Smart 'n Healthy on a Budget
The economy is gloomy, the cost of food keeps rising thanks to the also-rising costs of growing, processing, shipping, distributing and marketing food. All of these factors play a role in your increasing food budget.
Overall, food prices have increased five to six percent in supermarkets during the past year.
So now we all must deal with the difficulties that come with eating a healthful diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, seafood and low fat dairy products while maintaining a low-cost diet. Surveys already suggest that people are purchasing fewer fruits and vegetables since the decline in the economy that started in January, 2009. Just the other day I went to grab a pound of simple green grapes - cost me over $4.00. I can remember the days a big bunch of fresh and plump green grapes cost a quarter...
There are big decisions going on in the supermarket because healthy eating is perceived as being more costly. Studies show that overall, people want to live well on less. People are eating out less often with 61 percent from a recent Rodale shopper survey stated that they are spending some or all of their "eating out budget" at the supermarket instead.
The study also showed that people are switching to more cost-effective stores, making fewer shopping trips each week, reducing implulse buying, considering more store brands, buying less expensive cuts of meats and decreasing the use of prepared foods.
But let's take one of the side effects of this dilemna and see it as a positive. More people are being forced to get back into their kitchens instead of relying on eating out or grabbing fast food on the way home. Nutritionists are excited about this fact because they feel the best way to eat healthfully is to return to whole, minimally processed foods and to cook fresh food from scratch.
Remember: Restaurants inflate portion sizes along with calories, fat, and sodium levels. Convenience and processed foods are often laden with calories, fat, sugar, sodium, refined flours and artificial ingredients.
Choose the Best Foods
The closer your foods come to their natural state, the less processing has occured. Think steel-cut oatmeal versus an oat fiber nutrition bar. The steel-cut oatmeal is minimally processed and packaged; when you scoop it up in your palm you can see the real oatmeal kernels. In the nutrition bar, however, you may not be able to identify a single real food amid all the processed ingredients.
Food Strategies
- Try planning a weekly menu of simple dishes like stir-fries, entree salads, and whole grain pasta dishes.
- Avoid impulse buying.
- Clip coupons and consult your supermarket fliers for food bargains.
- Do bulk purchasing of items you use frequently.
- Visit the farmer's market weekly for seasonal produce.
- Finally, put on an apron and get cooking.
