Eating Healthy On A Budget

Obviously you can cut food costs by eating more meals at home, and at least you know EXACTLY what went into the food and that it was properly handled in the process. Don’t get me started about how nasty some restaurant (even ritzy ones!) kitchens can be. I know, maybe I’ve watched too many “Restaurant: Impossible” episodes, lol. Plus, when you have a food allergy like me (nuts) it can be dicey to take their word for it, that the food wasn’t prepared in a way that could have had at least cross-contamination. Luckily mine is a skin allergy and not anaphylaxis or respiratory (though it still isn’t a pleasant experience). Anyway, here are some healthy ways to eat, even on a tight budget:

 

1. Brown Rice

Great for: Side dish, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1/4 cup dry rice.

Price per serving: 18 cents. A 1-pound bag costs about $1.75 and contains 10 servings.

Nutrition info per serving: 170 calories, 2 grams fiber, and 4 grams protein.

 

2. Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Pasta

Great for: Hot and cold pasta dishes.

What's a serving? 2 ounces of dried pasta. A serving for most people translates into about 2 ounces of dried pasta, which means you get about 7 servings in the typical box or bag of dried pasta.

Price per serving? About 24 cents. You can get a 13- to 16-ounce box or bag of store-brand dried pasta for about $1.69.

Nutrition info per serving: About 200 calories, 7 grams protein, and 6 grams fiber.

 

3. 100% Whole-Wheat or Multigrain Bread

Great for: Hot and cold sandwiches.

What's a serving? 2 slices. Labels usually list a serving as 1 slice of bread (about 28 grams per slice), but for our purposes, we'll use the amount you'd use to make a sandwich.

Price per serving: About 18 cents. You can get a 22-ounce loaf of store-brand whole-wheat bread for about $1.99. Each loaf has about 22 slices, or 11 servings of 2 slices each.

Nutrition info per serving (2 slices): About 120 calories, 6 grams protein, and 3 grams fiber.

 

4. Nonfat Greek Yogurt

Great for: A quick snack, parfaits made with fruit and granola, and smoothies.

What's a serving? Most individual servings come in 6-ounce or 8-ounce containers. You can save money by buying a larger container of Greek yogurt and then taking your 6- or 8-ounce portion from it.

Price per serving: Individual servings (6- to 8-ounce containers) cost about 89 cents each and sometimes less when found on sale.

Nutrition info per serving (for a 6-ounce serving of honey vanilla): 150 calories, 0 grams fiber, and 14 grams protein.

 

5. Old-Fashioned Oats

Great for: Hot or cold cereal, granola, and I roll chicken breasts in them (also mixed with various different spices) and egg whites to do “my version” of fried chicken, though I bake it.

What's a serving? 1/2 cup dry oats.

Price per serving: 13 cents. A 42-ounce container of store brand oats costs around $3.99, and each container has about 30 servings, based on a serving of 1/2-cup of dry oats.

Nutrition info per serving: 150 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 5 grams protein.

 

6. Frozen Vegetables

Great for: Side dishes, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1 cup.

Price per serving: Around 25 cents. Frozen vegetables come in 12-ounce to 24-ounce bags that cost anywhere from $1.75 to $2.25 and contain 6-8 cups, depending on the vegetable and the size of the bag. At one national store, you can buy a bag of frozen organic green beans for $1.79. A bag of petite peas will cost you $1.19, and a 10-ounce box of frozen chopped spinach costs $1.19.

Nutrition info per serving: A 1-cup serving of frozen mixed vegetables (classic mix) has 82 calories, 6 grams fiber, 4 grams protein, 115% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 8% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, and 7% of the Daily Value for potassium.

 

7. Russet Potato

Great for: Baked potatoes, breakfast potatoes, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1 medium baked potato.

Price per serving: About 33 cents per potato. You can buy a 5-pound bag of Russet potatoes for about $3.99, and a bag contains 11-13 potatoes.

Nutrition info per serving (one medium-size potato): 168 calories, 3 grams fiber, 5 grams protein, 20% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 10% Daily Value for iron, and 25% Daily Value for potassium.

 

8. Fresh Bagged Spinach

Great for: Quick salads, egg dishes, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? If you use it for a main-dish salad, about 4 cups makes a serving. If you sauté it and add to an omelet, or use it for a side salad, about 2 cups is a serving. I typically just sauté it with lots of garlic and eat as a side dish.

