Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How to eat healthy on a budget
St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | July 2, 2007 | Harry Jackson Jr.

Posted on 07/05/2007 6:00:55 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

For students living on ramen noodles or people in low-wage, time-consuming jobs, folks who are down on their luck or living on fixed incomes, healthy eating may seem too expensive.

Nutritionists say, however, that's a false perception. Healthy eating, in fact, is cheaper. The cost of expensive eating often isn't the food, it's the bells and whistles of trendy packaging.

"You pay for convenience," says Amy Moore, a dietitian at St. Louis University. "What it takes is planning and sometimes a little investment."

That means eating more fresh food from low-cost stores and farmers markets, watching store sales and using store coupons. The nutrition gurus, from the United States Department of Agriculture to the American Dietetic Association, say healthy diets should be built around vegetables, grains and fruits, not meat and prepared foods — the biggest expense on grocery bills.

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, lived on $3 a day (to prove a point about food stamps) for a week and ended up eating mostly salads and lentil soup. She repeated that planning was the key.

"I learned how to shop. It gives you great insight on what it is to live on a fixed budget for your food," she said. "Most people who get food stamps are working poor."

She spent 2 1/2 hours planning and shopping at one store for the food for a week, which included reading grocery store ads for bargains.

"As one who doesn't eat a lot of carbs, I found it difficult to live on $3 a day," she said. "You can buy fresh fruits and vegetables, but you have to know how to cook."

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

Dorian Jones, dietitian and counselor for People's Health Centers, says low-income families must learn to use money wisely.

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News
KEYWORDS: carrots; celery; chicken; diet; food; foodstamps; frugality; gop; health; nutrition; oatmeal; publicassistance; republicans; socialwork; welfare
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140141-157 next last
To: djf
Spinach everyday

Spinach is high in purines -- I know at least two people who have developed gout from eating spinach every day.

121 posted on 07/06/2007 6:17:33 AM PDT by maryz
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: GGpaX4DumpedTea
Pastuerization ... make[s] milk deadly

As soon as I saw this it became clear that you are clueless.
122 posted on 07/06/2007 6:17:49 AM PDT by newguy357
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: Solitar

My folks were into health food, and bought genuine raw sugar for a time. Icky stuff, and expensive. Candy is hard to make. I’m having a hard enough time relearning how to cook, without trying that. Fudge doesn’t count, if you stay away from Divinity...which is divine ;)

I tried to make potato chips once. I think for fries, you either cook twice in oil, or parboil them in water, and pat dry before frying? The price of fish is just insane, and I’m trying to watch out for Chinese imports.


123 posted on 07/06/2007 6:49:08 AM PDT by TheSpottedOwl (Head Caterer for the FIRM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 101 | View Replies]

To: ReignOfError

Everyone needs soap and TP. I don’t think it was wrong to swap stuff between friends. That’s just common sense.

We need a safety net to help out citizens going through tight spots in their lives. I’m worried about the skyrocketing price of staple goods, though. A lot of folks here are apparently well to do, obviously because they are smart, work hard, and haven’t had any disasters come up and bite them. Sometimes that isn’t enough.


124 posted on 07/06/2007 7:03:15 AM PDT by TheSpottedOwl (Head Caterer for the FIRM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 120 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Stay away from the inner isles of the grocery store.


125 posted on 07/06/2007 7:09:47 AM PDT by Crawdad (I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no class.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lil'freeper

Hey...my raw milk is now much cheaper per gallon than storebought. Walmart is selling milk for $4.07 and Swans is still at $3.25


126 posted on 07/06/2007 7:10:26 AM PDT by 2Jedismom (http://kimsbug.blogspot.com/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 104 | View Replies]

To: TheSpottedOwl
A good way to cook an egg is to crack one into a little water, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then nuke it.

Sounds like a "poor (or lazy, or hurried)-man's poach." I've got to try that.

Remove with slotted spoon onto a toasted, buttered slice of bread.

Substitute an English muffin for the toast and slip in a slice of Canadian bacon, and you're most of the way to Eggs Benedict.

I made Eggs Benedict once substituting a slice of uber-salty Virginia ham for the Canadian bacon, and béarnaise in place of hollandaise. Makes my mouth water just remembering it.

127 posted on 07/06/2007 7:13:03 AM PDT by ReignOfError (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 97 | View Replies]

To: honeybadger

Oatmeal with DILL? Are you SERIOUS?


128 posted on 07/06/2007 7:16:59 AM PDT by Suzy Quzy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
ended up eating mostly salads

Sorry, that's my food's food.


BUMP

129 posted on 07/06/2007 7:23:58 AM PDT by capitalist229 (ANDS)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ItisaReligionofPeace; 2ndDivisionVet; HungarianGypsy

I’ve fed my family on the cheap for years. ‘Tain’t all that hard with a few basic skills behind you. (Cooking from scratch, gardening, shopping ONLY the perimeter of a grocery store for basics.)

