Swap these 8 foods for more budget friendly and HEALTHIER foods

OUT

IN

1. Margarine – just youtube a video on how this is made and you will never eat it again. Sometimes cheaper than butter in terms of dollars but full of emulsifiers, flavourings and colours and containing trans-fats which will cost more in terms of heart health long term.

Butter – natural fats, bone-building calcium, Vitamins A, E and K, more flavour and better for your health.

2. White, store bought, processed bread. Even the expensive low carb, high GI bread is high is refined carbohydrates and may cause sugar spikes. In Australia, this bread is mandated to be fortified with vitamins which are removed through the process of making white flour – however, what we add is not natural and may have negative health effects for some people. 

Homemade Sourdough – once you get the hang of this it will actually become cheaper than buying store bread. Plus, the benefits are immense for your health. Not only do you have control of everything you put in (or don’t put in) but this wheat is fermented which is way better for guy health.

3. Bought, bottled sparkling water. Unknown water source, possibly unfiltered and sitting in plastic for….how long?

Soda Stream! Investing in a good filtration system at home and a soda stream will save you money, help the environment and allow you to have chemical free fizzy water whenever you like.

4. Red Meat – I am a huge fan of red meat and using the entire animal but as humans we need to reduce our consumption of animals. We can save money, lives and the environment by finding protein-rich plant based alternatives.

Vego night. Meat is expensive and not just from the shop. From birth to slaughter, purely for food, animals can be costly to both pocket and environment. Adding a vego night or 2 per week in at home can broaden cooking skills and horizons, introduce new flavours and save a significant amount of grocery bills. Try tofu, legumes, lentils, veg curries and lasagnes or even an egg dinner night.

5. Packaged snack foods. Are extremely overpriced, marketed by a team of psychologists to suck you in and do not deliver on nutrient density.

Make your own bliss balls, seed balls, nut butter bars, healthy ‘LCM’ bars, high protein brownies and other snack foods it will save you dollars and taste better.

6. Pre-made, boxed cereals and muesli. The average box of cereal is 30-50% sugar. Even the ‘healthy’ ones. Those that are not high in added sugar are mostly refined carbohydrates that do not provide sustained energy and cause a sugar spike first thing in the morning making it harder to maintain balanced sugar levels throughout the day.

Home-made Granola

Making granola at home is an investment to start with but you will find it serves you better throughout the day, you only need a small serve and it will keep for a week or 2 in an airtight container. You also have control over the type of sweetness you add. Honey naturally contains chromium which helps balance blood sugar levels, choose organic dried fruits in small amounts to reduce preservatives and add fresh fruit instead.

7. Singular or ‘premium’ animal cuts are expensive for our pockets and the animals we eat. 1 whole chicken might feed a family of 6 but 3 birds have to die for this same family to enjoy 2 chicken breasts each.  

Whole animals, unpopular cuts, offal. Investing in the whole animal is the ethical and financially better option when buying meat. It is cheaper to buy one whole chicken than a few kilos of chicken breast. A whole chicken will also feed more people and deliver more fat which means you will be full with less meat. This allows us to afford better quality meat and move away from mass-produced, feedlot animals and to stop supporting such industries. Look for a local farmer and share with friends who want to so the same.

8. Perfect veggies – grow your own or source a local supplier

The vegetables in the supermarket have strict growing conditions on the way they look (not taste!). Often this means that produce which does not fit the bill is wasted. Look for imperfect veg which is cheaper and often tastes better as it has grown the way it wanted to. Or, start a small veggie garden at home, join a local community garden or find a local farmer.