Price per serving: 66 cents for a 4-cup serving; 33 cents for a 2-cup serving. A bag (9 ounces) of washed spinach leaves sells for about $1.99.

Nutrition info per serving: 4-cup serving contains 20 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 160% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, 40% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, 8% of the Daily Value for calcium, and 40% of the Daily Value for folic acid.

 

9. Canned Refried Beans

Great for: Dips or a quick side dish.

What's a serving? Each can has about 3.5 servings, based on 1/2-cup servings.

Price per serving: About 34 cents. You can buy a 15-ounce can of store brand vegetarian refried beans for about $1.19.

Nutrition info per serving: About 140 calories (for the vegetarian type), 7 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, 4% of the Daily Value for calcium and 10% of the Daily Value for iron.

 

10. Canned Tuna

Great for: Sandwiches, several types of salads, and served with crackers.

Note: Due to levels of mercury detected in canned tuna (with higher levels in albacore tuna than canned light tuna), the FDA recommends that pregnant women, women who are trying to become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children limit albacore tuna to no more than 6 ounces per week. The FDA also recommends that those women not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish due to high mercury levels. In my opinion, it would probably be best for pregnant women to avoid canned tuna altogether and to choose lower-mercury seafood instead.

What's a serving? A 6-ounce can contains around 2 servings.

Price per serving: About 70 cents for chunk white albacore in water. You can buy a 6-ounce can of solid white albacore in water for about $1.99, or a 6-ounce can of chunk white albacore in water for about $1.39. The best deal is usually with chunk light in water for 85 cents per 6-ounce can.

Nutrition info per serving: About 500 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids (0.5 gram), 60 calories, and 13 grams of protein.

 

11. Canned or Jarred Marinara Sauce

Great for: Pasta dishes and stews.

What's a serving? 1/2 cup.

Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 24 or 28-ounce jar or can of marinara or pasta sauce for $1.67.

Nutrition info per serving: A serving of meatless pasta sauce has around 90 calories, 2 grams fiber, 15% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, and 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C.

 

12. Whole Wheat or Multigrain Pita Bread

Great for: Making pizzas, flatbread appetizers, and hot or cold sandwiches.

What's a serving? 1 pita pocket.

Price per serving: 30 to 55 cents. You can buy a 12-ounce package of 6 pita breads for $1.79 at Trader Joe's or $3.29 at a supermarket.

Nutrition info per serving: One pita contains 140 calories, 4 grams fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

 

13. Store-Brand Egg Substitute

Great for: Making quick omelets or as an ingredient in fried rice. You can also blend half egg substitute and half eggs to make egg casseroles.

What's a serving? 1/4 cup.

Price per serving: 25 to 37 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce carton for $1.99 to $2.99 at Trader Joe's and supermarkets.

Nutrition info per serving: 30 calories, 6 grams protein, 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin B12, 6% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, and 4% of the Daily Value for vitamins D and E.

 

14. Frozen Edamame (Soybeans)

Great for: Snacks and appetizers or as a side dish with your meal. If the edamame are shelled (without pods), you can easily add them to salads, soups, and stews.

What's a serving? 1/2 cup shelled edamame.

Price per serving: 56 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce bag of organic edamame in pods at a supermarket for $2.79 or edamame in pods at Trader Joe's for $1.79.

Nutrition info per serving: 90 calories, 10 grams protein, 8 grams fiber, 10% of the Daily Value for iron, and 6% of the Daily Value for calcium.

 

15. Dried Lentils

Great for: Salads, soups and stews. Lentils are the most user-friendly of the beans because they cook quickly without pre-soaking. Generally you just need to cover 1 cup of lentils with 3 cups of water or broth and boil for 3 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

What's a serving? 1/4 cup dried lentils.

Price per serving: 10 cents. You can buy a 16-ounce bag for $1.29. Each 16-ounce bag makes about 13 servings of lentils (if 1/4 cup dry is a serving). That small bag of lentils is deceiving because the lentils are dried, but once cooked, you will see the value.

Nutrition info per serving: 120 calories, 10 grams protein, and 11 grams fiber.

Plateau?