Here’s one idea I didn’t see: Speaking of soups, I keep a container in the freezer and when I’m trimming veggies, the scraps go into the freezer container to be added to the stockpot when I’m boiling down a chicken carcass to make broth. (Celery tops, onion skins, carrot peels, etc.)

My favorite saying:

“Broke is only temporary; poor is a state of mind.”

And:

“Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell. While others may go hungry, we are eating very well.” ~ Grandma Edith


130 posted on 07/06/2007 7:25:17 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: ErnBatavia
Along this line, I run Free Republic's most exclusive, tight-knit ping list = "Flatulence Ping". Er, um...if you share such fascination, just FReepmail me.

Gee, there's a ping list I've never heard of before. It's apparently silent ... but deadly. I know where to go for breaking wind, erm, news.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

131 posted on 07/06/2007 8:07:25 AM PDT by ReignOfError (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: TheSpottedOwl

Okay, I can’t make heads or tails out of this story. Is Boo in your yard? If so, why? If not, why is your family building “a secure pen?” Why do you have, or tolerate and allow your children near, an animal you clearly know to be dangerous?


132 posted on 07/06/2007 8:17:09 AM PDT by ReignOfError (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: RonF
If you’re working long hours at low paying jobs, the time can be a problem.

Slow-cooker. 8 hours on low for things like beef stew, pot roast, pork shoulder, plus it makes low-cost cuts of meat quite palatable.

133 posted on 07/06/2007 8:20:21 AM PDT by Trailerpark Badass
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

oh goodie. another rich person decides to take a temporary vow of poverty to us to make a point that she can live for a week on salads and lentils. give me a break. did the maid help her prepare?


134 posted on 07/06/2007 8:26:10 AM PDT by applpie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ReignOfError

I was a little ticked off when I typed it. I’ll try and explain the situation a little better.

Bf needed a place to keep his dog, until he was able to move to a place where the landlord would allow dogs. That was taken care of last year, when we moved.

The dog, despite my bf constantly checking on him and making sure he had water and food, became unfriendly to most people. Before that, he was a beloved pet. His 18 yr old daughter is heartbroken because the dog no longer recognizes her :( She lives a distance from us.

The entire property is fenced, however I insisted and bf agreed, that doggie would be housed in a large (8x10) pen with a large, insulated doghouse. The folks who own the shop come from a country that doesn’t consider dogs as pets. The dog is around 11 yrs old, and needs some care and attention. The dog is allowed to run the entire 2 acres when his master is there to supervise.

Keep in mind that we only got the dog back a couple of days ago, and the boys were told not to roughhouse with him, etc. Well my son knows it all and got bit. My son, in case you didn’t notice, is 19-not 9. He is an adult, and if he wasn’t 4-H, he’d be in boot camp right now. If we had toddlers and preschoolers, the dog wouldn’t be with us. We would have found a more appropriate home for him.

I hope I have explained the situation better for you. On a side note, when I was married to my kids father, we had an Akita-Chow mix. My ex was mean to the dog, and to the cats as well. I would not let that same 19 yr old, or his baby sister into the backyard. Period. No discussions. That dog was a mean dog, and that was a shame, because she was easily housebroken, and did her business in a far corner of the yard, not all over the place. In other words, she was smart and had a lot of potential.


135 posted on 07/06/2007 9:08:52 AM PDT by TheSpottedOwl (Head Caterer for the FIRM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 132 | View Replies]

To: ReignOfError

I was thinking of eggs Benedict when I typed that :)

I did it to lessen the fat, but then I buttered the toast so I didn’t really save any fat calories. Until recently, I was on a weight control diet for years. Virginia ham is out for us, because we’re trying to limit our salt intake. Have you noticed that the cheaper the food item, the higher the fat/salt content is? Excluding Virginia ham, of course. Yikes, that stuff is expensive!


136 posted on 07/06/2007 9:14:47 AM PDT by TheSpottedOwl (Head Caterer for the FIRM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 127 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

I would try that idea, except we don’t have a seperate freezer. I’ve been looking for a small second hand chest freezer.


137 posted on 07/06/2007 9:17:51 AM PDT by TheSpottedOwl (Head Caterer for the FIRM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 130 | View Replies]

To: stylecouncilor; onedoug

ping


138 posted on 07/06/2007 10:11:23 AM PDT by windcliff
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: whatisthetruth; newguy357; SeaHawkFan

“Hey, I like milk, why is it deadly?”

