Posted on 07/05/2007 6:00:55 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
For students living on ramen noodles or people in low-wage, time-consuming jobs, folks who are down on their luck or living on fixed incomes, healthy eating may seem too expensive.
Nutritionists say, however, that's a false perception. Healthy eating, in fact, is cheaper. The cost of expensive eating often isn't the food, it's the bells and whistles of trendy packaging.
"You pay for convenience," says Amy Moore, a dietitian at St. Louis University. "What it takes is planning and sometimes a little investment."
That means eating more fresh food from low-cost stores and farmers markets, watching store sales and using store coupons. The nutrition gurus, from the United States Department of Agriculture to the American Dietetic Association, say healthy diets should be built around vegetables, grains and fruits, not meat and prepared foods — the biggest expense on grocery bills.
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, lived on $3 a day (to prove a point about food stamps) for a week and ended up eating mostly salads and lentil soup. She repeated that planning was the key.
"I learned how to shop. It gives you great insight on what it is to live on a fixed budget for your food," she said. "Most people who get food stamps are working poor."
She spent 2 1/2 hours planning and shopping at one store for the food for a week, which included reading grocery store ads for bargains.
"As one who doesn't eat a lot of carbs, I found it difficult to live on $3 a day," she said. "You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but you have to know how to cook."
PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
Dorian Jones, dietitian and counselor for People's Health Centers, says low-income families must learn to use money wisely.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
It’s not the cost of the food, it’s the skill level and time it takes to prepare simple and fresh foods vs. slamming something into the microwave. If you’re working long hours at low paying jobs, the time can be a problem.
Lentil soup could produce a lot of greenhouse gases.
Top Ramen + catsup = spaghetti with a distinctive Chinese flavor.
True, if you take meat out of your diet and add lots of fresh vegetables and grains you can eat well for very little money. Hint: Use spices creatively. Most people on food stamps wants convenience foods and prepared items like cookies which raise the price.
lol!
Spinach everyday!
As much as they have been derided, the good old egg!
Tuna, of course. Load up on egg noodles when possible, they are very versatile.
Buy a couple flower pots and lettuce seed. Lettuce can easily grow year round indoors (it’s a freakin WEED)
That’s what I was thinking, seriously. More beans and lentils chick peas - how much for a daily supply of Beano?
...yet another notice of Americans trading places with the Chinese.
It’s just amazing what anyone can do if they learn how to cook. The article suggests those who can’t cook are expected to die, or?? Some of the best meals are not all that pricey anyway - beef stew is everybodys favorite. You get yerself some soda crackers, and a tall glass of ice cold milk, and there is nothing finer (Well, for $2 whaddaya expect?)
Indeed.
I work at a small-town grocery store and you have no idea how many welfare mothers come into the store and load up those food stamp cards with purchases for candy, soda, junk food, and the like. I grew up as what most would consider “poor.” My parents, however, saw the value of good nutrition. Candy and pop were rare treats. Fruits were the norm, and most every spring (even to this day), we bought seeds and planted a small vegetable garden. Some hard work, yes, but we ate out of that garden in the late summer and it paid off.
The key is that you just have to pay attention and don’t go for the sugary stuff. A lot of those welfare mothers are just trying to appease all the kids they’ve had and just feed them stuff they’ll “like.” That’s not a good long-term plan. Instead of buying the Froot Loops or Lucky Charms, buy some Cheerios instead. Little things like that will go a long way.
Cooking for yourself is not only cheaper (by far in many cases) but you get to really control what goes into your meal. Cooking is my personal favorite and most valued skill.
Some meals can be prepped in downtime and frozen for later use. In the colder months, for example, I always have several small containers of frozen home made lentil or split pea soup (my faves). It's never more than 10 minutes away from ready and it's home made. Soups are always better the next day, or after frozen and thawed.
I don't believe in planning, it's a communist activity.
Confine your shopping to the produce, meat and dairy sections. You’ll eat healthily and cheaply. Avoid pre-bagged salad. It’s overpriced and yucky.
Venture into the frozen food section for perhaps some frozen spinach (best buy in the grocery store) and brussel sprouts and into the cereal aisle for some oatmeal.
Without an oven it’s a bit harder to make decent meals, but still a crockpot can throw down on some nice meals. I like teflon electric skillets, good enough for omelets and bacon, hash browns, burgers, chili, chilimac, spaghetti sauces, tacos, etc. I can’t imagine anyone going hungry because they can’t cook, within reason. I think they cost about $10. Baking is a bit harder to do without an oven. But Delis kinda take care of that angle anyway, if one is serious about being poor.
Same for me - only I'm partial to 10 bean soup. I make my own mix and include pearl barley to thicken it. I have homemade soup almost every day for lunch with some sharp cheddar and saltines.
Here's a good combo for 10 bean soup: 1/2 cup each - reg. lentils, yellow lentils, green split peas, baby limas, reg. limas, black eyed peas, kidney beans, pearl barley, navy or great northern beans, pintos. Soak overnight with salt. Next day, add ham hock (or not) and simmer for 1 hour. Remove ham hock and cut off meat. Add 1 can tomatoes, 1-2 tsp. chili powder, ham meat and 2 T. lemon juice and simmer for one more hour or until beans are soft.
Not only does it control your meal, the women love it. Better than a date just stay home and cook something that smells great..... Works almost all the time.... Also make sure she eats the garlic, too....
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