Eating Healthy Doesn't Have to Be Expensive
The notion of eating healthy is too often dismissed as too expensive. Sure, buying organic does cost more, and fast food, with its convenience factor and cheap prices, appears more appealing to those on a tight budget. But to eat better doesn't necessarily mean you have to shop exclusively at Whole Foods or farmers' markets; it's perfectly doable to maintain a healthy diet without breaking the bank. ABC News has some tips on how to eat well for less without having to resort to 10¢ ramen.
Get protein from eggs and milk: Not only are eggs and milk the most affordable sources of protein, they also contain the highest quality of protein. Price-wise, they're a lot cheaper than meat (two eggs cost about 40 cents; a glass of milk comes to about 25 cents), and they also provide other nutritional benefits.
Eat seasonally: Fulfill your produce intake by eating what's currently in season. Melons are perfect for summer and provide antioxidants and potassium. Buy apples and oranges by the bulk.
Beans are good for your heart: And not only that, but they're super versatile. Serving double-duty as both a vegetable and a protein, beans are just as good in canned form, and can be used in salads, soups, stir-fries, rice—just about anything.
Eat more of the three C's: Carrots are high in the antioxidant carotene, cabbage is high in iron, calcium and potassium, and collards contain more anti-cancer compounds than any other vegetable. Use up old ones in soups and stir-fries.
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8 Comments:
Some good tips here, especially about beans. They really are a great deal--super nutritious, cheap, and versatile. Another way to eat them is in the form of TVP (textured vegetable protein), which is made from soybeans and can be found in health-food stores. You can replace 1/2 the ground beef in many recipes with beef-flavored TVP and nobody will notice the difference. Healthier and cheaper than all beef.
I've gotten some good deals on healthy foods at places like Big Lots; for example, my local Big Lots always seems to have canned pumpkin at a great price. I've also started going to the local Oroweat Bakery Outlet (my sister and I grew up calling it "the used bread store"); last weekend I got three loaves of bread, hamburger rolls, sandwich rolls, and bagels (all 100% whole wheat) for $6.
stillSTH at 2:07PM on 06/22/08
TVP is "healthier" than some beef if you are concerned about saturated fat. However, the quality of soy protein is poorer than that of beef, and in comparing a lean cut to soy, all-around healthiness should go to the beef, which is not high in phytoestrogens like the soy.
Luther at 6:10PM on 06/22/08
Just read recently that the potential long-term health risks of TVP are still unexplored (check out In Defense of Food)...it does make me a bit leery. I'll stick to good ol' Asian tofu. In recipes calling for ground beef, I always substitute lean ground turkey anyways because I don't like the taste of the beef to begin with.
Pammeh at 8:46PM on 06/22/08
I recently read that if you want to eat for less money (and probably improve your health as well), you should choose the diet of your ancestors and eat like a peasant from that country/region. Or, pick an ethnic diet that you like and eat like a peasant from that country. Those ways of eating are generally lighter on meat, heavier on beans, grains and vegetables and use moderate amounts of dairy and eggs. There's little to no overly processed, refined or junk foods, either.
IndyGal at 9:19PM on 06/22/08
Well, if TVP gives you the heebies, you can always just mash up some beans and mix them in with the beef.
stillSTH at 12:48AM on 06/23/08
That list completely neglects grains. Brown rice, barley, bulgur, sprouted wheat, quinoa. When you eat the whole grain you get added minerals plus fiber.
We get a great pilaf mix from Trader Joes that has little garbanzos, some orzo, lentils and barley. It's fabulous an beats any high salt rice-a-roni.
And let's not forget the beans friendly little cousins, lentils plus garbanzos (and all things hummus).
cybele at 6:06PM on 06/23/08
The list completely ignores the realities of shopping and the insane American preference for specific cuts of meat.
You can eat chicken or pork on sale from Food4Less for much cheaper than eggs from WholeFoods (WholePaycheck).
You can get far more meals out of cheap cuts like whole chicken legs than expensive ones like boneless skinless breasts.
Canned tomatoes will take you much farther than fresh, are often higher quality, and can be bought for lower prices at places like Wal*Mart.
peekpoke at 8:17PM on 06/23/08
Thanks for the information on eating healthy without paying too much. Thank you for the four tips!
We recently wrote an article on what is healthy to feed children at Brain Blogger. How in the world do we find out what to feed our children? What's the most important factor? Is there a most important factor?
We would like to read your comments on our article. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Kazul9 at 8:30PM on 06/24/08