BUDGET is back.

Continuing with the theme of frugal albeit healthy living, I have another post for you about how to shop whilst pinching pennies. The secret doesn't require dumpster diving or searching between your couch cushions prior to frequenting the supermarket, however it does demand flexibility. The secret of buying good-for-you groceries on a budget boils down to CONVENIENCE. see how I snuck that kitchen terminology in there? gosh this is fun. As I was saying...if you want to eat off of $25 dollars a week you can't rely on convenience. Contrary to what you might think, becoming well-versed in the kitchen, making your own meals will keep you healthier and dare I say more satiated than skipping breakfast and indulging in quick coffee-shop lunches or frozen dinners.

Go ahead, try proving me wrong. I welcome the challenge.

Barry Popkin, PHD, author of The World Is Fat also argues that eating healthier can cost less. And while it's true, I'm not talking about the years or quality of life eating poorly will cost you in the years to come. He says, "with many convenience foods, we're paying for packaging and processing that adds fat, sugar, sodium and calories." Read the full article here. 

What do I mean by sacrificing convenience? Here are a few examples:

1. Make a plan. Affordable living means no impulse shopping. Brainstorm weekly meals and make a list of staples you'll need. Check what you already have and if you need food to stretch plan to make things like soup (that you can freeze) and stir-frys - meals that taste great and can be made with a lot of easy, affordable ingredients. 
2.  Forget the one-stop-shop. I promise you that while it may be convenient to pop into Target for...well, everything, the prices aren't the lowest you could find. Aldis is a great find if there's one near you. Farmers markets can also be more affordable than big-chain grocery stores. Know what you can get cheapest and where. Do. Your. Research. 
3. I'm not kidding. RESEARCH. Spices are $3.79 in the spice isle and .99 cents at CVS. 
4. Buy in-season. Everybody would love fresh berries during the cold winter months but for three times the price, is it worth it? Buy seasonal produce. Introduce yourself to new foods or at the very least get more creative with familiar ones. 
IN SEASON now: apples, cranberries, squash, avocado, beets, pomegranate, chard, cabbage, etc. 
5. Become that crazy coupon lady for 5 minutes. If you can buy something for half the price, isn't it worth it? Look for the deals! Don't get the paper? The internet is a fabulous resource. Use it!
6. Buy generic, not name brand. Because let's be real - Crunchie O's are really just Cheerios in a different box. My grandfather was a stickler for Welches grape juice. ONLY Welches. If you're an 80 year old man and you want name brand, go for it, but regardless, I'm pretty positive Weiss' grape juice is still made from grapes. 
7. It's almost always cheaper to buy in bulk. If you're buying for one it's not always practical, but with things like meat and frozen veggies, get the 4-for-2 deal and keep them in the freezer. 
8. Don't be afraid to get messy. Buy a whole chicken and remove the skin. You pay more money for a smaller amount of boneless, skinless chicken than you do a whole chicken. Pre-cut veggies are an unnecessary and expensive product of the 21st century. Chop your own  *#$% vegetables!! Buy unseasoned items and make your own seasoning using the spices you purchased for .99 cents. Ready-made meals save you time at the cost of your dollar. 
9. At the risk of sounding like your mother, "don't let your food go to waste". If you have leftovers but aren't hungry for another grilled chicken salad, use the leftover chicken to add to quinoa or rice and beans. Keep one eye on what you have in the back of your fridge and make sure you're storing produce properly so it doesn't spoil!!
10. Two words: Unit Price. Just because you picked the cheaper bag of spinach doesn't mean you got the better deal. The unit price is listed on the store shelf label, explaining how much something is per oz or lb. Don't get cheated! 

Here are a few more tips for buying affordable fruits and veggies. Be smart. Don't fall into the trap of convenience. Plan. Purchase and Prepare. Don't let someone else take your money simply because they chopped your veggies or added spices to your rice. You can do that. 

an all too familiar word: BUDGET

Last week I had a coffee date (decaf soy latte, in case you were wondering) with a good friend that I hadn't seen in way too long. As it turns out, we were college roommates not too long ago and she gave me the perfect topic for a blog post: shopping healthy on a BUDGET. (insert collective moan here).

Let's face it, everybody goes a little crazy with all the healthy options in Whole Foods, right!? I could spend days in there. I mean, hello, a smoothie bar!! I'm always tempted by the delicious 'all natural' treats they stock up on. and who knew there were fifty different kinds of non-dairy milks? ha. only at Whole Foods. annnnnyway, while it may not be as exciting to shop on a budget, it can be done. During my year abroad I was on a pretty strict budget. Seeing as I study nutrition I always told myself that when it came down to buying healthy produce or a new pair of trousers I would always choose fruit and veggies. Because nothing can compare to the price of your health.

