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Health and Wellness Advice - Eating more fruits and vegetables
- Eat good protein
- 10 foods to add to your diet
- Five Health-Boosting Foods
- Legumes, Tofu and Soy-Based Foods
- Vegetarianism basics
- Discover Soy
- Smarter Food Indulgences
- Adding Superfoods to your Diet
- Cook up 5 healthy trends with your kids. See how easy it is!
- Healthy Bowls That Will Bowl You Over!
- Eat well every day
- High Performance Diet
- Time Saving Health Tips
- Pair Foods for Health Benefits
- Creative Healthy Meal Ideas
- Affordable Healthy Eating
- Say hello to indulgence and goodbye to guilt!
- Meals on the go: 8 delicious open-faced sandwiches
- Where to get your protein
- 5 vegetables cooked differently
TopHealthy eating is much cheaper than you think!
Does eating healthier cost more? Not necessarily, and you might even save a few dollars! For your health and the health of your wallet, it's best to limit processed foods.
Processed organic, natural, and health foods are indeed more expensive than conventional products. Cookies, granola bars, crackers, cold cuts, and canned or frozen grocery items are convenient and tasty, and sometimes even nutritious. However, they should only make up a very small portion of your diet.
Choosing foods in their natural state and cooking them yourself is much cheaper and healthier than consuming commercially processed products. When you cook your meals and snacks, you have control over the amount of sugar, salt, and fat in your recipes. Plus, there are no additives, preservatives, or artificial food dyes. As a bonus, you limit the amount of packaging that ends up in the recycling or garbage bin.
Learn something new
Is your weekly schedule lighter than usual? Take advantage of this extra time to learn how to make bread, cookies, and muffins and freeze them.
Let's compare! Homemade cookies made by the dozen with healthy ingredients such as whole grains (for example, oatmeal cookies) cost less than $1 each, while a store-bought cookie costs $2 to $3.
It's also very easy to make your own chicken broth with chicken carcasses, or vegetable broth with peels and scraps. Homemade broths don't cost you a penny. Plus, they're delicious and 100% natural.
30 min
Dig out Grandma's recipes
At one time, ready-to-eat puddings and flavoured yogurts in individual containers were not widely available. Why should it be different today?
It's very simple to make nutritious dairy desserts at a lower cost. Homemade chocolate pudding can be made in a jiffy. There's also tapioca pudding or chia seed pudding, a more contemporary version that's rich in good omega-3 fats and fibre.
Each of these recipes can be made with milk or a plant-based alternative, such as soy or almond milk. It's a great way to have fun while getting your calcium levels up!
Choose your fruits and vegetables wisely
An adequate supply of fruits and vegetables is an integral part of a healthy diet. Each family member should have two to three servings of fruits a day, and at least 250 ml (1 cup) of vegetables at each of the two main meals.
By choosing seasonal or inexpensive produce such as apples, bananas, carrots, and lettuce, it's easy to follow these recommendations without breaking the bank. For example, to meet the weekly fruit intake for a family of four, you need eight bananas, a bag of apples, a bag of oranges, a few pears or plums, and frozen berries.
To limit trips to the supermarket and food waste, choose vegetables with a long shelf life, such as root vegetables (e.g., turnips, carrots, potatoes), cabbage to prepare salads or put in a soup, or a bunch of romaine lettuce instead of a mesclun mix. Complete your basket with cucumbers and tomatoes.
Don't forget frozen vegetables! They're especially good to have during the cold season, or when you run out of space in the fridge. They can be eaten as is, stir-fried, or added to recipes. They're also perfect for whipping up a quick bowl of vegetable soup.
Opt for vegetable proteins
Making a regular shepherd's pie for four people requires 454 g (1 lb.) of lean ground beef, which costs between $6 and $6.50. Substituting two cans (540 ml) of lentils for the meat costs $2.30. And you could save even more by buying dry lentils to cook yourself.
Note that canned legumes have the same nutritional value as dried legumes, but are even more economical, not to mention that they can be cooked in large quantities and stored in the freezer. Legumes are tasty, convenient and economical sources of protein.
Are you and your family not ready for a 100% vegan meal? Replacing some of the meat with vegetable protein will already make a difference. For example, in your chili or Bolognese sauce, replace half the meat with legumes.
Eggs for dinner is another great option! They're nutritious and economical. For example, you can make a frittata filled with vegetables for a great vitamin-rich dinner.
Compare products
Assess whether a product is worth the cost, both nutritionally and economically, by first looking at the Nutrition Facts table. For example, for hot or cold cereal, choose a product that has at least 2 g of fibre per serving and little sugar.
Next, look at the ingredient list. Look for foods that start with whole ingredients. The shorter the ingredient list, the better! Finally, compare products by looking at the prices on the shelf. Check the cost per 100 g or unit.
Some products may look healthy and affordable, but if you compare them to less processed foods, you'll quickly see that they're not as nutritious or as economical as you thought.
For example, flavoured oatmeal in a bag may contain as much sugar as very sweet breakfast cereal for children, and no more fibre. The cost is about $0.50 per serving, whereas homemade oatmeal is less than $0.12 per serving.
If you're looking for a quick oatmeal solution, you can mix the milk and oats the night before and refrigerate overnight. When you wake up, simply heat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Add fruits and nuts, sweeten to taste, and enjoy!
While you're improving your eating habits, think about what you want to add to your menu and not what you want to take away. It will make the process easier and more motivating.
Try the Family Farmers Network baskets
Always try to have healthy options on hand and support local producers. An easy way to do so is with the Family Farmers Network's vitamin baskets, in collaboration with Equiterre.
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