About Real Milk by Sally Fallon of the Weston A Price Foundation...
We have been taught that pasteurization is a good thing, a method of protecting ourselves against infectious diseases, but closer examination reveals that its merits have been highly exaggerated. The modern milking machine and stainless steel tank, along with efficient packaging and distribution, make pasteurization totally unnecessary for the purposes of sanitation. And pasteurization is no guarantee of cleanliness. All outbreaks of salmonella from contaminated milk in recent decades — and there have been many — have occurred in pasteurized milk. This includes a 1985 outbreak in Illinois that struck 14,316 people causing at least one death. The salmonella strain in that batch of pasteurized milk was found to be genetically resistant to both penicillin and tetracycline. Raw milk contains lactic-acid-producing bacteria that protect against pathogens. Pasteurization destroys these helpful organisms, leaving the finished product devoid of any protective mechanism should undesirable bacteria inadvertently contaminate the supply. Raw milk in time turns pleasantly sour while pasteurized milk, lacking beneficial bacteria, will putrefy.

But that’s not all that pasteurization does to milk. Heat alters milk’s amino acids lysine and tyrosine, making the whole complex of proteins less available; it promotes rancidity of unsaturated fatty acids and destruction of vitamins. Vitamin C loss in pasteurization usually exceeds 50%; loss of other water-soluble vitamins can run as high as 80%; the Wulzen or anti-stiffness factor is totally destroyed. Pasteurization alters milk’s mineral components such as calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulphur as well as many trace minerals, making them less available. There is some evidence that pasteurization alters lactose, making it more readily absorbable. This, and the fact that pasteurized milk puts an unnecessary strain on the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes, may explain why milk consumption in civilized societies has been linked with diabetes.

Last but not least, pasteurization destroys all the enzymes in milk — in fact, the test for successful pasteurization is absence of enzymes. These enzymes help the body assimilate all bodybuilding factors, including calcium. That is why those who drink pasteurized milk may suffer, nevertheless, from osteoporosis. Lipase in raw milk helps the body digest and utilize butterfat. After pasteurization, chemicals may be added to suppress odor and restore taste. Synthetic vitamin D2 or D3 is added — the former is toxic and has been linked to heart disease while the latter is difficult to absorb. The final indignity is homogenization which has also been linked to heart disease.

Powdered skim milk is added to the most popular varieties of commercial milk — one-percent and two-percent milk. Commercial dehydration methods oxidize cholesterol in powdered milk, rendering it harmful to the arteries. High temperature drying also creates large quantities of nitrate compounds, which are potent carcinogens.

Modern pasteurized milk, devoid of its enzyme content, puts an enormous strain on the body’s digestive mechanism. In the elderly, and those with milk intolerance or inherited weaknesses of digestion, this milk passes through not fully digested and can clog the tiny villi of the small intestine, preventing the absorption of vital nutrients and promoting the uptake of toxic substances. The result is allergies, chronic fatigue and a host of degenerative diseases.

All the healthy milk-drinking populations studied by Dr. Price subsisted on raw milk, raw cultured milk or raw cheese from normal animals eating fresh grass or fodder. It is very difficult to find this kind of milk in America. In California and Georgia, raw milk was formerly available in health food stores. Intense harassment by state sanitation authorities has all but driven raw milk from the market in these states, in spite of the fact that it is technically legal. Even when available, this milk suffers from the same drawbacks as most supermarket milk — it comes from freak-pituitary cows, often raised in crowded barns on inappropriate feed. In some states you can buy raw milk at the farm. If you can find a farmer who will sell you raw milk from old fashioned Jersey or Guernsey cows, allowed to feed on fresh pasturage, then by all means avail yourself of this source. Some stores now carry pasteurized, but not homogenized, milk from cows raised on natural feed. Such milk may be used to make cultured milk products such as kefir, yoghurt, cultured buttermilk and cultured cream. Traditionally cultured buttermilk, which is low in casein but high in lactic acid, is often well tolerated by those with milk allergies, and gives excellent results when used to soak whole grain flours for baking. If you cannot find good quality raw milk, you should limit your consumption of milk products to cultured milk, cultured buttermilk, whole milk yoghurt, butter, cream and raw cheeses. Raw cheese ia available in all states. Much imported cheese is raw — look for the words “milk” or “fresh milk” on the label — and of very high quality.


139 posted on 07/06/2007 4:48:29 PM PDT by GGpaX4DumpedTea (t)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies]

To: TheSpottedOwl

It’ll be one of the best investments you’ll ever make. Now that it’s just the two of us, I did unplug one of the big freezers. I have a half-freezer (upright) on the enclosed back porch, a small full-size upright in the garage and then the top freezer compartments of two refrigerators (one a freebie from my Dad when he moved.)

I need to keep at least the smaller upright because of the amount of venison, fish, Canada goose, turkey, etc. we harvest each year. (My husband and I and all of our friends are the “Ted Nugent” types, LOL!)

I had two and a half freezers going and two fridges when I was raising my three boys. Man, could they EAT...and burn off EVERY calorie before the next meal, LOL!

I don’t miss those days at all. :)


140 posted on 07/06/2007 5:15:46 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 137 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 81-100101-120121-140141-157 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson