EATING HEALTHY can be difficult when your family’s budget is low. Healthy foods, such as fresh produce, are notoriously expensive, while fewer nutritious options can be more affordable.
This is probably why many low-income families fall into poor nutrition habits.
We hear this all the time, but eating healthy can be much easier than some people think. Of course, some dietary changes have to be made.
John Grace, president of the Barbados Diabetes Association, is an advocate of backyard gardening and the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
He says: “Backyard gardening and [planting] in tubs would make a big difference. We have been working with the United Nations to teach people how to grow their own food. That means they don’t pay anything, so they cannot complain of high prices.”
Grace promotes the reduction of simple starches in the diet – for example, rice, macaroni and white bread. He explained that fibre intake should be high and simple starches do not contain fibre.
“Take an orange and eat everything but the seeds and the skin. That is not expensive, and an orange a day would make a big difference to people as they are a good source of fibre.
“Get as much fruits and vegetables [as possible]; anything yellow or green like carrots, pumpkin, beans, lettuce or okras. You do not need to eat a lot of them but just include them in the diet, at least 50 per cent of the daily food intake,” he advised.
The starting point, however, would be to grow some of what you need to eat. Herbs and some vegetables, including lettuce, carrots, beans, beets and okras, can be grown in small spaces. With many of the vegetables and herbs available right in your yard, those items can be crossed off the shopping list, leaving the money to be spent elsewhere.
Eat foods that are in season – this will cut out processed foods. When sweet potato, yam, breadfruit, and fruit are in season, these items can be added to the diet. Trying a variety of recipes can provide interesting ways to keep the diet pleasant.
When food is plentiful it is cheaper, buy in bulk and take a trip to one of the local markets to get the best prices.
Fresh vegetables are available at most supermarkets and if they are stored in the fridge there can be spoilage.
Buy vegetables in bulk and chop and freeze them. It is important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but when planning your grocery list on a budget, somehow fruits and vegetables tend to fall by the wayside when we notice the prices.
The most expensive items tend to be in the produce section but if you cannot afford to shop in the fresh food aisle, try frozen vegetables.
Frozen vegetables and fruits are flash-frozen on the day they were picked for optimal freshness and nutrition. Frozen vegetable blends are available in a rainbow of variety – and that is even healthier.
In addition, there are some sensible choices that can transform your breakfast, lunch or dinner, using foods normally bought at the supermarket and including some healthy alternatives.
Breakfast: For many, breakfast means eggs, hotdogs, bacon, cornflakes, and other processed foods.
Most require frying and can be substituted with fruit or milk. For cornflakes and other processed food, alternatives would be cream of wheat or oats, which can be bought cheaply in larger quantities, with no need to buy milk as they can be sweetened with fresh fruit.
Lunch: Prepare meals at home. The average lunch these days costs $17 with additional expenditure for a starch, protein and maybe salad.
So, cook meals at home. The cost of the ingredients is already included in the grocery bill; you control the amount of fat, salt and sugar that goes into the meal, as well as the variety and quantity of vegetables; and each member of the family can be catered to, reducing the amount of money spent.