Monday, April 26, 2010

healthy eating on a low budget: insights

Its Sunday night. Three full days of experience with "healthy eating on a low budget". I've learned some very interesting quirks about myself.

First, I am really bad at planning ahead. Friday worked really well. Three meals but only two snacks. Found out I really like celery with Almond Butter. I had a very nice salad for lunch with spinach and lettuce, mushrooms, green beans, sunflower seeds, and a sprinkling of goats milk cheese. Supper was the left overs from Thursday night with new broccoli added in and some carrots. Combined pickled herring with canned beets for a wonderful protein snack. But, I was home most of the day and could easily plan my food. There was a bit of stress dealing with financial issues, but I didn't use food to compensate. All in all, I was quite proud of myself. And my body was beginning to feel better. Less pain in the joints, less swelling in the ankles, more energy, and a clearer head.

I thought I had Saturday under control but it went really wrong. I woke up feeling refreshed and could move around with little pain. I started the day with my glass of water with a dash of apple cider vinegar and flax oil capsules. Then had a healthy breakfast (the meal I always skip "to save money"). Had 1/2 cup of goat's milk yogurt with some organic blueberry jam in it topped with sunflower seeds (found out I don't like the crunch of seeds in my yogurt). Then I had two scrambled eggs (from free range chickens). Topped off with my watered down pomegranate juice and a cup of black coffee. I had a full morning planned with a stop off at the office to print off some material and then my Toastmasters meeting from 10 am until noon. I planned on being home by 12:45 at the latest to have another great lunch. But then things went a little off track. I ended up going out for coffee with a couple of friends after the meeting and it was well after 3:30 by the time I got home. No lunch. No snacks. I really didn't feel like cooking when I got home. I was very hungry and frantic to eat. So I grabbed some left over salad, woofed down the rest of the pickled herring/beet combo, ate the rest of the goat cheese and ate a tin of sardines right out of the can. When I finally calmed down, it was time to go out to a function that I had only to find they were serving pizza at the function. The smell of the pizza wafted throughout the meeting until we finally had a chance to eat at 7 pm. Usually I am not fond of pizza, but again, I was hungry and hadn't brought a snack, so I grabbed two pieces and gulped them down. I didn't want to drink diet coke, so I washed down the pizza first with bottled water, but that really didn't taste good so I then grabbed a regular coke.

While drinking the can of coke, I realized something rather strange about diet coke. The coke actually filled me up and tasted like it had some substance to it. I realized that all the time I drank diet coke I never felt full or that it was anything like a real food at all. I could easily drink 2 liters of diet coke in an evening and never really feel any sustenance at all. But half a can of coke felt full in my stomach. Interesting discovery. When I think about it from a physiological viewpoint (which is what my PhD is in after all), the sugar in the coke will give the impression of receiving energy from the coke whereas the artificial sweetener in the diet coke will not have this effect. I wonder if this holds true for other diet foods?

Anyway...the point is, I ate pizza and regular coke. Not healthy eating at all. Between the wheat and the mounds of cow's cheese on the pizza and the acid that we call coke, my body was not at all happy.

I woke up Sunday feeling bloated, puffy, and in pain. My back ached; my ankles ached, and my knees were very stiff. I got right back on the plan. I decided to plan my snacks ahead of time. I cut up a nice apple into chunks and put it into a plastic bag for later in the day. I cut up some english cucumber and put it into a bag. I put a handful of almonds into a bag. There! My snacks were ready. I didn't feel much like eating breakfast but I had my yogurt anyway (approximately $1.50 worth). Lunch was easy with a nice salad (about $3). I spent the afternoon with my mother to lift her spirits and brought along my afternoon snack with me. While we were having a coffee, I pulled out my cucumber slices and we shared them. The problem happened at dinner time. I was still with my mom trying to keep her calm and brighten her up from the rough day she was having (she has severe dementia and had a bad encounter with another resident in the nursing home) so I couldn't leave her until she was smiling again. I ended up skipping dinner since I always spend a couple of hours on Sunday nights with Nan, a sweet 88 year old angel. Karen Berger is Nan's daughter and I am proud to say she is a friend of mine. She is also a Kinesiologist and does incredible work with people helping them to see what is required to help balance their body with their energy. I had a session with her earlier tonight and feel absolutely wonderful AND I have some great insights into what my body needs.

When I finally arrived home tonight I was really hungry but I pulled out the apple pieces and munched on them until the hunger subsided. Then I cooked up some minced turkey (on sale; use about $2 worth), and cooked some quinoa (another $0.50) in with garlic and onions (together about $0.30 worth), dropped some asparagus (from the Chinese market...$1) into a boiling pot, and had an absolutely scrumptious late dinner. Again, a dinner for less than $4.

The total cost for the day was easily under $10.

So what have I learned? First, only one slip back into old habits makes a huge difference in my body (the pizza and coke the night before). Second, I have to plan ahead and make up snacks in case plans change. Third, I don't like to cook when I am hungry.

Interesting experience so far. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Friday, April 23, 2010

eating healthy on a low budget

So here's the deal. I haven't had a paycheck since January and have reverted back to what I call a "graduate student diet"...which means eating instant noodles with the cheapest meat I can find and forgoing fruits and vegetables. Yes, I was back in that old mindset...the one that spirals down. I felt like a failure for working so hard but not seeing any financial gain...so I cut my budget to the core and ended up eating crappy food that temporarily filled me up but left me craving all the foods that were really not good for me...and feeling worse when I gave in...got angry with myself and cut back to one meal a day...only to grab the worse food when I did have a couple of dollars...and gaining weight...and feeling crappy about gaining weight...so would really give up and just go for the highest carb alternative. My health has deteriorated. I have heartburn all the time; no energy; all my joints ache; I have difficulty walking even one block; I am not sleeping well; and my mind has been foggy.

