Food prices have risen. I sound like my mother now, talking about the days when I could buy a dozen eggs for $3.50. This last month I have been trimming the fat in our budget to be sure we are ahead of the game in the next few years of uncertain economic times. If you are following the markets and have a critical mind, you’ve already realized that the US’s governments addiction to printing money is going to be a painful blow to all of us in the coming years.

I’m hesitant to say how much I spend on groceries. It’s easily been over $1000/month….?!*&^%

As a champion for health, I feel quality food is vital but as I look at my budget I am beginning to feel how challenging eating healthy on a budget can be when, especially when we are talking about a budget of $500 or less each month.

But I am always up for a challenge.

Here are some of my tips for reigning in your food costs without sacrificing your health or quality of meals.

1. Get a binder with sleeves. Put an envelope into each sleeve with your allocated budget in each department in cash.When you shop, take cash, no more debit or credit cards! I have a sleeve for food, clothing, personal care, gas, gifts…etc. Only my recurring bills for essential home operation get automatically debited from my account. The rest is organized into my binder.

2. Budget for each week of meals. I was notorious for buying up 7 cans of beans when they were on sale. This month, we’ve simply been eating up stored food to get back to a TRUE EAT and USE UP philosophy. I do have an emergency kit though, filled with about two weeks of food stored. I will leave this alone for now.

3. Eliminate junk food If you have family members who love to snack, start doing shopping on your own. Choose your vice and stick to it. We love bean chips. They are about $3.50/bag. So instead of eating 2-3/week, we opt for 1/week as long as the budget allows. We save $14/month on “snacks” alone. Eat frozen blueberries or other fruits in the evenings if the craving strikes. Make home made apple crisp anytime by freezing chopped peeled apples now that they are in season. Get creative so that the ice cream and treats are slowly eliminated for more healthy treats.

4.  Buy food in quantity when they are end of season

Heading into winter, we have budget for some end of season tomatoes and fruit for canning that will take us through the winter. This means I will be spending half of what I would normally spend on imported fruit that has been picked to early. Organic tomatoes are a healthy option when used from glass jars rather than buying cans from the store.

5. Quinoa and Brown Rice

Most people think that quinoa is expensive, but I have been getting large bags for about $7 that easily last one month. We make tabouleh, bean salads, mix into miso soup, puree quinoa with other soups or eat plain with olive oil and Sea Salt.

6. BeansBeans…

…The magical fruit….never mind. Beans are one of the best sources for protein and go a long way on a budget. I LOVE beans and we eat them often. I only buy one brand and I would gladly give up other items on my list for Eden Beans. They are packed with sea veggie that breaks down the exterior coating on the beans which helps us digest them easily. We never have “bean issues” from these beans. They also have put in place  “NO BPA” practices. I’ve tried soaking and sprouting many times now, but life as a stay at home mom and entrepreneur? Something had to give.  Eden is my best choice. Eat a large variety of beans. Add then to rice, pasta sauce, soups, salad’s etc.

7.  More Salads

A general practice in my family since I was a child is to have a salad with every meal, or at the very least, with dinner. Most health issues stem from being overly acidic. Our bodies increase in acidity when we consume processed foods, drinks, meat, alcohol etc. Even stress and negativity in our life creates acidity in our bodies. All disease is born an acidic environment. On the flip side, even raw vegans can have issues with being too alkaline, as I was a few years back. The point is to strive for balance and for most people today, eat more alkaline foods. Salads boost your health and your meals without taxing your budget. Sorry, iceberg lettuce does not qualify as a real salad!

8.  Drop Take Out and Restaurants

If you do take out or restaurants, have a look at your monthly bank statement and tally it up. Starbucks here, Macdonald’s there…it really adds up the food costs and unfortunately adds nothing to your health. But I know, when we are out for the day and the kids get hungry, it’s always a dilemma about what to do? I look at nearly all food establishments with disdain since we switched to a wheat free lifestyle. There are very few places that provide a “home meal away from home” so over time I have lost my affinity with feeling that Restaurants are “special”. On occasion we do eat out, but we carefully select where we go. I always take food snacks with me in a cooler when we had out so that we can avoid being in a hunger craze with the children.

