There’s no getting around it. The ugly truth is, it costs more to eat well than it does to eat junk food. Let’s first understand why. In heavily industrialized and populated countries, food is just another ‘product’. For the manufacturers to make a profit, their food products must reach a wide market, have a long shelf life and be relatively inexpensive to produce. Add to this, of course, that food has to taste and look good enough for you to want to buy it. Note that, sadly, having a high nutritional value doesn’t make the shortlist.
To reach a wide market, food has to travel well and resist spoiling during the time it’s packaged, shipped and sitting on the grocer’s shelf. And to be economical to produce, this food has to be resistant to weather, climate, pests, bugs and the like. What this means is that manufacturers have to remove everything from food that will make it spoil quickly, which, coincidentally includes the very things that make it nutritionally beneficial.
To make it taste nice, the food industry sweetens it. To make it visually pleasant, it colors it. To make it inexpensive, it sprays, genetically alters, selectively breeds, mass produces, processes and packages crops, meat, grains and dairy into ‘food products’. It also adds preservatives and chemicals.
In the meantime, what can we do to improve our nutrition without breaking the bank? Whenever possible, buy fruit and vegetables that are locally grown and produced. Understand that food product ‘bargains’ may not be a real deal at all. A longer shelf life translates into lower prices, but at what cost to your body? Convenience and time saving is a big part of the equation that figures into the final cost. You can even the odds against you by preparing food in advance and taking it with you.
Shop more often for perishables. It doesn’t cost any more to buy this stuff fresh than it does old. Frozen meals are not cheaper. Believe it or not, you can buy a couple of fresh vegetables and grill some lean meat or fish for about the same cost as a frozen dinner. Always try to follow a healthy diet, and you can have a free copy of my Healthy Eating Guide by emailing to [email protected].
Recipe of the Week
Latkes
Makes 24 Latkes
Ingredients
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vegetable oil
Vegetable cooking spray
Method
Preheat oven to 450F; make sure your oven rack is in the middle of the oven. Lightly spray 2 baking sheets with vegetable cooking spray. Grate the potatoes in your food processor, or by hand. Combine the grated potatoes and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Spoon rounded tablespoons of the mixture onto the baking sheet. Press lightly to form a round cake. Bake for 10 minutes or until they look golden brown on the bottom. Turn the latkes over, and bake for 5 minutes longer or until golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter. Serve with low fat or non fat sour cream or apple sauce.
Ask Alva
I’m trying to lose about 15 kilos and I have recently started doing more exercise. Tonight I did 30 minutes of cardio and then 20 minutes of abs and arms. After working out I tend to eat a lot of food. Is it better to eat before or after you work out and how many calories should I take in a day? Ravi
The types of foods eaten and the fluids drunk are important to gain maximum benefit from exercise. In terms of carbohydrates, e.g. pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, etc, it is generally accepted that for most sports these should contribute about 60-70 percent of energy intake with protein providing around 12 percent and the remainder coming from fat. Excessively long gaps between eating and exercising should be avoided and snacks should be eaten. For example, after strenuous exercises it might be useful to have a high carbohydrate snack like something bread-based or fruit. Before and post exercising it’s important to be fully hydrated; some people find it useful to rehydrate with an isotonic sports drink. Alva
