Eating nutritious food can be easy and economical.
If you are not sure how you can reduce your food expenses, look at the cost of meat vs. beans and you will find how economical high fibre protein sources are pennies per pound. Packed with an array of nutrients, beans are your friend.
How Can I Increase My Nutrients?
There are many ways to revise many of your favourite dishes to load them up with more fibre and nutrients.
Initially look at simple ways to increase the nutrients in your dishes. For example, take your normal tomato pasta sauce and add in some blended beans. I find red kidney beans works great for adding in some power nutrients and my family never even noticed! None of the saturated fat of ground beef or meat balls, and it thickens the sauce nicely. Add in all of your favourite spices and you have just increased the nutrient content of your dinner and it cost you likely close to a $1, using 1/2 a can in enough sauce for a family of four.
But how else can you add nutrients?
Spices!! Yes, those teaspoons worth of oregano, basil, and Italian seasonings are loaded with anti-oxidants. Why do you need anti-oxidants? Your body creates free radicals just from breathing, but also from the foods you eat, alcohol, tobacco smoke, pesticides, air pollutants and many more. Free radicals can cause damage to parts of our cells and even our DNA. You want lots of anti-oxidants in your diet and adding spices are an easy way to squeeze them in without even noticing.
No time like now to start
Don't wait for tomorrow.
Look for small things you can do to increase nutrients in your diet. The stronger the colour of your fruits and vegetables, the more anti-oxidants they contain. Think of the words, Anti and oxidants. They are anti-oxidation. When you cut open an apple it turns brown from oxidation with the air. An orange doesn't turn brown because it has a higher content of anti-oxidants. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, dark cherry's, red grapes, just to start a list, are loaded with anti-oxidants. Go for the darkest colours on your next trip to the grocery store!
The first thing I noticed when I started eating only whole foods is that my grocery bill was suddenly almost cut in half, at least that it what it felt like. I had a full cart full of groceries and paid half of what I thought I'd pay. And particularly at Costco where more pricier items like cashews are so much cheaper. I was truly amazed. No more Greek yogurt for 6-7$, no more meats for 20$. Instead cans of chickpeas (loads of things can be done with those), vegetables that I not used before (think celeriac, spaghetti squash or acorn squash), bags of spinach for the most addictive smoothie ever. Seems so much easier to make dishes that are…