May 25, 2013

Budget-Friendly Healthy Eating by Keri Gans

Question: I’m on a set financial budget every month. How can I eat healthy without breaking the bank?
-Robert, FL.

Answer:

Here are 5 budget-friendly tips for healthy eating:

1. Load up on canned beans! Inexpensive AND packed with nutrients. Add beans to pasta, green salads, and soups for added fiber and protein.

2. Buy frozen veggies. They are frozen at peak ripeness so can be just as nutritious as fresh. Buying frozen is also a great money-saving tip as you don’t have to worry about spoilage.

3. Buy in bulk and freeze in individual portions. For example, purchase chicken breast in family size packs, even if you are shopping for one. You’ll find the price is always lower when buying in high quantity. Individually wrap each piece and freeze and defrost as needed.

4. Look for in-season fruits. Buy on sale! For example, apples in the fall are going to be a lot less expensive than berries are.

5. Switch to store-brands. In many supermarkets their own label is as nutritious as name brands. Read the nutrition fact label and ingredient list and compare.

Keri Gans, MS, RD, CDN, Nutritionist in Private Practice in NYC, Media Spokesperson and Author of The Small Change Diet (Gallery, March 2011) For more information, www.kerigansnutrition.com. Follow Keri on Twitter @kerigans and join her Facebook community via www.facebook.com/TheSmallChangeDiet

The Health Triangle by Deborah Lowther

The Health Triangle: Eating Right + Exercise + Vitamins = Healthy You

There is no one magic pill that will make you healthy, no one perfect exercise that will get you in shape and no one super food that will give you all the energy you need to face the day. The truth of the matter is being healthy takes a multi-faceted approach: eating right, getting regular exercise and taking vitamins to ensure you are the healthiest you can be. 
 

Eat Right
Before you grab something to eat, plan a meal for your family or pull something off the shelf at the grocery store, ask yourself a couple of questions. “Did this food grow from the ground?” and “What nutrients are in this for my health?” You will find very few truly healthy foods wrapped in cellophane or sold in cardboard boxes.

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are grown and not processed. When choosing cereals, breads, pastas, and rice, choose ones that use the whole grain, 100% whole wheat and very little additives or sugar. When planning a meal, make sure you include protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables and open as few packages as possible.

Eating right gives your body the fuel it needs to be healthy.

Exercise

There is no avoiding this one. In order to stay in shape and feel good, you must move. Your heart, your lungs, and your brain all need you to move. Exercise gets your blood pumping and keeps all the systems of your body in shape to keep you going!

Find something you enjoy doing at home, outside or at the gym. Fit in 15 minutes here and another 15 minutes there, then increase that 15 minutes to 30 minutes or more. Find a workout buddy, mix up your workout often to stay motivated or buy a workout DVD and use it regularly. Get your heart rate going.

Exercise gives your body the energy it needs for a healthy lifestyle.

Vitamins
Do you really need to take vitamins? The perfect diet is rich in all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to keep your immune system functioning and ward off viruses. Truth is, not many of us eat a perfect diet. You need to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein daily to get all the vitamins you need.

Since many of these nutrients are water soluble, they pass through your body and require daily replenishing. Taking vitamins is like a backup plan, it provides the nutrients your body needs should your diet not make the minimum requirement that day. Certain vitamins such as Vitamin D, Omega 3s, B-Complex and B12 can be difficult to get from foods alone and taking a supplement ensures you are covered.

Vitamins give your body the nutrients it needs, when your body needs the nutrients, for overall health.
 

Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active. Visit her websites to learn more www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com