PHOTO: Vancouver Sun
You don't need to spend a fortune to find healthy foods. In fact, cheap foods might be better for you according to the scientific literature.
Junk food is plentiful and tempting if you’re shopping on a budget. In contrast, many of the foods held up as healthy superfoods — chia, acai and goji berries, to name but a few — are astronomically expensive.
Dietitian Jennifer Sygo, in her book Unmasking Superfoods, notes that the evidence that many of these trendy foods will improve your health ranges from scant to non-existent. She is not a big believer in “silver bullet” foods for better health. That is not to say that science doesn’t have some good advice to offer about what constitutes a healthy diet. It is just far less exotic and much cheaper than the superfoods hype machine would have you believe.
Here are a few ways to get a better nutritional bang for your buck:
LEGUMES
Chickpeas and beans come dried and canned, offering fibre, polyunsaturated fatty acids and culinary flexibility. Recent studies show that chickpeas moderate cholesterol and insulin, when they are substituted for meat protein. They are a hearty protein source in salads, curries, stews and creamy dips at a fraction of the cost of meat.
Chickpeas and beans come dried and canned, offering fibre, polyunsaturated fatty acids and culinary flexibility. Recent studies show that chickpeas moderate cholesterol and insulin, when they are substituted for meat protein. They are a hearty protein source in salads, curries, stews and creamy dips at a fraction of the cost of meat.
FISH
Most people shopping on a budget walk right past the fish counter as sockeye and halibut are almost a luxury item. Far more affordable is pink salmon, which is usually a smaller fish with a lighter flavour than sockeye at half the price. Mackerel is another inexpensive but overlooked gem that is great fried, grilled or tossed with pasta and sauce. Small fish in cans also provide a good hit of protein and healthy oils with a very low price tag. Look for sardines, herring and anchovy. Sygo recommends oysters and mussels as a source of nutrients vegetarians might be missing from their diet.
Most people shopping on a budget walk right past the fish counter as sockeye and halibut are almost a luxury item. Far more affordable is pink salmon, which is usually a smaller fish with a lighter flavour than sockeye at half the price. Mackerel is another inexpensive but overlooked gem that is great fried, grilled or tossed with pasta and sauce. Small fish in cans also provide a good hit of protein and healthy oils with a very low price tag. Look for sardines, herring and anchovy. Sygo recommends oysters and mussels as a source of nutrients vegetarians might be missing from their diet.
FRUIT
Fresh fruits contain fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and may head off high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. At four to six bananas for a dollar, these potassium-rich treats offer a lot of bang for the buck. Local apples are also a terrific bargain, about 35 cents apiece. Keep a few bags of frozen fruit around for desserts, smoothies and to mix with yogurt, granola or oatmeal. Frozen fruits and vegetables retain more vitamin content than many so-called fresh items that are shipped in trucks for days.
Fresh fruits contain fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and may head off high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. At four to six bananas for a dollar, these potassium-rich treats offer a lot of bang for the buck. Local apples are also a terrific bargain, about 35 cents apiece. Keep a few bags of frozen fruit around for desserts, smoothies and to mix with yogurt, granola or oatmeal. Frozen fruits and vegetables retain more vitamin content than many so-called fresh items that are shipped in trucks for days.
DAIRY
Milk is very competitively priced by grocers as a way to lure the kind of shoppers who are feeding families, so watch the flyers. Cheese, on the other hand, can be quite expensive. The trick is to use small amounts of flavourful cheese to accent a dish, rather than just eating a lot of cheese straight up. Cottage cheese is generally cheaper than ricotta and often interchangeable. Plain yogurt is the least expensive option and contains none of the added sugar of fruit-flavoured or vanilla yogurt.
Milk is very competitively priced by grocers as a way to lure the kind of shoppers who are feeding families, so watch the flyers. Cheese, on the other hand, can be quite expensive. The trick is to use small amounts of flavourful cheese to accent a dish, rather than just eating a lot of cheese straight up. Cottage cheese is generally cheaper than ricotta and often interchangeable. Plain yogurt is the least expensive option and contains none of the added sugar of fruit-flavoured or vanilla yogurt.
GRAINS
Whole grain breads are often more expensive than white sliced sandwich bread, but in this case you should just bite the bullet and buy the good stuff. You’ll stay full longer and save on snacks over the long run. Replace expensive breakfast cereals with our old friend rolled oats. It’s not sexy or flashy in any way, but oats are as close to real superfood as you are going to find. Literally dozens of studies attest to the value of whole oats to prevent nearly every one of the leading causes of illness in human beings.
Source: Environmental Working Group, Health Canada, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Heart Association.
Whole grain breads are often more expensive than white sliced sandwich bread, but in this case you should just bite the bullet and buy the good stuff. You’ll stay full longer and save on snacks over the long run. Replace expensive breakfast cereals with our old friend rolled oats. It’s not sexy or flashy in any way, but oats are as close to real superfood as you are going to find. Literally dozens of studies attest to the value of whole oats to prevent nearly every one of the leading causes of illness in human beings.
Source: Environmental Working Group, Health Canada, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, American Heart Association.
My new cookbook Grow What You Eat, Eat What You Grow is available in book stores now and online at Chapters.ca
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