it’s close to the cost of an extra suitcase, then consider this an option. Essentially, try to find a way to limit the number of trips you are making to all the specialty stores all over the island that afford you just one of your healthy items on your shopping list. Buy in bulk is a great way to encourage healthy eating, because you’ll have all those ingredients around for a while and then you can actively meal plan to incorporate them into your day.

3  Grow Your Produce. This one is a no brainer, but it isn’t always as accessible to most folks as they think. To really produce what you’ll need to sustain weekly meals, you need more than just one cilantro plant, one tomato plant, one pineapple bush. But take advantage of your island’s growing seasons, especially if it tends to be year round. Sprout avocado trees, lime trees, mango trees, any fruit! Plant them and watch them grow. Of course this take much longer, but you’ll be sustained with all your favorites in a few years, and it’s worth the wait. For an immediate satisfaction, start a vegetable garden in a raised flower bed or container, grow herbs in the window sill and start composting! But be sure to focus on what your household will consume. Be realistic about what you can manage. If you cannot take care of a huge garden, then plant a few of your favorites that you know you can monitor and nourish. If that means just herbs, then stick to that! Herbs are a great addition to meals for flavoring, which means you spend less money on store bought packaged herbs but still get all the health benefits!