Nutrition, healthy foods

Nutrition and healthy eating are frequent buzz words these days.   They mean different things to different people.    One lady I saw , said that nutrition wise, organic is not different than  regular.    No, in some cases, organic  is less nutritious than regular. Before people get all up in arms, organic probably has its virtues, but it's not beneficial to a bare bones, four dollar a day budget.   Putting things in perspective, we spend less for breakfast, lunch, and dinner a day than a lot of people spend on their morning coffee at the big bucks place.    A lot of organic is at least three times the price of regular.  

The three things that are the the enemies of healthy foods are

1) fat- trans fat and hydrogenated oils--margarine,fake  butter, fatty meats, hydrogenated oils that are on everything from refried beans to peanut butter and salad dressing.   Only safflower, canola, amd olive oil are not hydrogenated.    Olive oil boosts your good cholesterol.  

2) sugar.   Sugar is an enemy of your oral health, as well as the rest of your body.    Avoid excess sugar especially fruit juices and pop.   Refined sugar especially.  
It,motor is hiding in all kinds of prepared food.

3) salt.  Salt is another thing that creeps into our diets in pre made foods.   Some people salt their foods before they even taste them.   Many things can be cooked with herbs instead of salt.   It's not good for your heart health.

It is realitively easy to reduce the amount of salt, sugar, and  fat  in your menus.  Just sharing the mantra that you aren't going to buy anything that has little food value.    That leaves out pop and potato chips and other things too numerous to mention.    Making your own deserts and trying to eat more fruits instead of cakes etc helps too.  

• If it doesn't have food value ( good nutrients ) , don't buy it.   
• If it's full price, and you don't have to buy it, don't.    Chocolate and ice cream are not must haves.....darn it!    Use coupons and stack when possible.   
• If veggies aren't in season and less than a dollar, don't buy it.    We don't eat much asparagus, but do eat fresh green beans.    
• A ready made anything needs to be cheaper than scratch, good tasting,and the alternative scratch recipe needs to be easy and not take all day.   I found a recipe to make non-fried refried beans easy....low carb tortillas....not so much!   
• If it isn't a RBP, think twice before putting something  in your cart.    Studies show that of you pick something  up, you are more likely to put it in your cart.

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspectives. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.