9. Choose to drink MORE WATER!

Milk is highly overrated. Juice as well. Let’s not discuss soda because there are no health benefits from adding this to your budget. The fact is that we are chronically dehydrated. Water, from the purest source available is the best choice. It’s all we drink now. My latest passion is learning about REAL WATER and the effects it has on our blood. WOW, how many of us even realize that the water we drink is actually processed? Milk is not the best choice for calcium, and it causes more problems that it solves. This week we will be heading up to a local spring to collect pure water in glass bottles to hydrate ourselves on a cellular level. Check if you have a spring near you?

10.  Set Eating Times

There are times when I have felt like a short order cook for my family. It does not help when I cook 3 meals a day either plus snacks! This particular advice is really most beneficial for stay at home mom’s or dad’s. I have set times with my children for food. The know that at 8am the breakfast table is cleared and that a snack will not appear until 10am. This has eliminated (almost!) the whining and provides them with the responsibility and power to manage their own hunger. This also helps us with eating constantly and draining and dipping into the food budget by eating up things I have allocated for meals. The other option is to set plates of fruit and veggies out for your children to snack on. Once it is gone, they must wait until meal time.

11. Build a garden!

I have been canning up a storm this year, compliments of the bounty from our garden. If you wait till the end of the season, even organic foods like tomatoes are quite cheap. This is the only exception I make with my budget. I won’t drop $4 for a can of tomatoes, organic or not when BPA is still an issue. I prefer mine in hoe canned glass jars.

These are some of the ways we have been able to cut our food budget in half while eating healthy.

Other special recommendations would be eating towards a more vegetarian diet and meal planning.

How do you eat healthy on a budget?

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11 Ways to Eat Healthy on a Budget

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that we have made significant changes to our eating habits in the last 6 months. I had finally gotten settled with meal preparation so it was time to create a new complete and healthy grocery list. Going wheat, kamut and spelt free, and nearly dairy free, among other adjustments had physically been pretty straightforward, although an adjustment when it came time to cook and shop. I attribute this relatively pain free transition to our switch to eating Real Food last fall, minimizing the amount of packaged foods we eat.

Going wheat free or gluten free does not necessarily make for a “healthier” grocery list.

After 2 months of examining gluten/wheat free brands, to this day I am reluctant to include the majority of them in my grocery list, let alone my diet. It was pretty difficult to replace bread products, baking, and cereals with healthy wheat/gluten free alternatives. Most packaged brands rely on ingredients like laboratory made Xanthan gum, various sweeteners in abundance, corn products, and white rice flour, rather than healthier alternatives. I’m not saying that it impossible to replace old favorites with healthy wheat/gluten free alternatives, however, gluten free products are no more health promoting that other packaged foods. This is the part of going wheat free that takes time: Finding wheat free recipes that are simple, healthy and reliable.

Healthy benefits from switching to a limited dairy and wheat free grocery list and diet are still popping up for us.

One of the most recent benefits was that Olivia had stopped picking her nails. She had picked for as long as I can remember, even until her nails would bleed, as well as other things like her blanket and Na-Na snuggle bear. Soon after we changed our diet, she stopped picking and her nails have all grown back. I knew this habit was centered in the emotional realm; however, I have underestimated truly how much food can impact this realm. Wheat has been related to many emotional disturbances such as nervousness, depression and anxiety. Since the switch I certainly feel lighter and more energetic myself, but when I saw Olivia stop her picking habit at the age of three, again I was simply amazed.

One major key to healthy nutrition is to eat food as close as possible to its original state. This means Simple, Whole & Wheat free and REAL Food. Food we recognize and ingredients we understand. My grocery list is pretty simple. Notably absent are products made with corn, soy and wheat – this also includes avoiding products that use these ingredients as livestock feed – organic or not! If it makes the animals sick, why would we eat it? We now rely as much as possible on local suppliers and ask a lot of questions. How would I describe our meals these days? Real foods, local fresh foods, organic, wheat free, reduced dairy, 50% raw and cooked from scratch.

