Cheap Tricks

Hello!

The terrible economy has got me thinking about new ways to be healthier and I’ve been thrilled to find there are some cost-cutting measures that are great for your health and waistline. Here are my favorites:

1. Buy smaller apples, potatoes, zucchini, eggplant or any produce with an edible skin. The skin is the healthiest part of the food and smaller items have a higher ratio of skin to insides (remember your middle school geometry?) That means it’s better to eat 2 small apples than 1 big one. The smaller produce is often cheaper, so shhhh…don’t tell the grocers that it’s superior.

2. Eat more beans and lentils. For the cost of one pound of chicken breast from Whole Foods you could eat lentils for a week! Just make sure to count one cup of them as your protein AND your starch, since they are rich in both. Serve them with lots of veggies, since they aren’t quite as filling (per calorie) as animal protein.

As if the cost weren’t reason enough, new research is showing that replacing animal protein with plant protein lengthens your life. That means making a big pot of lentils or beans once a week with lots of garlic, ginger, herbs or spices is your personal and super-convenient fountain of youth!

1. Drink tap water instead of bottled. It is at least as healthy.

2. Replace cold boxed cereals (expensive and highly processed) with whole grains, like oats, brown rice, bulger or any other boiled whole grain. Just compare—for the cost of 8 servings of Cheerios you get 60 servings of oatmeal!

3. And, of course, a few no-brainers: Eat out less, drink water instead of other beverages, and eat more slowly so that you are less likely to overeat.

Have a good week!
Jill