To get started, here are a few key items that all fall under $1 per serving:

- OATS. lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease. use them in porridge, baked oatmeal or even in recipes as a substitute for breadcrumbs. 

- EGGS. for protein and healthy fats. my favourite way to eat them is hardboiled on a salad or with a pinch of salt. 

- APPLES. great for fibre and may actually contain an antioxidant that helps prevent muscle injuries. 

- BANANAS. potassium! regulates BP and reduces stroke risk. 

- SWEET POTATOES. believe it or not, contain more potassium than a banana. 

- BROCCOLI. packed with vitamins K and C. 

- BEETS. protect against heart disease and cancer. a personal favourite. but be warned, too many and you might suffer from beeturia - it's an actual thing, trust me. 

- SPINACH. great for eye health and one of the most effective at fighting cancer. 

- BEANS/PULSES/LENTILS. tinned or dried: black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, black eyed peas...you name it. they are loaded with fibre, can be used in soups or salads and are a great source of vegetarian protein. 

Another important tip to remember when pinching pennies, whether you're an underemployed college student or a mom with multiple mouths to feed, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are cheaper and often times more nutritious than fresh produce. Think about it, that fresh head of broccoli has probably been rolling around on the back of a truck bed for a few days, whereas the frozen florets were packaged immediately after being picked. That's not to say you shouldn't eat fresh produce, just WASH IT and be open to other cost effective options. 

are you a yogi!?

I've recently found myself in the position of a yoga instructor. It should be said that I am not certified, nor am I an expert, however I do practice yoga from time to time and enjoy its meditative component. I used to be of the mindset, that if I wasn't a sweaty mess after a workout, it wasn't worth my time. I have since acknowledged that wellness is about more than just burning calories, resulting in a change of heart. Yoga is brilliant.

I will say it again: Yoga is brilliant. You should try it. Not only is it great for flexibility and agility (meaning you can do it till you're old and wrinkly), but yoga is wonderful for injury prevention. Most athletes practice some form of yoga because it enhances their performance. But don't be fooled, yoga isn't all about stretching and child's pose, there is a huge strength component involved. Try doing a few sun salutations with chaturanga push-ups. It's not easy!

If you're a little shy and put off by the fact that you can't touch your toes, don't worry!! Yoga is a practice. It's not something you master, just something you do every day (or more realistically, a few times a week) to enhance your mind and body. So whether you grab a friend and go to a class at the gym, or just grab a towel and do a few stretches in the privacy of your own bedroom, I encourage you to try it. Here's a great little beginner routine to try. 

The benefits of yoga are far-reachign and include: a more optimistic outlook, easing aches and stiff joints, improved sleep, body toning and a sense of calm. 

It's important to remember that yoga isn't about being able to put your feet behind your head. It's all about connecting the movement of your body to your breath. Rooting yourself in the constant inhale and exhalations. Sometime this weekend find a quiet corner and give in to your inner yogi. Trust me, your peace of mind (and lower back) will thank you.

another tip from my man, Bob Harper:

I know, I know, potatoes are just SO comforting and yummy. But at what cost? Remember if it's white, chances are you're better off without it. Now don't go all literal and avoid cauliflower and the like. You know what I mean! Try alternatives like rutabaga (a root vegetable) and sweet potatoes. And remember, the skin is the best part.

Stick With The Sweet Ones

Don't be tempted by potatoes! They are full of starch, and are typically paired with saturated fats and excess salt. I know what you're thinking - no more baked potatoes, French fries or chips! Think again: opt for sweet potatoes instead. These healthy alternatives can be prepped, baked and served as chips, "French fries" or even a baked sweet potato. They are delicious AND good for you, so when it comes to potatoes stick with the sweet ones!

Mind What You Munch.

All too frequently we consume food and beverages comprised of a thousand different ingredients we've never heard of. Have you ever read a food label and seen monosodium glutamate? or recombinant bovine growth hormone? even artificial food colouring. Instead of ushering these sorts of things into our tummies, we should be running (I'm serious), RUNNING in the opposite direction.

Make sure you are aware of what you're putting into your body. Our bodies function on the fuel we provide for ourselves. I know you've all heard it before but... you are what you eat. Not only that, but whenever you pick up a box of neon-colored cereal at the supermarket you are contributing to an unhealthy trend, encouraging the production of such products. Consider yourself a sponsor of whatever you choose to put in your shopping trolley or keep in your kitchen pantry.

