FOOD THYMES
SPRING 2013
How to Eat Healthy on a Budget By Tatiana Kiesewetter
Stick by the List-Shop only for what is on your shopping list. Often times it is easy to sneak in foods that aren’t as nutritious, especially when there is no list to keep the shopper accountable. Be a Penny Pincher-Scavenge for coupons from the local newspaper or online. The investment of the cost of the newspaper is worth the amount of potential savings. Don’t Let Your Stomach Buy-Never shop when you are hungry and are most vulnerable to junk food. Fresh is Best-When purchasing fresh produce pay attention to what is in season. Produce that is in season is cheaper and is an affordable way to introduce nutritional balance and variety. If fresh produce isn’t an option, frozen and canned are better than none at all and the nutrition is comparable to fresh produce. Sticks to the Sides-As a generalization, the aisles in the middle of the store have the lowest nutritional content. Stay away from the junk food aisles. Stock Up-When there is a sale on healthy dry goods like brown rice, whole grain pasta, crackers or cereal, take advantage and stock up. Limit Red- Reduce the amount of red meat; instead choose cheaper and leaner options like chicken or turkey. A cheap source of protein that has all the essential amino acids is eggs. Do- it-yourself- Make your own sacks. Instead of buying individual pre-packaged baby carrots buy baby carrots in bulk. Or buy raisins and unsalted nuts in bulk and make your own trail mix. Ditch the Brands-Buy generic brands. Contrary to the marketing slogans, ingredients are essentially the same and are more affordable. Stay in-Avoid eating out- Restaurants have larger servings with a big bill. Fast food while cheaper has detrimental amounts of fat, sugar, and salt which sabotage the efforts of trying to eat healthy.
References: “Healthy Eating”. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved March 11, 2013. http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesbasics/prevention/checkup-america/healthy-eating.html “How to Eat Healthy on a Budget”. American Heart Association. Retrieved March 11, 2013. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Diabetes/Prev entionTreatmentofDiabetes/How-to-Eat-Healthy-on-aBudget_UCM_316810_Article.jsp
Eating healthy is a way of life. It is the principle or the belief that healthy food is an investment in one’s health and can prevent future medical health complications. Preventative healthy eating is like the old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. However, for many who are willing to commit to the initial discipline of eating healthy, what frustrates the attempt to be healthy is the weak purchasing power of the dollar and the nutrients it can buy. The growing epidemic of obesity and Type II Diabetes has been due in part to the prevalence of cheap sugar, salty, and fatty food. To let the dollar dictate how one eats is to invite disasters such as malnutrition, obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. Here is a list of recommendations. Choose three to start with and add as you become more comfortable: Look Ahead-Plan your meals for the week. Having a goal of what you want, you have the choice to check nutrition facts and/or substitute with cheaper options. This requires time and thought, but the time it takes is time you’ll save later in the week. Be a Penny Pincher-Scavenger for coupons from local newspaper or online, the investment of the cost of the newspaper is worth the amount of potential savings. Don’t Let Your Stomach Buy -Never shop when you are hungry and are most vulnerable to buy junk food. Fresh is Best-When purchasing fresh produce pay attention to what is in season. Produce that is in season is cheaper and this is an affordable way to introduce balance and variety from season to season. If however, fresh produce isn’t an option, frozen and canned are better than none at and the nutrition is comparable to fresh produce. Sticks to the Sides- As a generalization, the aisles in the middle of the store have the lowest nutritional content. 3 Stay away from aisles with the junk food.