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Oxygen
How to shop for groceries…on
the Cheap
December 2007
Can’t afford fancy health
food? Can’t find it? Wheather you’re on a budget or live in the
middle of nowhere, here’a s healthy shopping list that’s accessible
to everyone.
It sucks, we know, but you
can’t get every meal chef-made and home-delivered like Jennifer
Aniston on The Zone. Heck, sometimes it’s hard too find flour-less
bread, and when you do, the markup is almost 400 percent! Not to
worry. Her’s the lowdown on easy-to-find substitutions that are
every bit as healthy and won’t put your in the poorhouse. Even if
the corner of Winslow, Arizona is home sweet home.
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Good Stuff |
We Love It |
Smart Swap
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Health Boost
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Serve It |
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Almond Butter
$8.99/750g |
A trio of bone-building
minerals: manganese, magnesium and phosphorous. |
Peanut Butter
$3.50/750g |
Packed with
cholesterol-reducing unsaturated fat that also stabilizes your
blood sugars. Plus, PB’s got a high satiety rate. With less
sugar and hydrogenated badness, go natural if possible. |
Forgo the vending
machine and snack on sliced apples dipped into peanut butter. |
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Edamame
$3.20/16oz |
Eda-what? A green
soybean that’s a wealth of protein, fiber and vitamin C.
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Tofu
$2.19/454g |
Brimming with plant
proteins and soy isoflavones that reduce total and LDL “bad”
cholesterol in the blood. |
Blend together soft
tofu, olive oil, cayenne, garlic and lemon juice for a
nutritious veggie dip. |
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Egg Beaters
$3.59/16oz |
Fat-free, loaded with
protein and just 30 figure-friendly calories per serving. |
Whole Eggs
$2.50/12 large |
The yolk contains
vitamin D and lutein, which is an antioxidant crucial for eye
health. Not to mention choline – a nutrient that boosts brain
health. |
Egg salad: mix chopped
hard-boiled eggs with plain yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder
and green onion. |
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Ezekiel Bread
$3.49/24oz
(in our opinon this
is worth the splurge) |
A high-fiber,
high-protein bread made with sprouted whole grains and legumes,
without the preservatives. |
100% Whole Wheat Bread
$2.60/675g loaf |
Any way you slice it,
whole wheat bread gives your muscles the carbohydrates it needs
to train hard. Eat more than 2 servings of whole grains daily to
lower your risk for heart disease.
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A no-fuss pre-workout
snack: a slice of whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter
and half a banana. |
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Flaxseed Oil
$7.99/120z |
Best source of alpha-linolenic
acid (ALA) – an omega-3 fat that fights inflammation. |
Walnuts
$6.99/lb |
Walnuts have several
times more ALA than any other nut. Plus, ellagic acid and
vitamin E – two anti-oxidants that mop up harmful free-radicals.
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Use in salads, or
supercharge oatmeal with berries and a dollop of peanut butter. |
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Grass-fed Beef
$9.99/lb |
Less saturated fat,
stronger flavor and more conjugated linoleic acid which may
boost lean body mass. |
Beef – Round Cut
$5.00/lb |
The best protein-to-fat
ratio of all the bovine cuts. Loin is also a lean choice.
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Top up your iron stores
by tossing 3 oz chopped sautéed round steak onto a garden salad.
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Hemp Seeds
$9.99/10oz |
A far-out supply of
essential fatty acids that improve mood and cholesterol levels. |
Sunflower Seeds
$1.99/lb |
With 40% of your daily
vitamin E needs in just 2 tablespoons, sunflower seeds are the
go-to, on-the-go snack. |
Like other seeds or
nuts, sunflower seeds are high-cal so lightly sprinkle on
salads, yogurt or cereal. |
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Pomegranate Juice
$3.99/15oz |
Packed with
disease-fighting, anti-aging antioxidants |
Grapefruit Juice
$2.99/1.89L |
Pink grapefruit
juice provides more nutrients per calorie than six other
commonly consumed juices such as apple and orange reports
a recent study at the University of
Florida. |
Whisk 1 tablespoon of
grapefruit juice with 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a tangy
salad dressing. |
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Quinoa
$3.29/lb |
Th highest protein
content among the whole grains. |
Brown Rice
.99/lb |
Like quinoa, brown rice
maintains manganese, magnesium and the potent anti-oxidant
selenium lost in the milling of white rice. |
Jazz up your rice by
adding cinnamon, sliced pears and raisins to the pot. |
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Wild Salmon Fillet/Steak
$10-$20/lb |
You reel in omega-3 fats
with fewer contaminants than the farmed kind. |
Pink Canned Salmon
$2.39/213g can |
Most canned salmon is
wild. Gobble up the soft bones for a hefty dose of bone-building
calcium. |
Make protein-packed
burgers by mixing canned salmon with one egg, breadcrumbs, and
chopped onion. |
Grocery
Shop the Healthy Way
Sure, shopping for Manolo’s
is much more fun, but we can help make your next trip to the grocery
store hassle-free, with advice from from Phil Lempert, the man
behind supermarketguru.com and food editor for the NBC Today.
Fill Up:
Have a nutritious snack or meal before you shop.
Being hungry may tempt you to buy more than
you need or scarf down a Mr. Big in the check-out line, he says.
Stay Focused:
Shop with a list. “When
forced to make decisions on the fly, shoppers buy more indulgent
items and spend up to 40 percent more,” says Lempert.
Think big:
Fll the big part of your grocery cart with healthful
foods such as vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy and whole grains.
You can then reserve the small section at the top for the occasional
treat.
Read the box:
Compare the nutrition facts and ingredient lists of
similar products and choose the most nutritious, advises Lempert.
“Store brands can be healthier and cheaper than name brands.”
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