Eating Healthy on a Budget

  Healthy meals planning with rich nutrients and yet easy budget seems a challenging endeavor. ‘Nutritious’ is often labelled as ‘expensive’ and to a certain extent, are rightly so. The much revered nutrient dense foods like multi-grain breads, almonds, olive oil or organic foods are all quite steeply priced.

What makes healthy budget eating even more difficult is that most cheap foods available (such as white bread, 2 minute noodles or wafers) come loaded with empty calories, simple sugars, invisible fat, excess sodium and a great taste!

Eating healthy foods doesn't mean that you need to spend large amounts of money every week. You simply have to choose foods that have high levels of nutrients without the high price tag. You can do this in any supermarket, provided you know what to look for and have clear goals as to what you want to eat.

Eating healthy foods doesn't have to break the budget! 

 However, the good news is that a little knowledge and careful meal planning can help us to avoid these calorie laden diet disasters, even on a tight budget.

There are plenty of inexpensive but healthy foods around us which when made a staple in a diet is sure to bring us closer to our health goals without burning the pockets.

Add these low cost healthy foods in your plan and reap their vast benefits while staying within a budget.

Beans-

An excellent source of protein, calcium and fibre, beans are one of the most versatile and nutrient rich low cost foods. The beans are easy to cook, good in taste and almost completely free of fat (or cholesterol) and sodium. In addition to these benefits, the beans also contain certain anti carcinogenic compounds, namely isoflavones, lagnins, phytic acid, sapopin and protease inhibitors.

Whole grains- 

Whole grains provides us with energy giving carbohydrates, dietary fibre, B complex vitamins and essential fatty acids which is widely known. While one may choose to add them in the diet with fortified attas or branded cereal mixes; the cheaper and natural sources such as millets, oatmeal and whole wheat flours work equally well.

 Green leafy vegetables-

The flavourful leafy greens are undoubtedly a budget friendly nutrition storehouse and it is not just about being low in calorie and rich in fiber. Greens like spinach, radish leaves, methi and mustard greens are packed with free radical fighting potent antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, E and B complex and growth promoting minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc.

Legumes-

 Legumes make a nutritious alternative to meat and are packed with protein, iron and B vitamins. But unlike meats, they're a very high source of fibre and are extremely low in fat.

 Bananas-

Though it is said that ‘an apple a day can keep a doctor away’; cheaper fruits such as bananas, cheekus and guavas don’t really lag behind nutritionally. The bananas are high in soluble fibre, fruit pectins, natural sugar, magnesium and potassium. They are one of the best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function; bananas can help to prevent heart disease.

 Indian gooseberry -

Indian gooseberry

 This incredible health food is abundant in vitamin C, a core nutrient needed to maintain heart, digestive and skin health. Indian gooseberry (Amla) contains good amounts of fibre, vitamins and tannins.

Drinking a glass of amla juice every morning has been shown to boost immunity and alleviate eye problems, constipation and hair fall. Amla can be made into chutneys, murabbas, and pickles or eaten after meals in dried forms.

Curd-

The high nutritional value and ease of preparation qualify curd as a key food in budget eating routine. Rich in calcium, protein and Vitamin B12, low fat curd houses live bacteria (probiotic) which help in improving digestion and curing stomach ailments. Consume a cup of curd everyday plain or as salad dressings (instead of white sauce or mayo). Adding curd is a great way to improve bone health, especially for elderly (who find it difficult to digest milk) and people with osteoporosis and lactose intolerance.

Amaranth-

Amaranth

It is widely found in the locality of Manipur (namely cheng-kruk) and varies other places of the world. The amazing thing about amaranth (Amaranthus) is how it compares nutritionally to other grains: far more iron, calcium, protein, manganese, fiber, and other phytonutrients than wheat or rice. Amaranth is one of the most protein-rich of any plant-based food, rivaling that of animal-based foods like cheese.

Amaranth is a true powerhouse, known to help prevent a number of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and stroke. 

 Eggs –

When it comes to ‘all -in -one health foods’, it is hard to beat eggs. Eggs are an awesome and low cost source of good quality proteins with high bioavailability. Their contribution as a food source for choline (needed for nerve transmission), carotenoids 

(lutein present in eggs may prevent cataracts and macular degeneration) and vitamin B 12 is profound. Though a healthy adult with moderate activity can eat an egg every day, the people with history of heart troubles may restrict themselves to egg whites. Vegetarians may opt for soybean or cottage cheese as an alternative.

Jaggery-

Unrefined sugar

Jaggery is a unrefined sugar.It  naturally sweet and unrefined jaggery which is also tooth healthily and are rich in natural goodness of minerals such as iron, magnesium and fibre, is considered to be beneficial in treating anaemia, throat problems, indigestion and other respiratory disorders rather than a refined white sugar.

Bitter gourd (Karrot akhabi)

Bitter gourd (Karrot akhabi) is a valuable herb gifted to us by Mother Nature. It is one of the healthiest vegetables known to man. Apart from being eaten mainly as vegetable, it is particularly reputed as a folk medicine due to its therapeutic properties. Although the bitter taste can turn you away, but it can really improve your health.

·         Diabetes: The bitter gourd is particularly used as a remedy for diabetes because of its hypoglycemic action.

• Blood Purification: The juice is used in the treatment of blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to blood poisoning.
• Piles: Fresh juice of bitter gourd is good for patients suffering from piles.
• Good for stomach: It contains cellulose which is a very good source of fiber thus preventing constipation.
• Aids weight loss: It stimulates liver for secretion of bile juices that are very essential for metabolism of fats.
• Eye care: It has high amount of beta-carotene that helps alleviate eye problems and improving eyesight.
• Alcoholism: It is an antidote for alcohol intoxication, and helps purify, restore and nourish liver
• Cholera: Fresh juice of leaves of bitter gourd is also a useful medication in early stages of cholera.
• Immune booster: A glass of bitter gourd juice in the morning can help to strengthen your immune system and increase your body's fighting power against infection.
• Skin care: Bitter gourd is also effective in treating skin diseases or skin infections, eczema and psoriasis.
•  HIV: Laboratory tests suggest that compounds in bitter melon might be effective for treating HIV infection.

In fact, its extracts are already sold as pills as well and it is being marketed as a blood sugar level reducing medicine. But rather than going for an indirect method of intake why not try to eat some amount of Karrot akhabi in the form of vegetable/soup/curry in your diets, to get all the benefits.
Although there are several health benefits of including bitter gourd in your diet, it is not recommended to take it in excess amounts as it can lead to abdominal pain and diarrhea. Also, pregnant women are also advised against having bitter gourd.

Water-

Finally, the cheapest and perhaps one of the most important components of any diet plan is water. Drinking water often takes a backseat as we don’t consider it worthy to be included as a nutrient. However, water must form the mainstay of any eating regime as it works as a detoxifying, hydrating and cooling agent. Aim for 8-10 glasses of water per day to improve digestion, physical and mental performance, and skin glow and also to lose weight faster.

Furthermore, try to buy fruits and vegetables in season as they are much cheaper, fresher and richer in nutrients. Shop in local shops or vendors and prefer fresh and unrefined foods over frozen, canned and processed foods. Home cooked food is definitely healthier for both our pockets and waists than restaurant meals, so make cooking a fun and regular family event.

Eating healthy foods need not be an expensive affair. If we choose wisely, the foods that cost the least may actually become the best foods for our health.