Economical, But Healthy Food - How Possible?

Nia Rouseberg Author: Nia Rouseberg Time for reading: ~7 minutes Last Updated: October 22, 2022
Economical, But Healthy Food - How Possible?

A fairly common, but erroneous belief of the majority of the population is that a frugal diet cannot be beneficial. However, in order to eat healthy, it is enough to balance your diet according to the content of nutrients. After all, we can safely assure that a healthy diet is always more economical than disordered food consumption, without thinking about what we eat and without rationing

A fairly common, but erroneous belief of the majority of the population is that a frugal diet cannot be beneficial. Like, for a healthy diet , you need to buy a lot of expensive products - red fish, exotic fruits and berries all year round, etc.

However, in order to eat healthy, all you need to do is balance your diet in terms of nutrients. This can be done with the products we are used to - local and seasonal vegetables and fruits, simple meat and fish, and not expensive varieties. All this can be done from those products that are on our table every day.

 

In addition, if you stop buying various snacks and sweets, semi-finished products from the store - which, of course, a healthy diet requires - this will minimize your food expenses. As well as following a clear diet with a planned menu.

For some reason, we can safely assure that a healthy diet is always more economical than disordered food consumption, without thinking about what we eat and without rationing the amount of food. That is, economical food not only can be useful, but also is so.

 

What is the fault of cheap but healthy food

  • The diet should be sufficient in terms of calories, the content of proteins of animal and plant origin, vitamins and minerals. Which, in turn, ensure the absence of hunger.

  • In the diet , it is recommended to replace expensive products with cheaper ones, which are not inferior in the content of the main nutrients necessary for the human body. Read more about the equivalent replacement of expensive food products with cheaper ones in the article - *.

Let's focus on the main groups of products that should be present in an economical healthy diet .

 

Meat products

Give preference to the meat of any animals, especially poultry, offal, as cheaper but complete sources of protein, vitamins B6 and B12. The meat must be without signs of spoilage, damage by dangerous parasites, which has passed a veterinary examination. Reduce the consumption of sausages, sausages, anchovies, smoked meats as much as possible - as more expensive products, which, moreover, do not contain a sufficient amount of animal protein. Do not use store-bought semi-finished products. They are 2-3 times more expensive than homemade food, contain a lot of fat, salt, spices, food additives, most of their meat is replaced with soy, starch and other fillers. Make homemade blanks - http://harchi.info/articles/domashni-napivfabrykaty-yakisno-smachno-ta-ekonomno-0.

150-200 g of meat per day is enough for a person (in terms of raw product), which completely fits into the concept of cheap , economical food , but balanced in terms of nutrients.

Fish products

Eat any fresh, fresh water, sea or ocean fish, chilled or frozen - of course, without signs of spoilage, infestation by parasites and which has passed a veterinary examination. Give preference to oily fish as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, well-digested complete animal protein and trace elements (iodine, selenium, phosphorus). If you catch fish yourself, do not forget to carefully process it and subject it to sufficient heat treatment. Also, use other seafood, edible algae.

It is recommended to eat 100-150 g of fish per day.

Alternate meat and fish dishes — thereby reducing costs for each food group and, of course, diversifying the diet .

Eggs

It is one of the most affordable protein products. Eggs contain easily digestible complete animal protein, lecithin, carotenes and carotenoids, fat-soluble vitamins A and D.

For a healthy adult or child, it is recommended to consume 1 egg per day. And people with high blood cholesterol should limit the number of eggs in their diet to 2-3 times a week.

Vegetables, fruits, herbs, potatoes

This group of products is a source of fiber, pectin and other plant fibers, as well as vitamins and minerals. Preference should be given to cheaper and more accessible vegetables - seasonal and local (carrots, beets, cabbage, onions, turnips, radishes, radishes, garlic).

Limit consumption of exotic and imported vegetables and fruits. They can be completely replaced with apples, pears, berries, dried fruits and even frozen vegetables. Early vegetables and greens grown indoors tend to be high in nitrates, along with being disastrously low in nutrients. And their prices are higher.

In autumn, when vegetables and fruits are cheap, it is very convenient and profitable to make homemade preparations using various methods of preservation, salting and fermentation. In such products, vitamins are preserved quite well (20-50%).

As for potatoes, their vitamin C content decreases during storage, but most Ukrainians eat potatoes almost every day, since this vegetable is a source of vitamins and trace elements, and it is an affordable product for the vast majority of the population.

Consumption of vegetables and fruits should be 450-500 grams daily.

 

Dairy products

Dairy products must be included in the diet every day (1 liter of milk or fermented milk drinks, any cheeses — per 1 liter of milk). This is the same source of complete animal protein, as well as almost the only source of absorbable calcium. Some dairy products enriched with bifido and lactobacteria provide the body with pro- and prebiotics that normalize the intestinal microflora. In critical situations, milk in combination with bread may for some time be, even, the only food products that will save the body from protein-calorie deficiency.

Bread and flour products, cereals, legumes, pasta

All these products are socially significant and unique in their chemical composition. They have vegetable proteins, fats, starch, vitamins of group B, trace elements.

It is recommended to consume from 200 to 500 g of bread per day, depending on physical activity and the composition of the diet as a whole.

Do not forget to include legumes in your diet (at least once a week). Legumes (peas, beans, beans) contain the necessary sulfur-containing amino acids, vegetable protein, trace elements. Soy is rich in bioflavonoids, phytohormones and other biologically active substances.

This whole group of products is affordable. Cereals and pasta are easily boiled and increase in volume, creating a feeling of satiety. Also, they are useful for gastritis, colitis and other diseases of the digestive tract.

Confectionery

Confectionery and sugar are high in calories. At the same time, their calories can be called empty, since these products contain little or no protein, vitamins, and trace elements.

Give preference to chocolate, halva and other sweets made from nuts, marmalade, marshmallows. The price of such desserts is often lower than the price of cream cakes and cakes, and the benefit is greater.

The total amount of sugar and sweets per day should not exceed 100 g.

Fats

It is necessary to include different fats in the food - they all have completely different compositions and cannot replace each other. Vegetable oils (sunflower, corn, soybean, rapeseed, linseed) are excellent sources of omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 polyunsaturated fatty acids. These oils also contain lecithin, vitamin E and carotenes.

The recommended daily dose is 30-40 g.

Milk fat (butter, sour cream) is a source of lecithin, vitamins A and D. It contains saturated fatty acids, which contribute to the accumulation of low-density lipoproteins in the blood, cholesterol and the development of atherosclerosis.

The recommended amount of such fats that should be present in the daily diet is 30-40 g, it should not exceed a dose of 80-100 g.

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