I hope you’ll find this healthy grocery list useful. I’ve wanted to create a download for so long so I’m pretty excited to be posting today!

Join in the food revolution and share this article with others who you feel would enjoy this list.

Download your own Healthy Grocery List here!

Image credit: Bruce Turner

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Healthy Grocery List: Wheat-Free Friendly

I recently wrote about seeing a Naturopath Doctor for Evan’s croup. The ND’s perspective and solutions helped a great deal for Evan so I decided to consult him on Liv’s recurring cough. This cough had been coming and going since September. It would persist for 2 weeks and then go away for a week. Then it came again. It was mostly coughing at night and tended to sound dry although on a few occasions she was also coughing up stuff. Other than the cough, she did not seem unwell.

At first I credited the chronic cough to her two mornings each week at Waldorf playschool and thought it would pass as we got further into the season. I like to think I do a pretty good job at covering our bases with good food, sleep, water, outside play and low stress days so it does not make sense to me that her immune system can not kick it.

The first thing the ND did was test her for food sensitivities. He explained that in Traditional Chinese Medicine the large intestine and the lungs are related so lung related illnesses such as chronic coughs, asthma etc can be triggered by what is happening in the intestine. He explained that food sensitivities are like a finger print and generally stay with you for life although the sensitivity may diminish somewhat after a period of elimination. The reason we have food sensitivities in the first place is a whole other discussion.

Wheat and Dairy Free discusses food intolerance in more detail. I also enjoyed reading this article about integrated health which lists many of the symptoms related to food sensitivity.

“The symptoms associated with food sensitivities are very broad. The following are some of the major symptoms: fatigue; lethargy; needing to sleep after you have eaten; drowsiness; poor memory; poor concentration; mental agitation; mood swings; compulsive eating; food cravings; sugar craving; carbohydrate and starch cravings; water retention; weight problems; mood swings; depression; restlessness; irritability; headaches; migraines; swollen and painful joints; muscle pain; stiffness; gas; bloating; flatulence; indigestion; heartburn; constipation; blurry eyes; spots in front of eyes; restless sleep; broken sleep.”

Sure enough the VEGA test showed a high sensitivity to cow dairy and wheat. I’ve known about wheat sensitivities for a long time but have never taken the final step to eliminate it from our diet. I first became suspicious of cow dairy when Liv was diagnosed with baby eczema. Over time we reintroduced cow dairy (yogurt and cheese) and then we began our raw milk journey in December 2009. Kamut, spelt, corn and millet also came up as high sensitivities along with a couple of veggies. All fruit was OK. What is interesting is that I began weekly baking in September with wheat, kamut and spelt when Liv began preschool. Thankfully she tested OK for gluten because we make a mean breakfast oatmeal. A wheat allergy we can deal with, Celiac disease we can do without!

Our first step was an elimination diet for 4 weeks minimum. We decided to do this as a family since it would be pretty hard to explain why daddy can have toast and not her. We bought all goat dairy instead (as this tested fine) and let go of pancakes, muffins and bread. (sob)

After 3 weeks here is our news. The elimination diet has been fairly easy. Thankfully our return to eating “real food” has helped a great deal as there have not been many packaged foods to eliminate.

The cough went away on day 6 of the diet. One day it was there, and the next it was gone. Completely. Not any lingering hacks at all. Usually when one is getting over a virus there are a few lingering coughs before it all clears. Her cough disappeared and has not returned since. Because she has been hacking for such a long time (months) I am totally convinced the food sensitivities test is spot on. I believe the cough is wheat related.

The other interesting discovery is in her moods. She seems to have come down a notch. Her moods have smoothed out. She has always been super energetic. She still is but seems, I don’t exactly know how to describe this, a little more comfortable in herself. xShe is more agreeable. While Liv does not have any learning or mood issues (hyperactivity, ADHD)I think it would be interesting to see the results of gluten free diets instead of drugs  for these children. Of coarse Jenny McCarthy made news by discussing how a gluten free diet cured her son of Autism.

