Over at Tammy's Blog, her Kitchen Tip Tuesday is all about asking questions this week... She wants us to ask for advice on some area where we need help in the kitchen...and who doesn't need some of that?
My question is this...what is the most economical way to start eating healthier? Hubby and I are committed to eating a better diet this year, in order to lose weight. However, as we shopped we saw that healthier meant more expensive. What is some of your best advice for making the transition without breaking the bank?
Thanks! For more great questions and tips, go to: http://tammysrecipes.com/
8 comments:
The best place to start with eating healthier is to eliminate white flour and white sugar. Also, I have found it very beneficial to increase fruits and vegetables, and cut back on meat. Increase whole grains (rice, whole wheat flour, barley, etc.) and legumes. These are the most nutritious items out there and the most reasonable! A great resource is Azure Standard. I review it here. Do you have a Trader Joe's in your area? If so, this is a great health food store with excellent prices!
Hope that helps. I am a frugal healthy nut, so if you have any questions, I am more than willing to help out.
Lindsay
www.passionatehomemaking.com
Healthier can mean more expensive to a point. Whole wheat bread costs more, but you wont eat as much because it will fill you up better. Same thing goes with any whole grain product. Add more fruits and veggies into your diet and reduce the junk food. A bag of potato chips has something like 12 or 14 oz. for a couple of bucks but a 3# bag of apples might cost the same price for a lot more food. A container of oats is cheaper and a lot healthier then a box of cereal. Concentrate on the small stuff first- more veggies, fruit, beans and rice; less meat, processed and junk foods. Then once you have started that way look into local for better eggs, and cheaper fruits/veggies. You could get into making your own bread, which would be cheaper if you bought ingredients in bulk. Look around online and find others who eat cheap and healthy for more ideas. Hope that helps!
By the way, I am also doing a Friday series on Natural Living on A Budget, if you are interested. Upcoming posts and resources on eating healthy and natural living on a budget.
Lindsay
passionatehomemaking.com
Don't buy any pre-made "health" food.
Start with the basics.Fruits and veggies are not that expensive, especially if you watch for the sales and plan your menu around them. Usually the simpler the food the cheaper it is. Buying locally from farm markets in season can be cheaper or bartering for local honey, maple syrup, apples. Buying farm fresh eggs are sometimes cheaper than store bought. Check and see if you have a bulk foods buying club in your area. They often have great sales and members can split orders, so you don't end up with 50lbs of popcorn or something. :)
One way I decrease meat is by using 1/2 pound of ground beef and 2 cups black beans, (you could use other kinds) in Mexican dishes. I also decrease the meat in other recipes and put in brown rice as a "filler". So far, no complaints from my family, but as you know, my kids will eat almost anything! I also buy frozen fruit on sale and use it to fulfill my fruit/sweet cravings on weeks that fresh fruit prices are out of my budget range.
Dry beans are cheap and very healthy. Use them instead of meat--don't substitute them, I mean find main dishes that use them instead. Yummy!
I see alot of good comments about adding fruits and veggies and cutting meats and processed foods. I have added a "soup night" and a "bean night" to my January menu.
Another tip that hasn't been mentioned before is to watch your portions. You can eat alot of the regular food you are used to but just watch how much you eat of it.
Reading all of the great tips shared here on your blog has been fun, Amy! :o) I second the suggestion of whole grains and adding more fruit, along with the beans & lentils. All of these tips were our "starting point" when we began the journey towards better health. Also, if you can, cut out all beverages other than water. This has really helped me feel so much better. When plain water seems boring, I sometimes add sliced citrus fruit or even cucumbers to liven up the drink a bit. You could also try watered down juice. I sometimes do a 4 parts water to 1 parts juice drink as a special treat.
The Local Harvest site has helped us find all sorts of inexpensive local foods. From co-ops, cheese & meat to honey & CSAs, nearly everything can be found here. Several farmers have allowed us to barter with them for goods, which surprised me. Sean is the type of guy who is really handy and can fix anything, so upon learning this fact just through small talk, several local food producers have called him to assist them with this or that project in exchange for yummy goodies. I have also baked some baked goods and made tea towels for people. We have even been invited to two farms for wonderful meals and a fun tour. As you can see, local foods have been a HUGE blessing to us. Not only have we eaten some delicious goods, but also made friendships and acquaintance with delightful people- many lovely Christian families too! I have been amazed at what a tiny bit of friendly chatter can bring! :D
For a yummy, easy, & healthy starter recupe, you simply must try Honey Baked Lentils. I have been making this recipe frequently, and even Peapod can not get enough of it. :o)
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