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Opt for credit crunchy foods
Tips on maintaining a healthy diet and helping the pennies go further
With the cost of food appearing to rise by the minute, continuing to eat healthy meals is once again becoming a luxury.
Sales of organic produce appear to be dropping as the 'value' as cheaper lines suddenly becomes more attractive to our purses. However, you do not need to sacrifice healthy foods for the sake of finances.
There are many ways you can help the pennies go further without losing the benefits of a healthy diet:
1. Use frozen and canned veg. Vegetables that are picked and immediately flash-frozen or canned can have the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables; very often, fresh vegetables are shipped long distances, losing vitamins and minerals before they make it to the supermarket shelves. And, with frozen veg, you can use and cook exact amounts, meaning there is no waste.
2. Grow your own. We can't all have allotments but even growing your own herbs for cooking can save you pounds and can be done on a
windowsill. Even a small patch of the garden can be tilled to produce lettuce, runner beans,
carrots, potatoes etc, with only a few minutes' effort per day.
3. Buy in bulk. Potatoes are a great bulk food and much cheaper by the sack. Put an apple into the sack, which prevents the potatoes from
flowering.
4. Pasta sauces can be expensive compared to the cost of making your own. You can make these easily and cheaply at home in bulk and freeze in portions.
5. Organise when you shop; try to base your shopping list around a planned series of meals. This lessens the odds of impulse-buying foods and reduces waste. Planning ahead also gives you the opportunity to organise healthy meals and avoid convenience foods.
6. How much do you spend on coffees, lunches and snacks while at work? Add it up and you might be surprised. Take a flask of coffee to work to avoid those expensive lattes and pack your own lunch and snacks bought at supermarket prices. Much cheaper!
7. Keep your freezer as full as possible (fill it with batch-cooked meals), as a half-empty freezer uses up more electricity than a full one. If you can't fill it, pack it with polystyrene, used in packing, to reduce running costs – you won't be paying to chill fresh air.
8. Be a little bit of a veggie. Meat is an expensive addition to a meal so opt for more vegetarian dishes – jacket potatoes, salads, vegetable soups and stews with the addition of canned beans such as adzuki beans which are tasty, nutritious, filling and fat-free and only cost 40p per can.
Call Donna at The Cottage Therapy Studio on 01234 838880 for allergy and intolerance analysis, wellness MOTs and menopause naturally consultations: www.scio-wellness.com
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Weather for Bedford
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
