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 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.
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People in Manipur are very fond of snails. It is
cooked in most homes before Cheiraoba i.e. the New Year of Manipuris which is
held in the month of April. Some of the
most common snails we consume today are Grapevine Snail, Apple Snail, Turban
Snail etc. 
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The preferred method of purifying snails is to put
them live into a receptacle with a lid, to prevent them climbing out. Throw in some lettuce leaves for the snails
to feed on before they are cooked.
A 100 gm serving gives:
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