Now look at her skin. The two pictures are take about 2 weeks apart. Right before the diet and right after.  (a rare shot of her smiling without making a clown face!) The results speak for themselves.

I researched around for more stories like our that showed a dramatic improvement in health by eliminating wheat and dairy or at least wheat. Dr William Davis discusses the unexpected benefits of eliminating wheat and also lists a balancing of moods and skin. He regards bipolar as a wheat related disease, which I found interesting. He write further on his blog about wheat (he is a cardiologist) and shares a testimonial from a patient who eliminated wheat. CatYork also writes about her poor history of health and going gluten free.

I also have taken the test and eliminated my specific food sensitivities. Many of my high sensitivities are similar to Liv’s. I’m not sure about the whole testing and why the foods come up, all I can say is that I have never felt better. Although my sleep has not improved much (currently up every 1.5 hours)  I awaken each day feeling bright. The best way I can describe it is the fog has lifted and I have more clarity, literally! My vision is better. I wrote about letting go recently and this has been huge in helping me feel great each day, but after 3 weeks I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop! My moods have balanced out and I wonder, no, I’m sure wheat/dairy play a role in depression. My skin has improved. My energy is coming back and I no longer feel tired mid afternoon (remember i am not getting much sleep!) I am a slender woman but have always had issues with my belly. Not a muscle tone issue but more like bloating. This has also diminished and I can feel the return of the flatter belly coming soon! Also, some flaky bits around my nose and on my scalp are gone.

So that’s our food saga. Let’s hear from you! Have you managed to resolve chronic issues through an elimination diet, specifically wheat or dairy?

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Food Sensitivities at the Root of Chronic Symptoms

I used to have a really sweet tooth. A weekly ritual, I would devour a couple chocolate bars in one sitting. Part of this was an emotional need to “treat” myself when things were not going well in my life and the other was simply the physical craving due to the proliferation of Candida. When I took a proactive approach to my health and kicked the candida to the curb I was pleased to find that I totally lost my craving for sweets.

What’s wrong with sweets? We discussed sugar and kids with Dr. Scott a while back. Many parents swear that sugar is the cause of less desirable behavior in their children. You know, the familiar “wild child” symptom from too much sugar and refined processed foods? From time to time a tasty cheesecake is probably not something to freak over although many health experts suggest that eating products laced with sugar actually lowers your immune system.

So far I have been pretty strict about sugar and sweets, however we have discovered that Liv absolutely loves to cook and bake. Rather that seriously harming my child for life for not enjoying the goodness of fresh baked cookies and loafs I have natural substitutes for refined sugar on hand.

The Natural Substitutes for Sugar We Use:

Raw (Non Pasteurized) Honey – I would not touch honey in my vegan days but now I am convinced there is no way nature would create such a delicious treat were it not meant to be eaten! Not only has raw honey been a life saver for midnight hack attacks & lingering coughs, it healed my husbands blistered grease burn in just a few days. Since raw honey is full of enzymes, it’s best to use only for non cooked treats.

Dehydrated Cane Sugar Juice – These are crystals that form from drying out the cane sugar juice. Also known as Rapadura, dehydrated cane sugar juice is probably the best substitute for refined sugar because it is similar in weight and texture. Dehydrated Cane Sugar Juice has not gone through the heat processes that cane sugar has and is reported to be rich in minerals. It can still upset the body chemistry like sugar though, so use sparingly. I advise using maximum 1/3 the recommended amount of sugar called for in your recipes. I’ve had no complaints so far!

I also use molasses and a high grade maple syrup sparingly.

The Sugars I Steer Clear Of  (Even in The Health Store!)

If you stand in the sugar aisle in a health food store you may be confused. Many sugars look exactly the same! As well, the excessive use of the word natural and almost no explanation of what the process is leaves me a little doubtful they are any healthier than refined white sugar.

White Sugar – standard refined  or organic, I won’t buy either. From a health perspective I don’t see the cost benefit when there are much better options available. 

