Posted July 1, 2009
Shirley May saves a lot of money by planting a garden each year.
She also gets exercise and finds stress relief while growing flowers and vegetables for her fellow residents at the Coal Township Elderly Housing.
May and several others tenants plant gardens in an effort to eat healthy on tight budgets.
Planting a garden is just one way to cut costs without negatively affecting nutrition.
Through times of economic difficulty, paying attention to what you put in your body is just as important, said a health professional at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville.
Sharon Madalis, a registered dietician for 20 years and coordinator of clinical nutrition services, said maintaining a healthy diet is important for weight management, prevention of diabetes, heart disease and many other health issues.
Although diets are never “one size fits all,” Madalis said there are tips that anyone can follow to find healthy bargains.
“With a downturn in the economy, I am hearing more and more about people being on more tighter budgets,” she said. “People are eating out a lot less and more and more people are planting gardens in an effort to help the food bill.”
Worth the effort
Mike Snyder and Charlie Diori, both residents at Coal Township Elderly Housing, planted their gardens side by side. Snyder, who said he has dedicated his garden to soldiers fighting overseas, raises tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other vegetables that he gives to fellow tenants. Snyder said he knows people are on tight budgets and he wants to help.
Diori cans and freezes his vegetables to prepare for winter months.
He said a money-saving tip for gardeners is to plant their own seeds rather than buy plants. He plants seeds on a window box and then transfers the plants to his garden.
Joyce Devine, who also planted a garden at the high-rise, praises the practice.
“It takes time, and you have to keep it up, but it is worth it for all the money that you save,” she said.
Sensible eating
Beyond the value of a garden, Madalis presented a number of practices and concepts that people can use to save money while maintaining or even improving their nutrition:
Make a shopping list. This will prevent most impulse purchases. Also, make sure to eat before you go shopping. This will prevent overspending on those impulses.
Use local farmers’ markets. During economic times, people tend to buy foods with less nutritional value. She suggests visiting local farmers’ markets because the prices can be lower than at grocery stores for fruits and vegetables. In addition, some markets have pick-your-own fruits or vegetables, which can double as exercise.
For the best quality, buy only as much fresh produce as you will use within three or four days. Use overripe fruits, such as bananas and peaches, in baked goods.
Go frozen. When it is cold outside, go frozen. When the fresh fruit and vegetables get expensive, buy canned or frozen, because they last much longer and can be cheaper.
Costly protein. Another important fact to remember is that you don’t need large amounts of protein. Since meats can be expensive, she recommends cutting down portion sizes to make meat/chicken/fish go further.
“And then the cost spent on meat goes down,” she said. The money saved can be used to purchase more fruits and vegetables.
A serving size for protein is three ounces, much less than the normal size of a steak. Also, protein is found in eggs. Most eggs are equal to one ounce of protein.
If a patient is suffering from heart disease, Madalis recommended yolks be limited to four per week. In fact, the white of the egg actually has most of the protein.
Protein is also found in peanut butter and beans.
“Beans are a cheap source of protein and fiber,” Madalis said. Canned beans are inexpensive and can be drained to lessen salt intake. Dried beans are even cheaper, she added.
Go generic. Store brands have improved over the years. And, get a shopping card from your local grocery store to take advantage of any specials the store has to offer.
Also, check out the store’s circular, which run in local papers and can be picked up at the door of most grocery stores. Some grocery stores also have online coupons. For example, www.weismarkets.com has a coupon page where you can clip coupons to use in the store.
There is a word of caution about coupons, Madalis said. Make sure you only use coupons for things you would normally buy. Sometimes people get so excited about a great deal that they buy something they didn’t need or might not use, she said.
Cook it yourself. Convenient foods are often expensive, high in sodium, fat and calories and low in vitamins and other nutrients. Preparing foods at home is a cheaper and healthier option. Those who may not feel they have the skills to make a healthy meal can begin with simple items and build on them, Madalis said.
Try getting a piece of chicken, season it and throw it on the grill or in the oven, she said. For veggies, place them in a pot with a little water to steam them. “Keep it simple,” Madalis said.
“As you start to get more involved in cooking, look for easy recipes online,” she added.
Check out www.startmakingchoices.com. This site features recipes for meals under $10. Some examples are slow-cooked pot roast, broccoli-chicken stir fry and spicy Italian pasta bake.
Too tired or busy to cook? Prepare meals on weekends or other downtimes and freeze the leftovers. That allows for all the convenience without the extra expense.
Think your drink. Sodas and fruit drinks have many hidden and empty calories, Madalis said. Soda can appear to be offered at a bargain price in the store; however, those empty calories stack up.
Water is often free of costs, and is calorie free, she said. If you want to drink fruit juice, make sure it is 100-percent fruit juice.
Clear your home of temptations such as high calorie snack foods and sodas. You don’t have to completely stop drinking soda, for example, but save it for a special occasion.
Buy food in bulk. You will save money by buying only what you need.
Plan ahead. Plan a week’s worth of menus to ensure you are including healthy choices into your daily routine. This will also help you know what you need to buy at the grocery store and prevent those impulse purchases.
As for what to choose in the grocery store, stick to the periphery aisles, or those around the outside of the store. The more processed and convenient foods are located in the inner aisles. Fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy are located in the outside aisles.
For those picking up items at a food pantry, pick up fruits and vegetables in a can. Rinsing them can save grams of salt and calories. For breads, choose whole grains. Cereals should contain less than 10 grams of sugar.
June 28, 2009
To see more of The News-Item or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsitem.com.
Copyright © 2009, The News-Item, Shamokin, Pa.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.