With ever increasing food costs, more of us are struggling to keep putting healthy choices on the table. Fresh vegetable prices are rising every day, while processed foods seem to get cheaper and cheaper. It can make you wonder whether our governments are as concerned about our nutritional health, as they claim to be.
If you are like most people, you often don't know how to plan your meals and shopping to meet your health and budget requirements, never mind satisfying your tastes.
In addition to cost restrictions, you might also be limiting your food buying choices because of long held preconceptions about what certain foods taste like, even what you like and don't like to eat.
For instance, many people will tell me that they don't eat salad. When I ask them why, the answer is inevitably "I don't like it". Once I find out about some of the foods that they do like, I'll offer new approaches to salad creating that match their tastes.
What happens is, they start to see things differently, they begin to understand that in essence a salad is simply a collection of ingredients eaten cold. Usually these are raw ingredients, but they certainly don't have to be. If you're struggling to eat any vegetables, go ahead and include some meat in your salad - cooked chicken breast, ham or fish. Do you hate raw carrots, but love them cooked? Use yesterday's leftovers, or cook them ahead to have cold ones ready. The choice is yours, always! And there are absolutely no rights or wrongs.
What will your Salad look like?
Getting down to the business of Money
Far too many people today are feeling that they cannot afford to eat healthy, after all, a lot of them can barely afford to eat. I want to assure you that You can do it. You can eat healthy. And when necessary you can do it on any budget! Please remember too, there is no shame in seeking help from any community resources available to you: community dinners, breakfast club at school (for the kids), food banks, and community kitchens.
I know you can, because I've done it. I've fed a family of four (myself & three daughters) plus our 5 animals, on extremely tight budgets. There were a couple of years where that budget was barely $50/week. And, yes, I've needed to visit food banks. It is so important to remember that you can only do the best you can do at any given time. I enjoy giving back to these services in more affluent times, through donations and volunteering.
Here are some strategies you can start implementing right away
- Sign up for your Grocery Store's Point/Reward Program if they have one
- Shop by the flyers & take advantage of price matching
- Learn how to compare unit cost - Not all bulk buying is cheaper
- Sign up for a Community Good Food Box - most communities have one or more of these programs where the group shares the cost of buying fresh vegetables (usually at a discount) and then the whole box is usually further discounted by the community organization. A monthly family Good Food box in my area is $24. It usually contains enough veggies for a family of four for at least 2 weeks.
- Learn to shop the perimeter of the grocery store - avoid the centre aisles as much as possible
- Cook from scratch - it's the key to both eating healthy & eating affordably! One can of vegetable soup will cost you, on average $1.00. It has 2 (not very nutritious) servings. Vegetable soup can easily be made at home. All of the ingredients can be purchased for $10. This soup will yield at least 20 servings, have much more nutritional value, and will not even use up all of the ingredients you purchased. You will have enough onions and potatoes left over for at least a week's worth of meals, and some frozen peas. You can freeze family size containers or individual portions for easy reheating later in the month.
- Purchase meat in the largest package you can afford & freeze individually.
- Is bread on sale? Buy a few extras & freeze them - you need to save all of your pennies!
- Limit meat eating - one or two nights without will impact your budget & is good for your health too.
- Get to know legumes - Not only are they far cheaper than meat, they offer plant based protein, fibre and many nutrients you won't get with meat proteins.
- Don't avoid fats, salt & sugar completely in your cooking & meal preparations - not only does your body need these nutrients for growth, maintenance & repair, but you'll also be doing yourself a favour by hitting your taste buds with the flavours that you crave. By adding these into your meals in healthy quantities from natural sources, you'll begin to see a reduction in cravings for sweet or salty snacks.
- If you need help navigating the grocery store sign up for one of my tours or watch for upcoming lessons online. (Details will be posted soon at www.teresawright.jigsy.com)