But alas, I am not writing this blog post to beat you over the head with information you've likely already heard. I want to introduce you to a fantastic webpage I discovered. You can search for any food item or ingredient and the program will compute a plethora of information concerning your ingredient. You can uncover all of the nutrition facts: calories, fat, sugar, protein, etc. per serving; the glycemic index load; inflammation factor; the proportion of fats, carbs and protein per serving; a breakdown of vitamins and minerals and even how little or much it will contribute to weight loss and overall health.

All of this information can be found here: http://nutritiondata.self.com.
Check out a few of the charts and graphs for SPINACH:

Map  

4.55.0Fullness FactorND Rating

NutritionData's         
Opinion

Weight loss:
Optimum health:
Weight gain:

The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Know what you EAT!!

Caloric Ratio Pyramid 

56%	14%	30%
Carbs	Fats	Protein

0

78
mildly anti-inflammatory

Dr. Oz says...

Let me introduce you to Dr. Mehmet Oz. Okay, let's face it, unless you've been living under a rock you already know exactly who this man is. He's a pretty big deal. Even Oprah says so. I've done some research and he seems to be the real deal. He's not selling us crazy health schemes, but rather, abides by the principle of moderation. Let's face it, not everyone with a PHD or MD makes reasonable claims regarding diet and fitness. Sigh, if only common sense were more common. 

That being said, here are Dr. Oz's Top 10 Health & Fitness Tips Of All Time:

1. Get Strong, Not Skinny. Forget starving yourself to fit into those skinny jeans. Instead, Dr. Oz recommends focusing on acquiring 10,000 steps a day (approximately 5 miles) to stay slim and healthy.  I'm not entirely sure when looking frail became all-the-rage, but the trend is shifting (hip hip, hooray!!). Strong is the new Skinny. 

2. Cut Out The White Stuff. You've heard me say this a thousand times. No white sugar, No white flour. But seriously guys, it works!! White bread, pasta, pastries, etc. are all just refined carbohydrates with little nutritional value. Eliminating these nutritional no-no's is one of the fastest ways to shed weight and promote optimum health. 

3. Bring on the Broccoli. Your mom wasn't lying, it IS extremely good for you. Broccoli cleanses the liver and is a cancer fighting cruciferous veggie. 

4. Get Your Daily Dose of D. This is a hot topic for me. As a skin cancer survivor, I want to encourage you to get your vitamin D - which aids with calcium absorption and improves immunity, whilst still remembering to protect your skin with sunblock. Daily vitamin D quotas are met within 15-20 minutes of sun exposure, anything more and you should apply some SPF. 

5. Drink More Water. This is an easy one and yet so many of us fail to stay adequately hydrated. Water is the BEST energy drink available. Ditch soda, sugary coffee drinks and all other 'beverages' and still to nature's remedy - H20. Often times thirst is disguised as hunger, so keeping a water bottle within reach may help you to snack less often too!! 

6. Trade Supplements for Tea. Having just returned from England, Americans are seriously out-of-touch with the magic that is tea. Tea boosts your metabolism and has many cancer-fighting antioxidants, not to mention it keeps you hydrated (see #5). Try sipping on unsweetened tea throughout your day. If you need a little sweetness, add a drop of honey. 

7. Focus on Nutrients, Not Calories. IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! The oversimplified equation of weight loss is, Calories IN < Calories OUT. However, your body is hungry for nutrients, meaning that if you eat fewer calories than you're burning but aren't fuelling adequately with vitamins, protein and nutrients, your brain is going to keep signalling that you're hungry. High-fiber, nutrient-rich vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean meats are what you want to reach for. Foods associated with the most weight gain include: french fries, potato chips, sugary drinks, refined grains, sweets and meat. Foods associated with shedding pounds were yogurt, whole grains, nuts, fruit and vegetables. But...you knew that already, right!?

8. Delay Dessert. What!? Did she just say the 'D' word. While I don't personally recommend making dessert a daily practice, treating yourself makes healthy eating seem more manageable, thereby encouraging you to continue mindful munching. Dr. Oz suggests waiting 2 hours after a meal to indulge in a sweet treat, so as not to hinder the digestion of nutrients. His recommendation? Dark chocolate (but just a little). 

9. Sleep More to Slim Down. Why would anyone argue with this? Sleep deprivation encourages premature ageing and prevents weight loss. Do you need any more incentive to make it an early night? Aim for a solid 7 hours of shut-eye and you'll increase your efforts for success!!!

