Low-cost, simple, and healthy eating – here’s a summary of ideas from news sources around the world today.
How to Keep Food Costs Down
According to this article in U.S. News and World Report, people are spending a higher percentage of their income on food than at any time since the 1980’s.
What do “they” recommend?
- Limit purchases of food items that have seen the highest inflation rates – eggs, fats and oils, cereals and bakery products, processed fruits and vegetables, and poultry, and buy foods with the least inflated prices – fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, fish and seafood, pork, and dairy products. (Makes sense, that’s simple enough – but: we also need to consider “healthy,” not just “cheap.” It’s great to see that fresh fruit, vegetables, and seafood are still a relatively good deal! Eggs might have gone up in price, but they still give great nutritional value for the dollars spent on them.)
- Buy at cheap grocery stores. I don’t think we have to elaborate here; every major community has them, you know best what’s cheap in your area.
- Don’t buy more than you can eat; cut down on food waste. Think about what you throw away; could that be reduced?
- Look for deals and coupons – and shop accordingly. Hey, most Americans probably already know this, but still worth a mention.
- Plant a vegetable garden. Hey, we do this, but we have a very small yard, as do many city dwellers; this can easily cost more than you save, but if you have a lot of space – for sure!
How Important Is It to Buy “Organic?”
We’re all about healthy, but according to an article in “The Everymom,” not everything needs to be organic to be healthy. A registered dietitian has some thoughts!
Organic is usually more expensive. Are there some foods that are more important to buy the organic version? It would appear so. The big criteria is: how exposed are the foods that you eat to direct contact with sprays? Foods like peppers, strawberries, green beans, peppers, apples, and spinach are more impacted by pesticides than sweet potatoes, avocados, carrots, corn, cabbage, sweet peas, melons, mushrooms, and carrots, for example.
This dietitian also noted that the nutritional value of the food does not necessarily change just because it is “organic.” Washing food properly can help get rid of any potentially toxic substances.
Eat Beans and Live Longer
An article from the British Broadcasting Network highlights the diet of Ikaria – a small Greek Island in the Aegean Sea. It’s in one of the “blue zones,” where people seem to be healthier and live longer than most of the rest of the world. Fully 1/3 of people in Ikaria live to be over 90. And what do they do in Ikaria? Among other things, they eat lots of beans! Beans lower cholesterol because they have a lot of fiber; in fact, they can help to manage and even prevent Type II Diabetes, according to a Greek American Chef named Diane Kochilas. A longevity expert by the name of Dan Buettner has asserted that “eating a cup of beans every day can lengthen a person’s life by 4 years.” That’s significant!
If you have any questions or comments on this post, feel free to share in the comments section below.