One of the best things you can do to avoid this problem is to implement a variety of methods into your workouts. It could be different activities (cycling instead of running), or different training protocols (interval training instead of steady-state cardio). The main thing is that you don’t stick to any one activity or protocol ONLY. When you notice the signs of diminishing returns, adjust your approach accordingly.

For instance, if a 30 minute run just isn’t doing it anymore, try replacing one or two of those runs with a 20 minute high intensity interval workout. Or, if you’re just bored with the same ol' hour of cycling, then signup for a kickboxing class. That's what I do. I do a mixture of Tabata, splits, HIIT, kickboxing, yoga/Pilates, lifting, etc. The key is to keep your body guessing.

Reduced Carb Diets

Reduced carb diets are a legitimate approach. Low carb diets shouldn’t be dumped in the fad category. They’re not for everyone, but can work very well for many people. Low-medium carb, high protein diets work exceptionally well for controlling calories, regulating appetite and retaining lean body mass.

Keep in mind, there are many different types of low carb diets. Low carb doesn’t necessarily mean eliminating all carbs, nor does it mean eating bacon, sausage and pork rinds. Reducing carbs could be as simple as dropping some white sugar and refined grains and replacing them with some lean protein and healthy fat.

I must also note though, carbs are not ‘bad.’ Saying a low carb diet is a viable diet option is not the same as saying carbohydrates are responsible for obesity. If anyone tells you carbs are fattening, beyond the ability of sugar and refined carbs to easily deliver an overload of calories – they may mean well, but they don’t get it.

YOGA

Though yoga has grown more popular in the last few years I think there’s still a lot of misconception about it. Yoga is basically seeking peace in your mind, body and spirit. Instead of doing as most Americans do, searching for self-worth and happiness externally (status, possessions, relationships) yoga helps you look inwardly, which is where you’ll find lasting peace and true happiness. 

When people hear “yoga” many picture someone in the lotus position humming to themselves in some mindless manner. Wrong! In fact, the purpose is to be acutely present in the moment. This is when you “go to your happy place” so to speak. I personally meditate on any number of things, as long as it’s positive; sometimes it’s picturing the ocean, sometimes it’s giving a list of thanks to God, sometimes it’s imagining my Mom laughing and having fun in heaven. I also listen to jazz while I pose. You may choose a different genre or nature sounds or a metronome or no sound at all. It’s whatever helps you feel relaxed. Really the only no-no is allowing yourself to dwell on anything stressful or negative.

Most people who know me know that I’m very much into healthy living, which includes physical fitness and another reason we want to reduce stress is because stress triggers cortisol. This is a hormone that, to make a long story short, causes you to store fat in the body. I’m sure you’ve all heard how the two are related so I won’t bore you with all of that now, just know that decreasing your stress is key in MANY ways to boosting your immune system and making better use of your weight loss efforts.

Yoga teaches you how to reduce stress and increase positivity in your daily life. You will find an intensified spiritual enlightenment and peace through the practice of yoga. Not to mention the health benefits of developing a stronger and more balanced body. I used to only do yoga as a stretching ritual after working out but now I do it every single morning just to get centered, relaxed, and more mentally and physically prepared for my day.

I chose 8 poses for my morning sessions, that are most ideal for waking the body, and I spend about 10 minutes at it. I used to have pain and tightness in my lower back and hamstrings but I just don’t anymore. I do notice a difference if I don’t do it in the morning now, which only serves as a quick and sure reminder that I need to MAKE the time for it, no matter what.

Not only has it helped me physically but it has improved my spiritual awareness and increased my peace like you wouldn’t believe. I want to encourage you today to look into yoga as a tool to help you better manage your stress, depression, anxiety, etc. If you need any guidance on the matter or anything I’ve mentioned here please feel free to message me (the address is displayed to the right, under my profile) or join my Fitness Challenge Group.

Convenient Muscle-Building Snacks

Canned Tuna

This is probably one of the best and easiest snacks for building muscle. Available in convenient 100 g cans (or there about), it can provide around 17 g of protein, and the spring water varieties are also very low in fat. Canned tuna is easy to eat on the go, all you really need is a small spoon. If you can eat this sitting, you can have some wholegrain crackers with the tuna for a more complete snack. The only caution I have is that if you work in an office environment, tuna can be quite pungent and consistently eating it will be a sure way of making you a lot less popular among your co-workers, lol.