10. Make Breakfast Mandatory. and no, your four cups of coffee don't count. Skipping the first meal of the day can increase your risk for obesity by FOUR!! After going the night without eating,  your body needs some fuel upon waking. If you don't eat your metabolism slows down as a response to famine. Not eating breakfast results in consuming more calories later in the day. So scramble a few eggs, whip up some oatmeal or grab a yogurt and fruit. 

You can find the full slide show here

Nutrition tips for ANY age:

I was recently introduced to a brilliant little blog written by a gal and guy, Mark and Angel. They discuss all sorts of goodies, like '15 Ways To Live, Not Merely Exist' and '20 Things Life Is Too Short To Tolerate'. It's fabulous and you can get lost in their posts for hours.

Here is one of my personal favourites: '9 Timeless Nutrition Tips For Any Age'

1. Limit junk food or don’t eat it at all. – Replace junk food with healthy snacks. Think of food as nutrition, not entertainment or emotional fodder.

2. Go on a healthy food shopping spree. – Buy items that are healthy and appealing.  Fill your cupboards, pantry and fridge with healthy foods so you will not feel like your kitchen is empty.

3. Limit eating out. – Restaurant food has high amounts of sodium, sugar and fat.  Spend more time with family or friends cooking together, or enjoy cooking for yourself.

4. Visit a farmer’s market. – Most of the produce will be freshly picked, and taste heavenly compared to the refrigerated and thawed produce we get at grocery stores. 

5. Cut out the white stuff. – Sugar has zero nutrition.  Cut out high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners, too.  Sugar is linked to the growing obesity epidemic in the US and the rising rates of diabetes.  It is also linked to heart disease, which remains the number one killer of people in the US.  Use natural sweeteners in baking like raw honey, dates or molasses, which retains high amounts of nutrients.

6. Exercise.  – No level of nutrition can make up the difference for lack of exercise.  Walking counts, as does taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Aim for 10,000 steps per day!

7. Eat at a table. – If we eat while we’re working, or while watching TV or driving, we eat mindlessly, and as a result eat a lot more than we would if we were eating at a table, paying attention to what we’re doing. 

8. Eat smaller portions by buying smaller plates. –  According to Brian Wansink, author ofMindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think, in a study focused on size illusions, “People with a large bowl and a three-ounce scoop dished out 57 percent more ice cream than those given a smaller bowl and smaller scoop.”

9. Cut out ‘beverages’ and drink water. – Water is free, whereas most beverages come with a price – a health price and a financial price.  One popular 12-ounce soda boasts a whopping 150 calories, and it offers no nutrition.  

These are super smart suggestions! Pick one or two and make them habits. Start small and manageable. Remember DIETS and FADS always fail. LIFESTYLE CHOICES are forever. 

Bob Harpers tip of the day:

Today's Daily Tip

The average person should only have 2,000 milligrams of sodium a day, yet one teaspoon (a little pile about the size of quarter) of table salt has 2,400 milligrams of sodium. Logic should tell you that even without adding salt to your meals you get all of the salt you need daily. So take the salt shaker off of your table because you don’t need it!

Prevent OverEATING:

Fitness Magazine has a suuuuuper great article to help us avoid overeating. Try implementing a few of these rules and regulations to keep yourself from reaching for those 'goodies' that add to your waistline.

1. Eat the real stuff. go for a little bit of the REAL stuff instead of loading up on diet foods. chances are you won't be satisfied with the substitute.
2. Nix the hands-off policy. treat yourself with a cheat day. don't stress yourself out by trying to live by the rules 100% of the time.
3. Beat cravings. train your tastebuds to crave healthy substitutes, forgetting about those sugary salty calorie bombs. cravings don't usually last for longer than 20 minutes. distract yourself with a task and make a healthy snack instead.
4. Ask yourself questions. are you really hungry? is this a physical need or an emotional one?
5. Eat slowly. give our brain time to register your fullness.
6. Know your portions. pick up measuring cups and small tuperware containers to help control the size of your snacks and meals. you can have too much of a good thing.
7. Step away from the package. don't eat out of the bag. or the bowl. grab a serving size and put the package back in the pantry.
8. Don't eat in front of the TV. try to keep noshing to the kitchen. focus on your food. otherwise you become distracted and don't realise how much you consume.
9. Close the kitchen. after dinner, move your activities to another area of the home to eliminate late night snacking.
10. Think mint. peppermint helps signal fullness to your brain. so brush your teeth or have a cup of peppermint tea after dinner.

find the full article here.
What do you think? Do you practice any of these? Will you give some a try?