How To

How to Eat Well for Less

By eHow Personal Finance Editor

Rate: (33 Ratings)

In a country where food-supply mainstays are corn syrup and white flour, American diets are cheap and plentiful. However, it's possible to eat healthier foods without paying high prices. When you choose to eat well for less, you save both calories and coins.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

  • Beans
  • Lentils
  • Soy products
  • Produce
  • Bulk dry goods
  • Skim milk
Step1
Use meat as a seasoning ingredient rather than as a main dish. Many cultures that eat meat sparingly have populations with lower rates of heart disease and stroke than the United States.
Step2
Get protein from beans, lentils and soy products instead of meat. You can enjoy a dish made with beans and rice for pennies, without the saturated fat and cholesterol found in meat.
Step3
Buy produce in season. Ask your grocer what's in season or look for in-store specials as a cue. Out-of-season produce is usually imported, which elevates the price.
Step4
Eat produce from the freezer section if you must buy fruits and vegetables out of season. Farmers pick produce at the peak of ripeness and then flash-freeze it, so it retains its nutrients and freshness.
Step5
Purchase dry goods in bulk quantities to lower the price. Manufacturers pass on the savings of no packaging to you when you buy 10 pounds of dried oats or beans instead of oatmeal packets and canned beans.
Step6
Drink skim milk instead of whole milk or two-percent milk. Fat provides nine calories per gram, and skim milk contains no fat. Furthermore, skim milk is the cheapest milk in the market.
Step7
Eliminate refined grains from your diet. Watch your waistline and your grocery bill shrink up to 25 percent when you stop buying crackers, snack cakes and other highly processed foods made with white flour.

Comments

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SDKP

SDKP said

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on 8/17/2008 Skim milk is never cheaper. It takes more effort to skim the fat out than to deliver it as-is.

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on 8/17/2008 I would like to become a vegetarian. I am sick of meat, and all the junk in the meat we buy. Your suggestions seem the easiest way to eliminate meat from my diet. I already drink skim milk and I love red beans and rice. Thanks!

veggivet

veggivet said

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on 8/17/2008 Going vegan is also the best single change you can make in your lifestyle to reduce your carbon footprint.

40skydiver

40skydiver said

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on 8/16/2008 Great article I love skim milk. After years of drinking whole milk I switched. It's amazing how your taste can change. Now whole milk seems thick. I like all the ideas, I will be implementing each.

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on 8/16/2008 Very nice post...indeed.
One warning you might add is that be careful with soy.
It CAN cause blood clots! I know..crazy sounding but it is a coagulant and 1 in 20 people have hereditary disposition for blood clots.

Linda
www.attentiontodetailgifts.com

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eHow Article: How to Eat Well for Less

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