Canned Chicken

Some people are not aware that chicken can be purchases in cans, in the same way as tuna. This has pretty much the same benefits of canned tuna, though it of course does not have the same distinctive fishy smell, which makes it more office friendly.

Boiled Eggs

This is one of my favorites. The high quality protein in the white is excellent for muscle building. If you exclude the yolk, each egg is very low in fat and provide around 3 to 4 g protein. If you include the yolk, the protein content doubles, but be aware that you will also be eating almost equal amounts of fat. Having a few pre peeled boiled eggs in your lunch bag is an easy way to get some high quality proteins quickly.

Nuts

Nuts and other legumes are higher in protein than most other non-meat sources and also contain a range of health promoting nutrients. Almonds are a particularly impressive nut worth mentioning. In a serving of 22 nuts, almonds provide around 6 g protein, as well as healthy fats, and antioxidants. A serving of 35 peanuts provide almost 7 g protein, and are also high in heart healthy fats and antioxidants.

Jerky

Jerked meats such as beef and turkey jerky are excellent sources of protein. They are essentially dried and flavored pieces of meat. They are convenient to eat, straight out of the packet using your hands and provide high quality meat proteins. **However, depending on the brand, they can be quite high in sodium, so it’s worthwhile shopping around for the healthiest one.

Protein Shakes

Other than all the mentioned whole foods, there are of course a variety of supplements that are quick and convenient to use when you do not have the time for a sit-down meal. Generally speaking, these can provide an excellent source of protein, and even carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and a variety of other nutrients. A major benefit to having a protein shake is that it is far less bulky than solid foods. So if you struggle to meet your daily calorie requirements this is a sure way to increase your total intake. Just be sure to research the brand you select to make certain it’s not packed with calories and fillers you don’t need.

Protein Bars

It’s pretty difficult to find a protein bar that isn’t loaded with sugar and/or other unnecessary calories/fillers and they’re typically more expensive than any of the items listed above BUT, in a pinch, better to keep one of those on hand than to just not eat OR to eat a cancer patty at the local grease pit.

Staying Fit & Healthy On The Road

Whether it’s for business or pleasure our normal routines get completely thrown out the window when traveling. If you work out in a gym, suddenly you might not have access to any equipment. If you run around your neighborhood, suddenly you no longer have a familiar path to follow. If you usually prepare your own meals, suddenly you don’t have a kitchen or fridge. If you’re used to a good night’s sleep, suddenly you’re sleeping at odd hours in different time zones.


We are creatures of habit. While working a normal day job, we can stick to a routine pretty easily (wake up at the same time, eat all meals at the same time, work out at the same time, go to sleep at the same time).  However, when we are traveling, nothing is familiar and the slightest speed bump can be enough to throw things off.


You have to create a specific action plan that you can take with you on your next trip, whether it’s for a day, a week, or a month. Here’s a few things to consider: 




Make It Your Constant

Your exercise needs to become your constant while traveling – make a commitment to yourself that you will find time to exercise – NO EXCUSES.  Add it to your calendar, set up an email reminder, do whatever it takes, but don’t take no for an answer.  You might need to wake up early one day to fit it in or you might need to exercise at 11PM at night on another day. Just freakin’ do it! Understand the importance of keeping up your routine even while traveling, and you’ll be able to come back to your regular daily routine without skipping a beat.

Use Body Weight Exercises

Maintain strength training with increasingly challenging body weight exercises. Make it your mission to find one of these things:

•A pull up bar or swing set

•A sturdy tree branch

•A building or bus stop overhang

As long as you find one of those three things, you can complete a full workout of pushing exercises (push-ups and burpees), pulling exercises (pull-ups and chin-ups), leg and butt exercises (lunges and squats), and core exercises (planks and hanging knee tucks). If you can’t do pull-ups (YET!) or can’t find a tree branch, do dumbbell rows with your suitcase or other heavy object. Everything else you can do with just your body.

Where To Workout

You might have a decent hotel gym or you might need to work out in your room, or maybe you need to find a park or school playground somewhere.  Go for a walk; pick a direction and try to find a small patch of land to do your push-ups, squats and you can also jump rope or use resistance bands (both are easy to pack and light to carry).

Track Your Progress

Many people forget to do this when they’re traveling but if your goal is to be better today than you were yesterday, this is incredibly difficult to do if you don’t know how you did yesterday! It DOESN’T MATTER where you start, no matter how weak you think you are. What matters is that you’re better than you were last time. If you could only do one squat and half a push up yesterday, aim for two squats and one full push up tomorrow.

