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Eating Well in a Sick Economy
Sponsored by PUR®. This year, resolve to lose pounds and save money.
In a recession like the one we’re in now, our spending might have to shrink but that doesn’t mean our waistlines have to expand. Everyone is looking to save a buck on monthly bills, but before you skip meals or buy nutrition bars in bulk, read what finance and health experts say about minding your pennies and your POINTS® values.
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Eat well for under $6 a day
Toby Smithson, RD, LDN, a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says she can have you eating healthy for an entire day for less than you’d spend on a cheeseburger and fries.
“It’s possible to do a full day’s meals for under $6. The average American shouldn’t go out to eat in today’s economy,” she says. “Those prepared foods are bad your health and your budget.”
Below is a sample one-day menu from Smithson that totals $5.71 per person for the entire day and about 28 POINTS values.
● Breakfast: $0.84 Oatmeal with milk; an orange
1 cup whole oats oatmeal $0.15 (2 POINTS values)
1 cup skim milk $0.19 (2 POINTS values)
1 orange $0.50 (1 POINTS values)
● Lunch: $1.691 egg, cheese and tomato sandwich on whole grain bread; pineapple and carrots
1 egg $0.17 (2 POINTS values)
Tomato slices $0.16 (0 POINTS values)
1 ounce sliced American cheese $0.25 (2 POINTS values)
1 tsp. mayonnaise $0.18 (1 POINTS values)
2 slices whole grain bread $0.53 (2 POINTS values)
1 cup slices canned pineapple in water $0.20 (1 POINTS values)
1 cup baby carrots $0.20 (0.5 POINTS values)
● Snack: $0.33
2 small graham crackers $0.12 (1 POINTS values)
2 tsp. natural peanut butter $0.21 (1.5 POINTS values)
● Snack: $0.23A baked apple with cinnamon and sugar substitute
1 apple $0.12 (1 POINTS values)
1 tsp cinnamon $0.05 (0 POINTS values)
Sugar substitute $0.06 (0 POINTS values)
● Dinner and Dessert: $2.62Turkey chili; spinach salad; fruit
3 ounces lean ground turkey $0.89 (3 POINTS values)
½ cup kidney beans $0.15 (1 POINTS values)
½ cup canned tomatoes $0.35 (0 POINTS values)
¼ cup whole grain pasta $0.10 (3 POINTS values)
1 slice rye bread $0.16 (1 POINTS values)
1 teaspoon margarine $0.04 (1 POINTS values)
1 cup spinach $0.32 (0 POINTS values)
2 tbsp fat free Italian dressing $0.16 (0 POINTS values)
1/2 kiwi $0.20 (.5 POINTS values)
½ apple $0.06 (.5 POINTS values)
½ banana $0.19 (1 POINTS values)
Some high-powered executives might be spending their coming days on the unemployment line, but those lucky enough to have a job seek out Dr. Gabriela Cora, president of the Miami-based Executive Health and Wealth Institute. Cora, a medical doctor with an MBA, teaches her Fortune 500 corporate clients “how to be healthy while they become wealthy.” She’s a wellness coach, and author of the best selling book, The Power of Wellbeing.
Her key advice is to keep it real, as in all-natural. “The more natural you eat, the better," she says. "Don’t buy elaborate pre-made sauces and spread them on your sandwich, use spices and herbs – it’s more work, but it's healthy and much cheaper.”
Cora says you can bring the power to the boardroom, but leave it out of your lunch bag. A nutrition bar can pack 3-5 POINTS values. Those types of snacks, as well as energy drinks, add to your grocery bill but often keep you hungry. “You must pay attention to the quality of the food you buy,” says Cora. “Make sure it’s not high in cost and low in nutrition, and include fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. A natural snack will give you energy in the middle of the day or before going to the gym.”
Dr. Felicia D. Stoler, host of TLC’s Honey We're Killing the Kids, a New Jersey-based nutritionist and exercise physiologist, reminds us that if we don’t follow this advice now it will cost us later.
“Who wants to buy a new wardrobe in this economy?” asks Stoler, who has a lot of advice on how to shop for groceries on the cheap.
Fresh produce seems the best choice – but when the cost of gas goes up, we’re also paying more for our grocer to deliver our fruits and vegetables. “Canned or frozen has the same nutrients – the texture might be different but the vitamins and minerals are the same,” she says. A box of frozen peas has about 2 POINTS values per cup, and we’re not paying for the “rush order” to get in-season items to the store when gas prices might be highest.
The lint in the bottom of your pocket isn’t going to pay for organic prices – nor does organic food have lower POINTS values. “Other than maybe pesticides on our produce," Stoler adds, "organic products in general (especially when we get into organic crackers and cookies) aren’t exactly better, and the vitamins and minerals can be the same.”
Jill Westfall, a veteran Money magazine columnist and co-author of the book Green Matters Today, says a recession breeds efficiency.
“There's a lot of waste in the country and that’s true for our diet as well,” Westfall says. “Our budgets are tighter – what do we really need to be healthy and what can we weed out?”
Consumer Price Index data released in September found that food prices had increased 6.2 percent over the previous year. Given the rising cost of beef and chicken, Westfall says meat doesn’t have to be the star of all your meals. “Cutting down on the meat-based protein is a great way to eat healthy and save money.” Westfall recommends putting brown rice front and center. At about 4 POINTS values per cooked cup, brown rice can cost $2-$4 per bag or box. And it packs five grams of protein per cup.
But we still need some meat. For the same reasons we can save money on frozen produce, Westfall saves a buck or two on fish by using canned sockeye smoked salmon, which tallies about 7 POINTS values for half a can. “It’s about $4, but I believe it's worth it," she says. "You can get 2 or 3 servings out of a can.”
Westfall’s favorite recession food is prosciutto. “It's a delicacy that goes a long way.” At about 2 POINTS value per ounce, she buys it sliced, packaged in bulk and spends about $15 for a case of the stuff. But save this for special meals.
When all else fails, get mom to help – or at least the “Meal Makeover Moms”. Liz Weiss and Janice Bissex,two Massachusetts-based dietitians whose book The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers offer a POINTS value savvy approach that keeps food budgets low and the health-factor high.
Weiss and Bissex both like eggs for everything, and at 15 to 25 cents each, they are a 2 POINTS value bargain. Another staple is pasta sauce. A half-cup of the bottled stuff (2 POINTS values) costs about 30 cents. Drizzle over whole-wheat pasta and you have a meal that costs only 60 cents per serving.
At about 25 cents per cup (and 2 POINTS values) Weiss and Bissex down 1 percent milk, which they say “offers more nutrients per penny than almost any other beverage option in the supermarket.”
The moms crave canned tuna and salmon, which is a high-quality protein that contains heart-healthy omega-3 fats. And at about 60 cents per serving, they say it has to be one of the better foods in a can.
About the Writer
Joe McGurk is a freelance writer who has worked for New York Post and several magazines including Maxim and Stuff.
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