Succanat – The process described on the packages will almost sound like dehydrated cane sugar juice except that there has been a high heat process added to make those little granules. I am steering clear of most high heat processes these days so it does not pass for us.

Agave Syrup – We bought Agave when it popped up in the health store but stopped using once I read more about the ongoing debate about it’s processing methods. There is a raw agave available but for now I am steering clear as there are better options available.

Raw  Cane Sugar – This is the sugar that is package in little brown packets at cafes that healthy minded people tend to grab instead of white. Brown crystals look good on the outside but aren’t because  again, they are highly refined. Would I choose the pasteurized honey option over the brown packets? That’s a tough one, how about drinking coffee black?

Light or Dark Brown Sugar – Is somebody hiding? This is basically white sugar with a little molasses costume on for disguise.

Sugar “Substitutes” – High fructose corn syrup is present in everything from yogurt to soft drinks and is best avoided at all costs. Saccharin, aspartame, sucralose etc. are also sugar substitutes. You know, the little colored packets that say they may cause cancer in lab rats? Last time I checked out a packet anyway. I am always surprised by how many “healthy” recipes call for one of the many sugar substitutes. Maybe they didn’t get the memo?

Sugar Sugar Everywhere!

My dentist actually told me, while she was promoting fluoride for my children no less, that we should not eat any fruit. Can you believe it, no fruit? Where is the logic in that! I stand by the fact that our bodies and teeth are NOT damaged by eating “real food.”  This is food that nature gives us before we refine and alter it. Dentists make good money these days not because our teeth and natures food are inherently flawed, but because the standard American diet is weighted in refined sugar and processed foods.

The natural sweeteners I use are generally for baking. There are other important ways to reduce your intake of refined sugar or sugar substitutes.

• Eat the whole fruit instead of buying packaged juices. Store bought juices are pasteurized by law, destroying all valuable nutrients. Also, my understanding is that you can’t go by the nutrient labels because the amounts shown are before pasteurizing. Water, herbal teas or coconut water are better liquids to rehydrate.
• If you love juice, consider juicing your own fruit and vegetables where you still benefit from valuable nutrients.
• Limit sauces, dressings, ketchup, unsoaked grains, soda’s, pastries, packaged snacks etc.
• Stay in shape. Muscular people are better able to handle excess sugar in their body.
• Eat more non-starchy vegetables. Some people are highly sensitive to sugar and starch. You can’t lose with a diet that is high in all the green veggies…there’s a lot! Plus leafy greens, tomatoes, cabbage and cauliflower are also great choices.

A Final Word About Sugar

When you do indulge in a little sweet, Sally Fallon advises that desserts be consumed with a little fat to help your body process the sugar more easily.  Simple things like having a baked apple tart with a little dollup of creme fraiche. She suggests the fat will help your body process the sugar more easily. Also, it’s best to eat desserts after a meal rather than on an empty stomach to keep the body chemistry from freaking out. Not good.

With all the doom and gloom about sugar, there are exceptions. Many Americans have pondered why the French can indulge in so many questionable foods and still enjoy better health we do. The secret may be that we have much to learn about the art of enjoying food in the presence of good company rather than being so strict about calories and fat. Dare I mention that eating while we drive does not fall into the “art of enjoying food” category!

I also believe there is an energetic emotional component to enjoying a good dessert. For someone who tends to see the serious side of life, a little sweetening can have a positive effect on the psyche. A dessert can temporarily “sweeten” you up. The important thing to remember is not to become psychologically dependent on sugar. Instead, work on ways to bring more joy and bliss into your life.

Image credit: SMercury98

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Natural Substitutes For Sugar

image credit: anyalogic

The longer I study health and nutrition the more I find that I am adopting a simple and traditional approach to the way I take care of myself. I am continually making adjustments to reflect my philosophy in all areas. For nutrition, I believe that foods we eat and the supplements we take must be as close as possible to the way nature created. In other words, whole.