Maintaining Healthy Eating

You cannot out-run poor food and drink choices, and you can’t out-train it either. Even if you’re living out of a backpack, here’s some cheap and easy items to choose from: almonds, apples and bananas, peanut butter (or almond butter) sandwiches. While out, try fitting in spinach salads with walnuts (or sunflower seeds if you’re allergic to nuts) and grilled chicken or fish. Teddy Roosevelt said it best: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Plan Ahead

If you know you’ll be traveling without the benefit of a cooler, pack some healthy snacks with you in your bag – apples and almonds are a fast and easy go-to. I would include bananas but you don’t want to get them bruised up bouncing around in your bag.

If you’re going out to dinner with your friends/family, find the restaurant online then browse the menu and “pre-order your dinner” in your mind so you know what to order when you get there.  Order the “meat + veggie + potato” option on the menu, and ask for double veggies instead.  Aim for something like grilled chicken or salmon.

If you’re traveling with others, let them know that you’re making a concerted effort to eat better and that you’d like their support.

Stay Active

I don’t care if you’re walking laps in the airport during a layover, or doing burpees at a bus stop – FIND A WAY TO BE ACTIVE EVERY DAY. Even if it’s 5 minutes of jump rope, it’s better than doing nothing, and will get you in the proper frame of mind. Take a run around the town, go for a hike, toss a frisbee in the park, go swimming in the ocean, whatever it is, just do something!

Bottomline

Eating right will be 80% of your success or failure and that means you need to be ON with how you eat every day. Try to maximize the good stuff (meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts) and minimize  the bad stuff (junk food, processed grains and carbs, sugary beverages). Maybe you’ll get made fun of by your unhealthy friends, or peer pressured into eating/drinking bad and skipping workouts, but what I have to say about that is, SO?! Two thirds of this country is overweight and out of shape. The number of diseases that can be avoided by proper nutrition and exercise is too long to list. So my question is, why would you want to be like, “everybody else” anyway?

High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets Explained

For the record, I don’t promote or follow any crash diets, weight loss pills, or meal plans that require you to cut whole food groups out, but I was discussing this with friends yesterday and to remain objective I wanted to present these types of diets from a purely factual and physiological point of view.

High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, like The Atkins Diet, have been widely promoted as effective weight loss plans. These programs generally recommend that dieters get 30% to 50% of their total calories from protein.

By comparison, the American Heart Association, the National Cholesterol Education Program, and the American Cancer Society all recommend a diet in which a smaller percentage of calories come from protein.

How Do Low-Carb Diets Work:

Normally your body burns carbohydrates for fuel. When you drastically cut carbs, the body goes into a metabolic state called ketosis, and it begins to burn its own fat for fuel.  When your fat stores become a primary energy source, you may lose weight.

High-Protein Diets:

High-protein diets are a close cousin to the low-carb diet. While diets like Atkins focus on an intense restriction of carbohydrates, high-protein diets are centered on lots of protein-packed foods that leave you satisfied and satiated. High-protein diets, which in many cases are low-carb diets in disguise, have their own set of pros and cons – like any other short term diet out there.

The Risks of High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets:

Some experts have raised concern about high-protein, low-carb diets, like causing high cholesterol. Some protein sources, like fatty cuts of meat, whole dairy products, and other high-fat foods can raise cholesterol, increasing your chance of heart disease.

Kidney problems. If you have any kidney problems, eating too much protein puts added strain on your kidneys. This may worsen kidney function.

Osteoporosis and kidney stones. When you're on a high-protein diet, you may urinate more calcium than normal. Some experts think this could make osteoporosis and kidney stones more likely.

Unhealthy metabolic state (ketosis). During ketosis, the body forms substances known as ketones, which can dull appetite and cause nausea and bad breath. Ketosis can be prevented by eating at least 100 grams of carbohydrates a day.

Is a Low-Carb Diet Right for You?

If you're considering a high-protein diet, check with your doctor to see if it's okay for you. He/She can help you come up with a plan that will make sure you're getting enough fruits and vegetables, and that you're getting LEAN protein foods.

Remember, weight loss that lasts is based on changes you can live with for the rest of your life, not any that are found in a temporary diet.