Posted Jan 29, 2011
Eating healthier may have been one of your 2011 New Year’s resolutions.
Recently, the Daily Press offered a live Web chat offering readers a chance to ask questions about how to eat healthier on a budget. Panelists included Jennifer Shea, registered dietitian for Farm Fresh supermarkets, and Bonnie Tazewell, a retired Virginia Tech extension agent specializing in foods, nutrition and health.
Q. What would you recommend as a quick, healthy, budget-friendly dinner option I could feed my 4-year-old and husband?
Shea. Whole grain pasta is a great inexpensive staple. Add in a few veggies that your husband and 4-year-old will love — broccoli, spinach, canned tomatoes — and top with your favorite shredded cheese, reduced-fat variety.
Also, chilis are easy to make and store for multiple dinners. Use a variety of low sodium canned beans, chili mix (I like McCormick) and lean ground beef. I also love to throw in some fresh or frozen spinach, carrots and onions.
Q. The Daily Press Savvy Shopper has a $50-a-week grocery budget goal. What staple items would you recommend for best nutrition punch, lowest cost?
Shea. Grains: Whole grain rice, whole grain pasta, legumes/beans/barley, whole grain/high fiber cereals, high fiber tortillas and crackers, whole grain bread.
Fruits: Dried fruit, frozen fruit, 100 percent juice, seasonal favorites, canned packed in juice or water.
Vegetables: Canned (no salt added), frozen (no sauce), seasonal veggies, spaghetti sauces (read labels — can count towards a veggie serving — watch sodium/added sugar), salsa.
Dairy: 2 percent milk cheese, skim or 1 percent milk, house brand yogurt, nonfat dry milk powder (add to soups, stews, casseroles, mashed potato, use in recipes, etc.)
Proteins: Canned and pouch salmon, tuna, nuts/peanut butter, legumes/beans (canned and dried), eggs/egg substitutes, bulk chicken/lean meat.
Q. What are the best “seasonal” buys right now (with nothing around here in season outside of frozen and canned foods)?
Shea. Brussel sprouts (love them roasted!), parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Apples are still tasting great and there are lots of fresh fruit coming in from Chile. Frozen veggies and fruit are always a great option and inexpensive so as long as they don’t have added sauces. Many times, they are just as nutritious as fresh because they’re packed at the peak of freshness and flash frozen.
If you go canned, choose low-sodium options or rinse and drain the veggies or beans.
Q. Can you name five or so of the most powerful foods nutritionally that we should be eating more of?
Tazewell: Fruits and vegetables in season, omega-3 foods (nuts, fish), low-fat dairy, iron rich foods and vitamin D if deficient.
Shea. Blueberries, walnuts, salmon, oatmeal, kale. The blueberries can be frozen, salmon can be canned, kale can be frozen. Oatmeal is a great breakfast or dessert — but also can be added to meatloaf, muffins, etc.
If there is one thing you’re looking for as a must to include in your diet to lower bad levels of cholesterol, it is oatmeal — plain rolled oats — and then add your own toppings. I like bananas and walnuts.
Q. I know that fish contains omega-3 and should be included in your diet. Do you still get the same results if you take the omega-3 vitamin?
Shea. My recommendation is always to get as much of your nutrition from food versus supplements.
Editor’s note: Tests done by ConsumerLab.com on omega-3 fatty acid supplements showed that all but two were fresh and all contained their claimed amounts of EPA and DHA omega 3 fats. None of the products were found to contain detectable levels of mercury. By comparison, mercury levels in fish generally range from 10 ppb to 1,000 ppb, depending on the fish. In addition, none of the products contained unsafe levels of PCBs. PCBs have been found in several fish including farm-raised salmon. -Megan Witt, RD, LD
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