I ended up fighting a severe depression.

But then a couple of friends dropped into town. They don't know each other but each of them helped in different ways. One friend has been battling depression for years and actually understood how difficult it was for me to do anything. Just having someone who understood helped. He insisted we go out for coffee and just chat. The other friend is a kinesiologist, Karen, who always has a bright attitude and eats very healthy (and is also a vegetarian).

I complained to this friend that I had to eat poorly because of my low budget.

Her response surprised me. Instead of agreeing with me, or chastising me, all she did was invite me along on a shopping trip. She temporarily lent me some money for food shopping and guided me through an amazing experience (yes, I can pay her back next month...I just signed contracts to teach 4 university courses over the summer).

We visited two health food stores, an Italian supermarket, a Chinese supermarket, and the Bulk Barn. I know what you are thinking...health food stores are expensive! Well, some items are...others aren't.

I have a very hard time digesting cow's milk but she showed me goat milk yogurt and goat milk cheese. I want to cut back on meat (since good quality meat is expensive) so she has shown me some protein alternatives. I had become so used to the "North American diet" that I couldn't see my way out of it and really don't know how to cook with these different foods. So she talked about how to use the foods...really simple ideas since the last thing I want to do is spend all my time cooking. I also learned that a dozen eggs from free range chickens are healthier and really not any more expensive than other eggs...and are also a good source of protein while being very versatile.

She helped me discover quinoa...an ancient whole grain that has a mild nutty flavor instead of using instant noodles. Very high in protein and easy to digest. A small bag of it cost me $7.99 at a health food store. I was dubious...it didn't look like much for that kind of money. But I cooked some up tonight and it really expands in volume! I cooked one cup of quinoa in two cups of water...and have enough to last two huge meals. At this rate, I will get at least 10 meals out of it if not more.

I learned that sardines are one of the healthiest meats...if you don't get them smothered in tomato sauce or oil (but you can just drain and rinse them if need be). I love sardines...and they are cheap ($1.39 per tin)! I also learned that canned mackerel is very good for you and it is also cheap ($1.99 for a large can). That is a relief...I don't have to become completely vegetarian!

I bought tons of vegetables...root vegetables such as beets, carrots, and white radishes; lots of green vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, celery, cucumber, green beans; and other vegetables such as portabelo mushrooms, onions, asparagus. I also bought some nice apples and black grapes...these were on sale for $0.99/lb. I learned how I can put almond butter or sunflower seed butter on the celery instead of peanut butter or that dreaded artificial cheese spread.

I bought dry roasted almonds at the Bulk Barn as well as unsalted, hulled sunflower seeds. Karen explained how I can sprinkle these on top of salads and almost any food, including the yogurt. I bought healthy pomegranate juice instead of "orange drink".

I used to eat lots of puffed rice cakes when they were on sale..but now I bought spelt puffed cakes and they actual have a taste to them (they don't taste like Styrofoam).

So...my fridge is bursting with all this food. I have opened the fridge four or five times tonight just to reassure myself that I do have food. So for under $100 I have enough food to very comfortably eat three proper meals plus three snacks a day that should last me for about 2 weeks...and hopefully feel healthier and happier than I have felt in a long time.

And guess what I made for dinner tonight?

It was the strangest combination of foods...but it actually worked! I had made up the quinoa already so I also steamed a huge bunch of broccoli. I opened, rinsed, and drained a tin of sardines (these ones were in lemon sauce), and tossed in some sage (yes, sage...of all things). When I mixed it all together, the sardines broke up into very small bits and it looked a lot like a casserole (and didn't taste like sardines anymore). So I put a bit of goat's milk cheese on the top (not too much...have to make it last), and let the cheese melt. I wasn't sure if I would feel at all full from it so I had a large serving. It was amazing! I only ate 3/4 of it before I was actually full.

This may not sound like much to you, but usually when I am eating empty calories, I don't ever feel full...just end up running out of food and/or feeling really dopey; and unsatisfied. But after this meal, I felt great...and it actually tasted great. I had two glasses of watered down pomegranate juice (1/2 cup juice in a tall glass) to go with my food and it was wonderful.

So, my first experiment with the new foods worked well. For the meal tonight, this is what I estimate I spent: quinoa, $0.50; broccoli, $1.29; sardines, $1.39; 4 slices of goat's milk mozzarella cheese, $0.70; pomegranate juice, $0.10. For a total of $3.98. Under $4 for an entire meal...and I have enough quinoa cooked up for tomorrow. It took me 20 minutes to make and I feel full and satisfied. No heartburn and no grogginess.

Wow. I wonder what I will have for breakfast tomorrow? This is one meal I have been skipping 'to save money'. Now I can eat again.

One concern...I didn't buy any diet coke. I have known for quite some time that it is extremely unhealthy...but haven't had the nerve to not drink it...to the point of almost feeling addicted to it. I thought it was a cheap alternative to other beverages...but I have now found out it is actually more expensive than healthy juices. Let's see how long I last without it.

Do you have any experience with cheap, healthy meals?