Cheap healthy eats

Are all healthy foods expensive? Absolutely not! Some of the healthiest picks are resonably priced. Fill your shopping cart with more for less:

Canned Fish: Canned fish, such as water-packed tuna and salmon, is an excellent source of lean protein, and is vitamin and mineral-rich. All seafood, including canned fish, contains a dose of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Beans: Consumer Reports recommends choosing beans, either canned or dried, as a staple for tight food budgets. Beans are inexpensive, versatile, and a great source of lean protein, carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Add them to soups, pasta dishes, salads and chili to increase bulk. Canned beans are the easiest and most convenient to use but, in general, dried beans are the most economical.

Rolled Oats: Oats are a nutrient-rich whole grain. For the best value, buy the large, cylindrical-shaped container of old-fashioned rolled oats. Oatmeal make for a hearty, carbohydrate-, protein- and fiber-rich hot breakfast or afternoon snack. Use them as an ingredient in meatloaf, cookies, pancakes and muffins. Oats, on their own, contain no artificial ingredients or sugars, just 100 percent whole-grain rolled oats.

Potatoes: Save money by purchasing potatoes by the bag instead of by the spud. With the right add-ons, potatoes can make a satisfying entree. Use them as a healthful base for creative toppings such as unflavored yogurt, cottage cheese, black beans, salsa and reduced-fat cheese. Sweet potatoes are a bit more expensive but offer even more nutrients. All potatoes are rich in vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber.

Powdered or Evaporated Milk: Powdered milk stretches further than fluid, and skimmed evaporated (canned) milk is less costly than fresh milk. These are economical, nutrient-rich substitutes for fluid milk, especially for use in recipes, such as soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes and/or dessert recipes. Save your fresh milk for drinking or adding to your coffee or cereal.

Eggs: Eggs are an inexpensive source of high-quality protein. They are versatile and make for a quick meal any time of the day. Prepare them in a variety of ways. The protein and fat in eggs helps keep you feeling fuller for longer, so you are less likely to overdo it at the next meal. Use them to make a healthy meatless dinner, such as a veggie-filled omelet.

Apples: Much like potatoes, purchasing apples by the bag is more economical than buying larger apples by the pound. Apples are known to be nutritious. One medium-sized fruit meets roughly 15 percent of your recommended daily intake of dietary fiber. Apples are also a good source of vitamin C.

Frozen Vegetables: According to the Cleveland Clinic, as long as you avoid the fancy blends with rich sauces and shop generic or off-brand, frozen vegetables are a budget-friendly health food. Vegetables are frozen at the peak of freshness and retain their nutrients well. Select from colorful vitamin-rich choices, such as carrots, broccoli and green beans.

Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is high in protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fats. A little of this kid-friendly food goes a long way. A 2 tbsp. serving meets over 10 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, for many nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin B-3, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.

Brown Rice: This nutritious whole-grain food is a budget buy, as long as you avoid fancy boxed mixes and instant varieties. Buy plain, long-grain bagged or boxed brown rice. In addition to providing energizing carbohydrates, cooked brown rice is packed with nutrients, such as niacin and vitamin B-6, magnesium, copper, manganese, selenium and dietary fiber.

What’s a calorie?

A calorie or kilocalorie, is a unit used to measure energy. A calorie, by definition, is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 kg of water 1 degree celsius. Calories in our diet come from macronutrients or energy-yielding nutrients, such as fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates and proteins offer 4 calories per gram while fats provide 9 calories per gram. Alcohol is not an essential nutrient but it does provide calories, 7 calories per gram.

The body uses energy, in the form of calories, to perform all of its functions. If you consume more calories than your body needs, the excess may be stored as fat. If/when a food shortage exists, the body can break down stored fat for energy. Losing excess body fat successfully is achieved by creating an energy defecit by consuming fewer calories than you need daily to maintain your weight. Eating less and exercising more is the best strategy for losing excess fat.

Ask the Expert

Question: “I’ve hit a plateau in my weight loss program, what should I do?”

Answer: It is not uncommon to ‘hit a plateau’ during a weight loss program. You’re headed towards your goal, yet cannot seem to lose that last 10 lbs. There are several things you can do to get back on track. Be sure your weight loss goals are realistic. Are you already at a healthy weight? If not, make sure you are keeping up the intensity of your exercise program. Fitness experts recommend 30-60 minutes of exercise, most days of the week.

