Unemployment and tight economic times are especially hard on food budgets. Many other expenses in a person’s life are fixed. Food is one of the few areas where people can and do cut back. The usual way people do this is to use coupons and watch for store specials to try to stretch their food budget. The result unfortunately is to drive people away from healthy foods and towards the overly processed and less nutritious options in the store.
Surviving tough economic times should not mean that you sacrifice your health. Most of the marketing and health magazine push however is to expensive organic, specialty and processed foods. There are plenty of inexpensive ways to eat healthy on a budget. A little planning can make meal preparation as fast as ready made foods.
Here are some hints on how to eat healthy, at low cost and with fast meal preparation.
- Throw out the coupons-- They only encourage you to make poor choices (there are exceptions, always think about your purchases)
- Hit the farmers markets-- often higher quality for the same price
- Buy a rice cooker/steamer-- Fast healthy meals, add rice, water, cooks automatically. For a complete meal add beans, frozen vegetables, spices, canned soup, etc, turn it on, shuts off in 15 minutes when done.
- Cook on your day off-- Take a Sunday afternoon, hard boil eggs, make rice and noodle dishes, make soup, bake potatoes, muffins or dinner rolls. Package in single meal containers so they are ready to reheat as quick meals through the week.
- Make soup-- Soups easy on the digestion and a great way to build strength and eat healthy. Boil soup bones, add vegetables and left over rice and noodles and you have soup. For a faster meal used a canned soup as a start, add extra water, frozen vegetables, left over rice/noodles and spices. Soup can turn cheap cuts of meat into a flavorful meal.
Some of the best food deals in the store, things to stock up on, inexpensive easy to prepare
- eggs- most inexpensive source of protein
- rice/potato/pasta- inexpensive source of carbohydrates
- dried beans/legumes-(soak in distilled water for best results, Wisconsin water is often too hard)
- frozen vegetables-(often as good as the produce isle because they are picked/processed quickly when ripe, rather than being bred for transport)
- butter/olive oil-real food deserves real oils that are better for you
- flour/whole wheat flour, with a little practice baking simple bread/biscuits can be fast and the smell of fresh bread is a great wholesome treat.
- spices-spices add variety to any food, do not be afraid to experiment
- in season local vegetables and fruits- especially squash, onions and apples. Root vegetables like carrots, turnips, and sweet potatoes, can go a long way in soups and stews.
- oatmeal -the quick 5minute breakfast, add dried fruit for flavor.
- hot or iced tea-helps the digestion, brings flavor without the cost or the sugars found in soft drinks
For more information on eating healthy, check out Eating Healthy to lose weight
Comments