Healthy on a Budget

Eating healthy can be a challenge. One major excuse is…"it is so expensive and with the current economic crisis it is just easier and cheaper to eat what I eat."  Not true. Here are some tips and ideas to stay healthy on a budget:

Choose foods that contain no chemicals or preservatives. Use this rule of thumb: if you cannot pronounce the ingredients, they are probably not good for you.

Switch from foods made with white flour to whole wheat, spelt, oat, or other whole grains. Try this with breads, pasta, crackers, and cereals.

Use olive oil rather than butter.  Olive oil tastes great, for example, when sautéing eggs or in used a pie crust.

Opt for low-fat or non-fat dairy products or soy.  

Serve 3 ounces of grain with your meal: barley, farro, brown rice, spelt, or quinoa (which is high in protein.) They are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index.

Legumes are a great source of protein and are inexpensive. Try a lentil vegetable soup with a chopped salad and your favorite protein for dinner.

Buy produce in season. It is readily available and therefore less expensive.

Use a good quality sea salt (and do not over salt foods).

When making items that requires breadcrumbs, use oats or flax.

If you have lots of extra vegetables in the refrigerator, make a soup and freeze it for use later on.

Tofu is inexpensive and can be mixed with ground chicken or turkey for chili, burgers, meatloaf and meatballs.

Have 4 ounces of protein with dinner,  lots of vegetables and 3 ounces of grains.

Gte more bang for your buck. Pasta triples in quantity when you cook it. (Purchase whole grain pasta or whole wheat pasta.) Grains and legumes double in size.

Greens are rich in iron and vitamins and are inexpensive: collars, chard, mustard, escarole, and beet greens.

Marinara sauce is inexpensive. It's a great source of lycopene and can be used on fish, chicken, or pasta.

Organic vs. Conventional
The top ingredients to purchase organic are peaches, nectarines, apples, strawberries, lettuces, potatoes, bell peppers, grapes, cherries, red raspberries, spinach, cherries, grapes, and pears. Also consider spending the extra pennies on organic dairy products.  Top items that you can buy conventional include blueberries, asparagus, cabbages, peas, pineapples, eggplant, broccoli, onions, and mangoes.

In the long run, eating healthy will cost you less. You'll have more energy, increased productivity, less medicines, fewer trips to the doctor and an overall sense of feeling much better. A votre sante!