Talk to a fitness professional about adding weights and/or resistance exercises to your program. Aerobics burns fat but muscle mass burns calories while at rest, increasing your metabolism. Don’t get in a rut, change your routine every couple of weeks.

Also, make sure that your calorie intake is adequate. Many dieters fail to eat enough! This alone can trigger the weight loss plateau effect. Also, do not go too long without eating. This is not good for your metabolism/metabolic rate. For a woman, 3-4 hours without food is a reasonable maximum. And always eat breakfast!

Top Nine Ways to Slash Your Cholesterol

Why should I care about my cholesterol level?
High cholesterol is a leading risk factor for heart disease. Excess cholesterol in the bloodstream can form plaque in artery walls. The cholesterol or plaque build-up causes arteries to become thicker, harder and less flexible, slowing down and sometimes blocking blood flow to the heart.

“When blood flow is restricted, angina (chest pain) can result. When blood flow is severely impaired and a clot stops blood flow completely, a heart attack results.”

So…take the following recommendations to heart ♥:

1.) Eat a variety of grain products, including whole grains.

2.) Make the mainstay of your diet fat-free dairy products, fish, legumes (beans), skinless poultry and lean meats are the mainstay of your diet.

3.) Choose fats and oils with liquid/tub margarine, canola and olive oils and no trans fats.

4.) Balance the number of calories you eat with the number you use each day. (To find that number, multiply the number of pounds you weigh now by 15 calories. This represents the average number of calories used in one day if you’re moderately active. If you’re sedentary, multiply your weight by 13 instead of 15. Less-active people burn fewer calories).

5.) Maintain a level of physical activity that keeps you fit and matches the number of calories you eat. Walk or do other activities for at least 30 minutes on most days.

6.) Limit your intake of foods high in calories or low in nutrition, including foods like soft drinks, and candy that have lots of sugars.

7.) Limit foods high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, such as whole milk, fatty meats, tropical oils, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and egg yolks.

8.) Try to limit salt. Even if you do not have a heart condition, overdoing on the salt is never a good idea.

9.) Have no more than one alcoholic drink per day if you’re a woman and no more than 2 if you’re a man. Examples of one drink include: 12 oz of beer, 4 oz of wine, 1 ½ oz of 80-proof spirits or 1 oz of 100-proof spirits.

Three More Ways to Start/Resume a Low Calorie Diet

1) Slowly cut back on excess calories. Start by monitoring your portion sizes. Portions (and plates) have grown so much that we don’t recognize what a standard serving is or looks like anymore.

Always read nutrition fact panels as food packages often contain two servings but the nutritional analysis label refers to one serving. Become familiar enough with standard serving sizes to be able to ‘eyeball it’ and use smaller plates for meals.

2) Minimize your fat and empty calorie intake. Doing this can and will drastically decrease the amount of calories you take in. Why? Each gram of fat equals 9 calories, whereas each gram of protein or carbohydrate equals 4 calories (less than half). Also cut back on “empty” calories. Refer to what are empty calories for more information. Small changes make a big difference. Swap your 12 ounce can of soda with sparkling water and you’ve just lost 1 pound per month!

3) Always eat breakfast. Wait – put down those pastries! A good breakfast jump starts your metabolism and sustains you until lunchtime, keeping your blood sugar steady. Ninety-five percent of those that are most successful at losing weight are breakfast eaters. In addition, noshing on a nutritious breakfast gives you the opportunity to start the day right, filling up on premium fuel, such as vitamin & mineral-rich whole grains, low/non-fat dairy products, and fresh fruit.

Three Ways to Start/Resume a Low Calorie Diet

1) Be Realistic. If weight loss is your goal, don’t set yourself up for disappointment or health problems by setting unrealistic goals. This should be a positive experience, so start with small, achievable goals. For lasting weight control, aim to lose no more than two pounds per week.

Crash dieting is bad for you! Among other things, it will ultimately slow down your metabolism, making it difficult to shed pounds as your body typically goes into preservation or ‘starvation’ mode when you don’t consume enough food.

2) Clean out your kitchen/pantry! High calorie leftovers and goodies such as cookies, cakes, full-fat cheeses and other full-fat dairy products should be tossed out! Cast out seasonal candies and treats, too. Remember, you can only prepare and eat the foods you have readily available. You can’t polish off a package of cookies if they aren’t there!

3) Restock your refrigerator and pantry with healthy, wholesome ingredients. Start fresh and new. Substitute low calorie and light products for their high calorie counterparts. Buy whole grain pastas, breads, and cereals; and keep plenty of seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables on hand.