Save money on food & get healthier!

Today's post: Tuesday, 1-13-2009

Last Friday, 1-9-2009, Reuters online health news had this story.:

“Will Americans put on “recession pounds"?”

It seems that some health promotion experts think that now some people are short on money or trying extra hard to economize that people will cut back on: “fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and whole grains, in favor of cheaper options high in sugar and saturated fats.“

If these experts are correct, or for those people who do as these experts fear, this is dreadful news indeed as eating less of these foods and eating more sugar, refined grains, and junk oils will not only make the people who do this fatter, it will make them much more likely to get expensive to treat diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.

So, this would be dreadful news indeed!

But what this story missed is a surprising amount of Americans can SAVE MORE money on food while losing fat weight and improving their health by doing the REVERSE of this dreadful idea!

There are three ways this is possible.

1. Stop buying ALL junk food and drinks.

Loosely speaking as little as half the edible or drinkable items in the average shopping cart today are real food by both item count and dollar cost.

If NONE of those edible or drinkable items that are not food or are extremely poor, bad for you foods and drinks, were not there at all, adding enough real foods to make up for that loss would only add back a tenth or a fifth of the money saved.

In fact, just yesterday, I read an ad for a local medical hypnotist who helps local people learn to eat right and actually do it. The woman in the ad who had lost something like 50 pounds relatively painlessly following his advice, simply stopped buying edible or drinkable items that are not food or are extremely poor, bad for you foods and drinks at the grocery store. And, since she has several kids at home, she reports saving “hundreds of dollars a month”!!

What to leave out to do likewise. (And, this list is incomplete.)

ALL soft drinks -- both regular and diet. All refined grain cereals. All commercial baked goods. All refined grain breads. All packaged snack foods. All jams, jellies, and syrups. All oils except extra virgin olive oil. All shortening. All margarine. All ice cream with any ingredients other than sugar, cream, and real flavorings or fruit. All candy & related items except dark chocolate with no transfats added.

If you are one of the families who have been spending in the neighborhood of $150 a week on this stuff, if you simply stop doing it, you can then much more easily afford some frozen or fresh vegetables, some fresh fruit, and some nonfat & lowfat dairy foods, whole grain foods, and even some wild caught fresh fish. You can even afford shelled pecans, walnuts, and almonds if you buy them in bulk or at Whole Foods Market stores. These, plus fresh fruit or veggies you actually like make great snacks. And, to go with veggies, guacamole also works & in reasonable moderation is actually good for you. (Extra virgin olive oil costs a bit more than the junk oils; but is much better for you. And, you’ll save enough to afford it and still be way ahead on your total bill.)

2. Buy healthier AND cheaper protein foods, particularly beans and lentils.

Most Americans have more meat than is good for them; & most of the meat they buy is fatty, grain fed, and is high in saturated fat and omega 6 oils.

Eggs, nonfat and lowfat dairy foods, old fashioned oatmeal, beans, and lentils, are dramatically cheaper sources of protein. And, they cost enough less even than the cheap, poor quality grain fed meats that you can then buy some beef fed only grass and wild caught fresh salmon occasionally and still be money ahead.

In addition, beans, lentils, and oatmeal are high in soluble fiber. So by substituting those for bacon and hamburger, you get read of saturated fat coming into your body and get rid of what’s already there. So, you may also be able to save money by no longer needing to take statin drugs to do that for you.

3. Buy canned, wild caught fish, less expensive protein food that’s actually good for you.

Canned fish is often as good for you as fresh fish. And, it is both dramatically cheaper and much more convenient to fix.

I’m too allergic to non-fresh fish to eat canned Sardines. And, they are a bit too stinky for my taste. But a serving of them has as much high quality protein as ham or steak. It costs a fifth as much, literally. And, instead of being high in saturated fat and omega 6 oils, sardines are high in the omega 3 oils that help you think well, avoid depression, and protect your heart.

It’s only safe to eat canned tuna about once a week since it does have some mercury in it. But many people like the taste. And, is has all the benefits of sardines except for the mercury and having a bit less omega 3 oils.

Canned Alaskan salmon is wild-caught. It does cost more than sardines; but per ounce is comparable or cheaper than tuna though sold in larger cans. It definitely costs less than fresh wild caught salmon. And, since it is precooked and not fresh it’s easy to serve, stores OK, and tastes a LOT better than sardines.

In summary, you can eat in a way that improves your health and costs LESS money!