Eat Healthily on a Tight Budget: How to Eat Well for Pennies and Dimes.

With a little guidance and some helpful tips it is possible to not have to spend a fortune to eat a healthy, balanced diet. In fact an authentic, traditional Mediterranean diet is a nutritious and balanced diet to follow for life.

The traditional Mediterranean diet consists of fruit and vegetables, carob, honey, whole grains, beans and other pulses, fish, eggs, goat’s cheese, yoghurt, virgin olive oil, garlic, onions and herbs, wild edible plants and mushrooms, nuts and seeds, red meat is eaten once a week and let’s not forget that glass of red wine.

Foods made from refined sugar and grains such as white bread, cakes, cookies and pastries are consumed in very small amounts. All for a healthier weight, less belly fat, and a lower risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

There have been recent studies claiming healthy food is only for the rich, this can make sense when you visit the health food shop and find yourself with a three-figure bill starring at you as you had happened to add in  wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef and organic cheeses, eggs and a couple of healthy bars.  

For more realistic measures and economical buys for healthy eating and living, here are a couple of tips to follow:

1. Focus more meals around beans, pulses and vegetables. Reducing the amount of meat, snack foods and dessert items in your shopping cart, keeps more cash in your pocket, can help you lose weight and improve your health.   A little note here. You can still buy organic pulses, whole grains and rice as they are still reasonably priced.

   2.  Shop for power food bargains.  These may include:

• Canned or fresh sardines -  loaded with calcium, omega-3’s,
• Beans - are one of the best sources to lose weight as it contains cholecystokinin which works as an appetite suppressant naturally. As per a study conducted on 8 subjects, it was found the hormone levels of the subjects had increased by consuming a meal full of beans. Beans also aid in maintaining the blood sugar level in the body and keep the cholesterol level in control.
• Lentils - high in calcium, iron and magnesium, phosphorous, sulfur and vitamin A. Lentils are a good source of proteins and are a nutritional power food. 
• Black rice with more antioxidants and fiber than blueberries 
• Dark meat chicken, packed with protein, B vitamins, and minerals like iron and zinc. (remove the skin of course)
• Oatmeal - normalize blood glucose in diabetes, helps neutralise excess cholesterol, contains high amounts of calcium, iodine, phosphorous, iron, vitamin E, B-complex vitamins. Most sugar free mueslis are made with oats and are delicious eaten with a banana and a tablespoon of yoghurt and some cinnamon.  
• Eggs are the best source of protein that help you to feel full for a longer period of time and curbs the urge to eat. They have some vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, calcium, iron, phosphorous, zinc and some selenium. Organic or free range eggs are best.

   3.  Be choosy about produce. Local, in-season is riper and tastier and costs less than buying out of season. Fruit and veg  is more expensive at the beginning of it’s season and then towards the middle or end it becomes  more plentiful and is cheaper to buy. Farmer’s markets is another place to hang out at. There you can buy large quantities of fruits, vegetables and other home made items such as whole grain breads, cheeses and wines.

   4.  Organic or grow your own: Fruit and vegetables that would be worth growing your own or buying organic due to the high pesticide levels are: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach (or most leafy green vegetables such as lettuces, fresh coriander, Swiss chard etc.), nectarines, grapes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes.

    5. Sweet treats:  Dark chocolate, fruits, healthy bars, honey and walnuts, dried fruits.

    6. Studies show that you’ll make 30 per cent fewer unhealthy, impulse buys at the supermarket if you go shopping after a meal and pay with cash. So make sure to go shopping on a full stomach and cash in your wallet !  

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