In her book Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon cites extensive research on the health and nutrition of traditional cultures – who is healthiest, who lives the longest and the reasons why. She discusses at length our modern obsession with augmenting foods from their natural form, trendy diets, and the poor nutritional advice from the “establishment.” She is also a valuable author for vegetarians and vegans, although her suggestions for optimal health may create a dilemma as her argument for a balanced diet from all food sources is hefty and worth consideration.

I have been eating a whole food diet for about 10 years, believing that this is superior to the standard American fare of overly refined and processed foods. I was surprised to read that  aspects of my whole food diet may be as detrimental to my health as a diet rich in sugar and refined foods!

Huh?

Sally Fallon points out that those who cook with whole grains and pulses such a quinoa, millet, rolled oats, bulgur, and lentils plus baking with kamut, spelt and whole wheat flours etc are wasting money and losing out on nutrients simply because they do not prepare the grains in a way that the body can absorb all the nutrients.

In fact, consuming grains that are refined or not prepared properly is now being recognized as a contributor to illness and disease. It would be good practice to be kind to your grains by learning the proper preparation methods in order to take full advantage of all the nutrients available.

Modern Cooking Methods Are Failing Us

Fallon states: All grains contain phytic acid in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and especially zinc in the intestinal tract and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains can lead to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss. The modern misguided practice of consuming large amounts of unprocessed bran often improves colon transit at first may lead to irritable bowel syndrome and other adverse effects. (italics mine)

The proteins in grain, such as gluten, are also very hard to digest. Strain on the digestive system to break down diets high in wheat can lead to the eventual development of allergies, celiac disease, mental illness, chronic indigestion, and candida.

The Power of Soaking and Fermentation

The simple practice of soaking or fermenting your grains and legumes in warm acidulated water for 12-24 hours will neutralize a large portion of the phytic acid. Soaking encourages the production of numerous enzymes which increases the amounts of many vitamins, especially B vitamins, vastly improving the nutritional benefits. Soaking also partially breaks down gluten and other difficult to digest proteins so that they are more readily absorbed.

All grains with gluten should be soaked or fermented. This includes oats, rye, barley, and wheat. All flour products used for baking including kamut, spelt and wheat should also be soaked in an acidic medium for 12 to 24 hours.

The soaking mixture is generally warm water with about 2Tbs of yogurt, Kefir or whey. It’s really quite amazing to see the difference in the grain after this process.

image credit: WordRidden

Really…It’s Easy!

Before you get overwhelmed at the though of spending even more time on your meals, I have found that soaking and fermenting has been pretty simple to implement. While I’m not ready to get into fermenting veggies and fruits just yet, adjusting how I prepare grains has been fairly simple.

Here are few ideas to consider:

• Fermentation is practical, frugal, healthy and timeless.
• If you are eating “quick oats” because you are short on time in the morning, soaking is the answer for you. Not only can you switch to healthier oats such as rolled or steel cut oats, but now your cooking time has been cut in half!
• Consider slowly eliminating all boxed cereals out of your pantry. Even the granola, spelt and other fancy “whole grain” cereals! They are highly refined, expensive and of little benefit to your health.
• Get a couple of bowls soaking each week and slowly eliminate canned beans from your pantry, saving you even more money.
• Source out great recipes using whole grains (I will slowly be adding them here as well) and create a simple meal plan so you know what to have soaking 12-24 hours in advance.

Nourishing Traditions is a great read. Fermentation is just one part of the 700 page cookbook that will totally transform the way you think about food (and what is “healthy”). We have made numerous changes at home that I’ll continue to blog about in the days to follow.

Looking for more information on fermentation?

The Nourishing Gourmet, inspired from Nourishing Traditions is a great place to start. Kimi is an experienced gourmet of frugal and traditional cooking and she shares her tried and true methods on her blog.

Wild Fermentation website and book brings back the lost art of fermentation with an impressive list of recipes and links.

National Center for Home Food Preservation

Are you a “fermenting” family?! Share your thoughts and experience in the comments below.

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Why Your Whole Food Diet May Be Unhealthy