By Judy Davie
For further information about food and nutrition, visit Judy Davie’s website at www.thefoodcoach.com.au
“Can you give me some cheap and healthy meal ideas? I want to be healthy but fast food is cheaper.”
There certainly are some very cheap deals in fast food. The bottom line, though, is fast food is bad for you and if it costs you your health, in the long run it’s not worth the savings.
If you’ve seen the film Supersize Me, you would know the health risks attached to eating large quantities of these foods, including high blood pressure and blood cholesterol, liver damage, fatigue, to name a few.
Healthy eating does not have to be expensive, but to save money you have to learn to be flexible and seasonal.
Every green grocer will promote weekly specials, usually of seasonal vegetables and fruits when there’s an excess supply. Take advantage of these specials and stock up. You may have to look through a few recipes to find out what to do with them when you get home, but that adds to the fun.
Chinese greens are always inexpensive and very good for you. Chinese stores are usually the cheapest and freshest place to buy them.
For protein, lean mince is a great source of protein and inexpensive — many healthy meals can be made from lean minced beef, including low-fat lasagne, beef patties, bolognese sauce and meat roll. Chicken is also relatively inexpensive and can be minced or combined with vegies to make a healthy stir-fry. Fish is more expensive but again check out the specials in store and don’t forget that canned fish is still great for you. Tuna and salmon fishcakes made with cooked rice, some chopped herbs and beaten egg are delicious.
For carbohydrates, legumes are exceptionally inexpensive — either dried or canned, they are so good for you. Mashed, pureed to make dips or served whole in salads or in a sauce, they are delicious high-fibre foods to include in your healthy eating on a budget. Bread can be bought from supermarkets at a good price, but always buy wholegrain bread or flat bread instead of white or wholemeal. Your local Vietnamese baker may also have grain breads at a good price.
While a good bottle of olive oil may seem a large outlay, you don’t need to use much and compared to cheap vegetable oil and animal fat it’s the healthy fat to use in cooking. Combined with vinegar and a little mustard you have a delicious salad dressing which ml for ml probably works out cheaper than buying a ready-made bottle of salad dressing.
And finally, when it comes to baked goods, why not bake your own? Flour and sugar don’t cost much and where health is concerned, there’s nothing to beat homemade goods free of artificial colours and preservatives.
More Diet Club
A New Year’s resolution you can keep
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
