Healthy
Eating On A Budget
by Bev Grey
HEALTHY EATING ON A BUDGET
Do you have a problem serving healthy foods for
your family because you feel that they are more expensive? Here are
some ways you can improve your family’s health without ruining your
budget:
-Eliminate junk food. You may have to do your
grocery shopping alone, since children (and sometimes spouses!) are
often the ones who request the junk foods. A trip to my local
supermarket showed these prices for typical junk foods and beverages:
-Case of name brand soft drinks – $5.99 -20 ounce
bag of potato chips - $4.19 -Box of snack cakes - $1.99 -Package of 8
toaster-tarts $2.39 (each one contains 20 grams of sugar) -Package of
chocolate chip cookies - $3.59 -Half-gallon of ice cream - $3.99 -Box
of pre-sweetened cereal - $3.19 -8 juice boxes - $2.94 (each contains
26 grams of sugar) -1 box of 12 glazed doughnuts - $3.99
The total amount for the above items was $ 32.26
Replace the items above with:
-Water or skim milk instead of soft drinks. (You
can still enjoy your favorite beverage when you go out to a sporting
event, movie, etc. Just stick with the smallest size to save money AND
calories! ) Children AND adults need milk or milk products every day.
Milk also helps fill you up and provides needed calcium for strong
bones and healthy teeth.
-Buy whole fruit instead of potato chips, cookies,
doughnuts or snack cakes. One large banana equals 2 servings; 1 pound
of grapes equals several servings; other fruit should be purchased in
season in your area. Apples are less expensive in the fall. If you live
in the south, oranges, lemons and grapefruit may be plentiful in your
area, so use lots of them. Melons are usually less expensive in the
summer months.
-Limit fruit juice to ½ cup per day.
Instead of juice boxes or bottles, look for natural juice in half
gallon cartons or bottles. If your kids want to drink their juice from
individual serving bottles, buy your own plastic bottles and straws at
the dollar store and wash them out at night.
-Buy fruits in quantity when they are in season
and freeze extras. When strawberries and blueberries are plentiful in
my area, I always buy several pounds and freeze in plastic zipper bags.
Wash the fruit well; remove any spoiled pieces, dry thoroughly on paper
towels, and freeze. Be sure to squeeze as much air out of the bag as
possible to prevent freezer burn. You can also purchase frozen fruits
out-of-season. Just check the labels to make sure they were not dowsed
in sugar prior to freezing.
-Look for pick-your-own farms that allow you to
pick your own fruit for less. Take the whole family and enjoy some
fresh air and exercise!
-Eat yogurt instead of ice cream for snacks. I
know that Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart and Kroger superstores frequently
have low prices for yogurt. Stock up with enough to last several days.
To save even more, buy large cartons of plain yogurt and add your own
fresh fruit.
-Skip the pre-sweetened cereal and replace with
oatmeal or other hot cereal. A large box of 1-minute oatmeal contains
30 servings and costs $ 1.99 for the generic kind (oatmeal is
oatmeal!). Each serving contains 4 grams of fiber. Add fresh/frozen
fruit or a teaspoon of natural jelly (100% fruit) for sweetener.
-Buy fresh vegetables in season, grow your own
(tomatoes can be grown in pots on the patio if you don’t have a yard or
garden), or purchase frozen vegetables. Vegetables are frozen at the
peak of ripeness and contain as many vitamins and minerals as fresh.
Instead of using rich sauces, steam your veggies and season with fresh
herbs—which you can also grow easily in pots on your window sill or
patio. Stock up on frozen vegetables when your grocery has a sale.
-Meats and beans are good sources of protein. Lean
meats are more expensive than meats with lots of fat, but still
substantially less expensive than paying high medical bills incurred
from consuming a high fat, less nutritive diet. Here are other ways to
save on protein foods:
-Watch your portion sizes. Even an adult male, 35
years old who exercises more than 1 hour a day (in addition to regular
routine) only needs 7 ounces of meat or beans a day spread over 3
meals. Cook only enough of those foods to give everyone the recommended
amount. For a family of 5, 1 pound of ground chuck would be enough to
give Dad 4 ounces, Mom 3 ounces, a 10 year old boy and 8 year old twin
girls 3 ounces each. Those are the serving sizes recommended by the new
USDA guidelines. (A 3-ounce portion of meat is about the size of a deck
of cards.)
-Skip the bacon. Bacon is expensive, very high in
fat, and offers little or no nutritional value.
-Use beans frequently as a meat substitute. There
are many varieties, they can be prepared in a crock-pot so that dinner
is ready when you get home, and they contain lots of fiber to improve
regularity. The USDA recommends eating beans 4 times per week. If you
have a problem with gas after eating beans, try washing them, covering
with water, bringing water to a boil, then draining off water and
refilling pot. You can also use Beano—a natural plant enzyme—if you
have problems with gas.
-If you live in a coastal area or an area near
fresh-water lakes where fish is plentiful, make that a staple in your
diet.
-Purchase chicken or turkey on sale and freeze.
Again, be aware of healthful portion sizes. Some chicken breasts are
large enough for 2-3 servings. Don’t cook more than you need.
-Peanut butter is inexpensive and popular with
almost everyone. Use it for sandwiches instead of hot dogs or lunch
meat, and buy natural peanut butter if it is available in your area. It
does need to be refrigerated, since the oil rises to the top at room
temperature, but it does not contain the unhealthy
partially-hydrogenated fats that are in other peanut butters.
-Fill up with foods that have a high water
content. Salad greens, watermelon, and sugar free gelatin are some good
examples. Serve a green salad at the beginning of each dinner, topped
with a small amount of low-calorie dressing, vinegar and oil, or a
squeeze of lemon juice.
-Whole wheat bread is normally more expensive than
white bread, but since white bread usually has little, if any fiber or
nutritional value, it is worth the extra money. If you have a bakery
outlet nearby, stock up on day-old bread and freeze. I live near a
Wonder Bread outlet store, and a loaf of whole wheat bread costs $ .99.
If your family doesn’t like the course texture of most whole wheat
breads, try different brands until you find one you find acceptable.
Make sure they label says 100% whole grain and lists the first
ingredient as whole wheat flour.
-If you live in a small town or rural area and do
not have a large supermarket or discount grocery nearby, consider
making a trip once a month to a larger town to stock up on lower-priced
non-perishable foods.
Here’s to your health!
Bev Grey is author of the new book "The Project",
and founder of Grandma's Healthy Kids Club, an in-home program to help
children improve their eating and exercise habits or lose weight
safely.
Bev Grey may be contacted at http://www.grandmashealthykidsclub.com
or info@grandmashealthykidsclub.com
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